When BYU Continuing Education, then known as the Extension Division, was formally organized by then, BYU president Franklin S. Harris in 1921, it was his intention to expand educational opportunities to people who could not attend a formal university format. In order to achieve this mission, Harris appointed Lowry Nelson, a former student of his, as the first director of Continuing Education from 1921 to 1935.
At the time, Nelson was working as an editor for the Utah Farmer, a magazine based in Lehi, Utah, when he was first contacted by President Harris about creating an extension program at BYU. The Division's original purpose was to bring the university to the people of the church through formal and informal instruction. Formal instruction came with academic credit, and informal courses did not.
Rather than inheriting a pre-existing position, Nelson was charged with not only being the first to take on the role but also establishing the direction of the organization as a whole. Regarding this experience, Nelson recalled, "Brigham Young University had been doing what we call extension work before this... there was no central organization for it, and I was asked to provide such a structure."
In the Extension Division's second annual report, Nelson explained that the Extension Division should not function as a separate organization, but rather as an extension of the university itself. To communicate this, Nelson wrote in the report, “All of the members of the regular faculty are therefore looked upon as members of the Extension staff," and established that the extension would be devoted to three main areas, which included theological instruction, teacher training, and recreational leadership.
Under Nelson’s direction, the Extension Division expanded quickly beyond just classes. It began organizing campus lectures. The Extension Division also developed performances, published materials, and established the entire university’s news bureau. This initiative also helped lay the foundation for BYU’s early forays into audiovisual instruction.
One of the most defining aspects of Nelson’s tenure as director included the development of these early programs, many of which are still around today. For example, the first ever Education Week, then known as Leadership Week, was coordinated under Lowry’s leadership, which featured 23 subject areas and was attended by more than 3,000 participants across 45 different stakes.
Arguably, Nelson’s greatest contribution is establishing the organizational framework and administrative structure that has allowed for the BYU Extension Division, now BYU Continuing Education, to continue to grow for over a century and achieve his vision of "taking the university to the people."