Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts board minutes, 1995-2002

Series — Carton: 2

Identifier: UA 5618 Series 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The materials in this series are related to the Board meetings held by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies from 1995-2001 when it was added as part of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts family. After 2001, the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts finance reports are included.

The minutes cover many aspects of both the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies and the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts. From 1998-2001, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies discuss the merger with Brigham Young University. Future faculty members and hiring are a common topic as are reports on finished or current projects. There are many times when professors and professionals from other instiutions and countries are discussed as future links to current and future projects.

Among the minutes are serveral Powerpoint presentations printoffs. These touch on a variety of topics including Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies current projects and planned future projects. Also included are the agendas for Board Members, which are marked confidential, which give greater detail into specifics of projects and who is assisting (both Brigham Young University and staff of other institutions), financial details and timetables.

Also included are the 2002 Financial Audits of both the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies.

Dates

1995-2002

Creator

Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (creator, Organization)
Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (creator, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Restricted. Closed for 35 years from the date of creation of the records, and thereafter open to the public in accordance with the University Archives Policy.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any neccessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts records must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Administrative History

From the Collection:

The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) was established in 2001. Daniel Oswald served as the executive director from 2001-2003 and Noel B. Reynolds served from 2003 to 2006. In 2006, the BYU Board of Trustees renamed ISPART the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts helped recover, preserve, study, and publish ancient documents. The institute was specifically interested in the Bible and its historical context, the manuscript sources of Eastern Christianity, and Book of Mormon scholarship. The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) was the administering body for the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART), Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI), and Research Technology Group. All divisions functioned under the direction of an executive director who acted in the same capacity as a Dean of an academic department.

Administrative History

From the Collection:

The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was established in 1979 as a non-profit organization by John. W. Welch. In 1997 FARMS was formally invited into Brigham Young University by President Gordon B. Hinckley. FARMS functioned as its own research foundation until 2001 when it became a part of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART). In 2006 it became a part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship when ISPART changed names. Paul Y. Hoskisson has served as the foundation director since 2008. In 2010, the Foundation for Ancient Research was dissolved. The publication continued under the name of Mormon Studies Review.

The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies functions as a research and publication center that focuses on scholarly analysis of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, the Old Testament, the New Testament, early Christian history, and ancient temples.