The nonprofit institution won't have any of its own campus facilities in the early stages, he said, noting the building that formerly housed the BYU Nauvoo program has been demolished.

Planning is under way for future campus buildings, but local motels and meeting facilities that cater to tourists during the summer are the likely venues for student housing and classrooms initially, "until we get enough of a campus for them to move into."

A few individuals have come forward to help with funding, Ivie said, but he doesn't know at this point where the bulk of the money for such a costly enterprise will come from. When private individuals founded Nauvoo Restoration Inc. in the area in the 1950s, "they needed funding to buy buildings and renovate some 30 sites they restored. There were church members who showed up who had the funds to be able to do that. It's a matter of faith that that's going to happen."

With many of the details still to be worked out, administrators do anticipate opening next fall and are hoping to attract at least 50 students for the first semester, he said. Initially, bachelor's degree programs will be offered in general education, history and English.

"Some former faculty and staff of BYU Nauvoo have been invited to return and help us get this started," and those listed on the Web site as board members include Susan Easton Black, professor of church history at BYU; Michael Kennedy, president of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society; and Beverly Simone, president of Southeastern Iowa Community College.

Another board member listed is Vee Wilson, who is also listed as president of the planned Desert Valley Academy in Nevada.

Asahel "Ace" Robison, chairman of the board for Desert Valley Academy, said that school's fundraising — the initial goal is $75 million — was "moving forward quite well, and then the economy smacked us in the face. ... We're in a position, fortunately, where we can wait it out a little bit."

Robison serves as an LDS stake president in Moapa Valley, and said he has felt the pull of the area's "pioneering spirit" in his quest to help build the school.

The group has developed a curriculum and established a corporate identity in Nevada, and has received approval for tax-free status with the IRS. Wilson, a longtime educator who is to serve as president, spent a year volunteering at Southern Virginia University to gain experience and an understanding "of what it really takes to make it happen," said Robison, a government affairs consultant with longtime experience in Washington.