Church marks 100 years of Institute program in Moscow, Idaho, where it began
September 22, 2026 at 1:03 PM MT · via newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Institute of Religion program in Moscow, Idaho, where the first Institute building opened in 1926 adjacent to the University of Idaho. The program was designed to provide religious education for Latter-day Saint college students attending secular universities.
Institute has since grown to more than 3,800 locations worldwide, serving hundreds of thousands of young adult members annually. Church leaders gathered in Moscow to mark the centennial and recognize the program's expansion from a single building to a global education system.
The anniversary highlights the church's strategy of maintaining religious identity and community for members during their college years, a period when retention has historically been challenging.
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