There are hundreds of religiously affiliated colleges in the U.S., but Brigham Young University stands apart from all the others for one reason: money.

Namely, the amount of money it gets from its owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So said Snow College Provost Michael Austin, a BYU alum who previously has worked as an administrator at Catholic and Methodist universities.

At the recent Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, Austin explained that the Utah-based church subsidizes BYU to a much greater degree than other faiths do their affiliated schools. That funding, he added, gives the church more control over how the university operates, including hiring, curriculum and campus policies.

“Money grows on strings,” Austin said. “BYU [thanks to church subsidies] pays

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