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SALT LAKE CITY -- A new private college planned for Nevada would promote values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and provide an alternative to Brigham Young University.
Developers say the demand for schools that teach the values of the LDS Church is growing, but thousands of potential students just can't get in.
Even if they wanted to, BYU and BYU Idaho just don't have room for every member of the LDS Church who wants to go to a LDS-themed school.
"There's a built-in cap to the LDS Church-owned colleges, but the Church continues to grow in population," says Rex Jensen, executive director of the project.
Jensen is trying to establish the Desert Valley Academy in Nevada's Moapa Valley.
The school will be a four-year liberal arts college in Logandale, 50 miles from Las Vegas and 65 miles from St. George. It will have an honor code similar to what you'd see at BYU.
Jensen says there are many LDS teens graduating from high school in California and Nevada who might qualify to go to BYU or BYU Idaho, but have reservations about going to those schools.
"Nothing against the schools, it's just the climate and the distance. It's either a long all-day drive to get there or a two-day drive to go from L.A. or San Diego to BYU Idaho," he says.
But there are many things that need to happen before the Desert Valley Academy takes shape. Developers are trying to find land to build the school on now, and they're hoping to raise money for construction and other expenses.
Jensen says they're trying to raise $10 million to get the ball rolling.
"The total budget for the college, if we were to build out the whole thing, would be $75 million," he says.
Although the LDS Church is not sanctioning or controlling the construction of the academy, Jensen says he still keeps an open line of communication with Church leaders to keep them apprised of how the project is progressing.
He says Church leaders have been supportive, but they've also expressed some concerns.
"Their main concern is that the college be established on a sound financial basis so it doesn't get into financial difficulty," Jensen says.
For now, Jensen says they're using Southern Virginia University as a model for DVA. Southern Virginia also promotes LDS values, even though the school is not run by the LDS Church.
Those organizing Desert Valley Academy say they hope to open in the fall of 2012. Jensen hopes to have several hundred students enrolled for the first year of classes.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
