The BYUI block-letter monument unveiled Tuesday on BYU-Idaho’s campus already has a new tradition.
BYU-I President Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife Jennifer stepped into the block U and kissed in front of thousands of students and faculty who had walked outside the BYU-Idaho Center after a campus devotional.
Students followed the Merediths’ example and the 8-foot tall letters immediately had lore.
BYU-Idaho President Alvin Meredith III and his wife Jennifer kiss to christen the new block-letter BYUI monument on campus in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. | BYU-Idaho
The monument is 30 feet wide and intended as a gathering place and photo opp for students and alumni of the school sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“This event marks a historic occasion for us as we continue to focus on BYU-Idaho’s mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the church and their communities,” President Meredith said.
Thousands of BYU-Idaho students and faculty watch the unveiling of a block BYUI monument after a campus devotional in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. The blue letters are 8 feet tall and 2 feet deep. The monument is 30 feet wide. | BYU-Idaho
“We hope this location becomes a favorite spot on campus for students and alumni to meet and celebrate special occasions and find joy in this wonderful place,” Sister Meredith said.
University officials have planned the monument for years. The two-foot deep letters are set in a concrete base with weatherproof pavers. All of it is custom-manufactured, according to a news release.
BYU-Idaho students take selfies with the new block-letter BYUI monument unveiled on campus on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Rexburg, Idaho. | Lauren Bushman
“Letters that are this big, they’re not sitting on a shelf where you can just go buy them,” said Andy Johnson, director of Architecture and Construction Management Services. “Partnering with the right contractors that have the ability and the time to do it can be challenging, but things lined up so we could make it happen.”
Crews began to excavate the site and build the footings in August. They were confronted by unexpected lava rock. The letters arrived on Dec. 5.
“We hope the letters stand for many generations of students and successions of graduating classes get to take their pictures taken there,” Johnson said. “BYU-Idaho is a place where students graduate and go on to be successful, and that one little picture will help tell that story.”
BYU-Idaho’s sister school, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, unveiled a similar blue-block BYU monument in February.