 The school broke off from the University of Deseret and became Brigham Young Academy , with classes commencing on January 3 , 1876 . Warren Dusenberry served as interim principal of the school for several months until April 1876 when Brigham Young 's choice for principal arrived — a German immigrant named Karl Maeser . Under Maeser 's direction the school educated many luminaries including future U.S. Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland and future U.S. Senator Reed Smoot among others . The school , however , did not become a university until the end of Benjamin Cluff , Jr 's term at the helm of the institution . At that time , the school was also still privately supported by members of the community and was not absorbed and sponsored officially by the LDS Church until July 18 , 1896 . A series of odd managerial decisions by Cluff led to his demotion ; however , in his last official act , he proposed to the Board that the Academy be named " Brigham Young University " . The suggestion received a large amount of opposition , with many members of the Board saying that the school wasn 't large enough to be a university , but the decision ultimately passed . One opponent to the decision , Anthon H. Lund , later said , " I hope their head will grow big enough for their hat . " 
