David O. McKay Building
Built in 1954
David O’ McKay Building: Where We Began (1954)
In February 1954, Brigham Young University announced an ambitious plan to construct a large, multipurpose classroom building to meet the growing needs of its students and faculty. Before this development, the College of Education operated out of the Education Building on lower campus near the Laboratory School.
Construction progressed rapidly. In just nine months, the building was completed, and the Board of Trustees voted to name it in honor of Church President David O. McKay. On December 14, 1954, President and Sister McKay officially opened the building in a special ribbon-cutting and dedicatory service. University President Ernest L. Wilkinson later wrote in his journal that it was “one of the great days of history in our institution.”
Following the dedication, the new building quickly became a central hub for academics at BYU. The College of Education, along with the departments of English, Modern Languages, Political Science, and History, moved into the David O. McKay Building, marking a new chapter in the university’s educational mission.
David O. McKay Building: Where We Are Now
Named after the ninth President of the Church, David O. McKay, the David O. McKay building honors a man known as a “lifelong educator”. Influenced by his parents’ example, President McKay believed that education was central to a successful and meaningful life. He championed high ideals, equal opportunity, and the importance of lifelong learning, principles that are now central to BYU’s mission.
The School of Education includes Educational Leadership and Psychology and Instructional Sciences (such as Communications Disorders), as well as Elementary and Secondary Education. BYU has many connections with schools around the country that allow their education students to teach, such as the Provo City School District, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, and through the National/International Student Teaching Program (NISTP) teach in Guangzhou, China.