President Packer, Elder Haight, President Bateman, deans, distinguished faculty, guests, graduates, and friends of Brigham Young University, I am so pleased to represent the more than 324,000 alumni of this university in honoring and recognizing the achievements of this graduating class of 2001 today.
Graduates, you have been the recipients of knowledge, training, sacrifice, inspiration, and love here at BYU. Your diligence and perseverance and patience in arriving here today will serve you well as this graduating class goes to many parts of this world where your intellect, energy, experience, and values are so critically needed.
Your continuing support and commitment to BYU is also needed! I offer four brief suggestions to help you continue to have a BYU experience:
1. Keep current: Read the excellent BYU magazine that should be mailed to you quarterly. Stay aware of the future activities and accomplishments of this remarkable university. Participate when you can in the cultural, academic, and athletic events when they are available here on campus or where you may be living. Make the effort to keep current.
2. Stay connected: Use the BYU website and the alumni website to track your areas of interest at the university. Sign up to receive MyBYU News, a personally customized emailed monthly newsletter. Use the lifetime BYU email forwarding address to keep your email directed to you whenever you change your address. Buy desired BYU products and services online. Stay connected.
3. Join and serve: BYU graduates now live in more than 120 countries throughout the world, and there are more than 150 separate alumni chapters, Management Society chapters, Law Society chapters, and other alumni groups domestically and internationally. Join the groups, have fun, and serve. All will benefit if you join and serve.
4. Replenish: As graduates you will now have the opportunity to help replenish and give back to BYU and its sponsoring church. We invite you to take seriously the opportunity and responsibility to give back both in service and with your donations. Please start now and increase when possible. Commit to replenish.
Today you join the ranks of the graduates of BYU. I reiterate that if you
(1) keep current with BYU through its publications and activities,
(2) stay electronically connected through the internet,
(3) join and serve in the many different alumni groups available, and
(4) replenish and give back unselfishly,
you will more completely enjoy your new alma mater and more fully appreciate the experience that you have had here.
Accordingly, to this class of 2001 I hereby confer upon each of you lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association.
We offer our congratulations and warmest welcome to you, our newest and perhaps most promising members.
