The school left the University of Deseret and became Brigham Young Academy. Classes started on January 3, 1876. Warren Dusenberry was principal of the school for several months. In April 1876, German immigrant Karl G. Maeser became the principal. While he was principal, the school educated many important people like future U.S. Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland and future U.S. Senator Reed Smoot. The school did not become a university until the end of Benjamin Cluff's term as principal. At that time, the school was still privately paid for by the community. On July 18, 1896, the LDS church became the official sponsor of the school.