I have now served as your president for two years and two months, and this is my third university conference. I have enjoyed the experience immensely, more than I thought I would. Part of the reason is that for me this is more than another employment. It is an affiliation with an institution for which […]
I join Peggy in welcoming you to the new school year. For some of you, including an unprecedented number of returned missionaries, this will be your first semester as full-time students at BYU. Others are back for another round. For all, it is a wonderful time of new opportunities, challenges, and, we hope, optimism. As Peggy […]
Thank you, Dr. Broomhead and members of the University Chorale, for that wonderful rendition of “For All the Saints” (Hymns, 1985, no. 82). That song is to be sung majestically, which you certainly did. Your words set the tone for my address today. I would like to look at how we as Saints—“faithful, true, and […]
It is wonderful to be with you at the beginning of a new school year. This is my third opportunity to visit with you on the occasion of a university conference, and I approach this assignment and responsibility with gratitude to you, to many others, and particularly to our board of trustees for this privilege. […]
Today I want to talk to you about the ownership of BYU. Who owns BYU, and what does this ownership mean? What are the privileges of ownership, and what are its responsibilities?
If you look at it just from a dollars-and-cents standpoint, by far the largest financial interest in this university is held by the faithful […]
It is wonderful to be together with you this morning. I hope you have had a pleasant and productive summer because the activities of this week send an unmistakable message: Vacation is over! The time has arrived once again to engage in essential and vital tasks related to our stewardships at Brigham Young University. As […]
My dear brothers and sisters, it is indeed an honor to speak to you today. As a young boy I watched basketball games played at the Marriott Center and often dreamed of suiting up and running out onto that storied floor. Sadly, my basketball skills never elevated to the level needed for such an […]
Welcome to the start of a new semester. We are so glad to have you students here on campus. Our community comes alive in a new way because you are here.
Most of our new students arrived two weeks ago. Many of them participated in what is now becoming a tradition: forming the Y at […]
As an anatomy and neuroscience teacher, I have the great privilege to study and teach about one of God’s greatest creations: the human body. I marvel every time I listen to a beating heart or watch an electrocardiogram measure a heart’s electrical activity. It is remarkable to me to watch skin slowly repair itself following […]
When I was an undergraduate, I had the privilege of studying at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. On one field trip we visited an area in which a large stone tower stood. From the tower a watchman could detect threats before they were visible from the ground, protecting the olive, fig, and […]
