Speeches by Topic Topics | BYU
Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University is a nationally ranked private research and teaching university in Provo, Utah. With more than 30,000 students representing every state in America and many other countries, BYU is the largest religious university in the United States. It offers highly competitive programs, from the liberal arts to engineering to business. Most of its students are undergraduates, but BYU also offers several quality graduate programs, including a world-renowned law school and high-ranking school of business.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prizes truth wherever it may be found. For this reason, the early Saints’ first orders of business upon settling in the Salt Lake Valley were to build a temple and a university. Soon, the Brigham Young Academy was founded under the leadership of Karl G. Maeser, and a network of schools and colleges was developed to provide quality education for every young person in the Church.
As the Church grew in numbers and spread beyond the boundaries of the American West, it was no longer feasible to maintain a network of schools that could educate every youth in Zion. Instead, seminaries and institutes of religion were set up to supplement other colleges and universities, allowing teenagers and young adults to complement secular learning with meaningful study of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church continues to fund Brigham Young Academy, now Brigham Young University, as well as its counterparts in Idaho and Hawaii and the LDS Business College.
Brigham Young University occupies a unique place within the Church and the world of higher education because of its dual loyalties to religious faith and academic rigor. A BYU education aims to be intellectually enlarging, spiritually strengthening, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service. Its mission is to “assist individuals in their quest for eternal life.” By fulfilling this mission, BYU hopes to prepare students to give back to their families, communities, and nations. Brigham Young University seeks to bless not only the lives of its students and faculty but the Church, the various academic disciplines, and the world at large.
Two years ago this week President Worthen shared with the university community his vision for inspiring learning.1 This afternoon I hope to further describe some of the contours of that effort, particularly as it relates to experiential learning and student-centered research. I will also share my sense of why the whole inspiring learning project depends on “having [our] hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another”2—the theme of this university conference.
Inspiring Learning
As I considered my own inspiring learning efforts, my m
I. Introduction
My family thinks that I am somewhat obsessive about all things BYU. For example, I go to sleep every night on a Y-logoed pillowcase, head out to my car each morning through a door adorned with a large magnetic Y, fly a large Y flag on my front porch on BYU game days, and display numerous BYU-themed posters around our home. These posters generally celebrate historic BYU coaches, athletes, and events, such as BYU’s 1984 national championship in football, the 2006 John Beck to Jonny Harline winning touchdown pass against the University of Utah, and a certain BY
Wow! What an impressive and inspiring sight to see all of you graduates gathered here today to celebrate an end and a beginning! You have entered and learned, and now it is time to go forth and serve. What exciting opportunities await you!
I love BYU! BYU exists to provide an outstanding education in an atmosphere of faith. But I believe BYU also exists because of the opportunity it provides to connect us with others.
I speak to you today on behalf of BYU’s Alumni Association. Our motto is Connected for Good. I want to share with you what I think that means.
My dad and
Graduation ceremonies have been occurring at BYU since 1877; some have been more memorable than others. The graduation exercises of 1899 were unusual in several respects, especially when compared to the ceremonies we are holding today. The venue was smaller. It was held in the Provo Stake Tabernacle. And the procession was a bit longer. It went five blocks from the Academy Building to the tabernacle. The nature of the student achievements highlighted was also different from what we see today. We have students today who have worked on neonatal ventilators, NASA solar panel arrays, and the se
I pray that the Spirit will be with us to prompt our thinking as we join together today. It is an honor for me to be with you. Having my nephew Mike play the organ and my grandchildren Ashlyn and Drew give the prayers just adds to the joy.
Looking on the Bright Side
Our son shared a story told to him by a teacher at BYU recounting a family’s experience while hosting an apostle in their home during a stake conference weekend. The mother was anxious to prepare things as perfectly as possible for their respected vi
As I begin today, I want to recognize and thank my predecessor, Brent Webb, for his remarkable service during his time as academic vice president. As a dean, I worked closely with Brent. I knew he was brilliant: he never seemed to forget a thing I wrote to him. And I knew he always acted with integrity: I never had to worry that what he told me would be inaccurate or that others were getting a special deal unavailable to the Law School.
Until the last couple of months, however, I don’t think I had the full picture
It is a pleasure to welcome all of you to our annual university conference and a pleasure to see you here. The past year has gone by very quickly—at least for me. That is a good sign. We often hear that time flies when you are having fun. As it turns out, studies confirm that that is true. One study noted that people experience time differently depending on what they are doing and how they feel about that particular activity. “Time consistently sped up when subjects were busy, happy, concentrating, or socializing . . . and slowed down . . . when subjects were bored, tired, or sad
Susan and I are delighted to meet with you as a new semester begins at Brigham Young University.
I want to begin my message today by describing two important times of transition in my life that occurred on campuses sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The first transition started in 1970 at BYU. I attended San Leandro High School in the East Bay Area of California from 1967 to 1970. It was a turbulent time, with anti–Vietnam War protests, political assassinations, and social upheaval. The Haight-
What a beautiful sight! It is a privilege to stand before an audience as full of promise and potential as this one. As president of the BYU Alumni Association, it is my privilege to hereby confer on each of you graduates lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I offer you congratulations and welcome you into this great association of more than 415,000 alumni.
Our alumni association had an ad campaign prompting us to remember our time at BYU with the tagline “Remember when; remember why.” We all have a BYU story. Recently I asked s
It is customary for speakers at a graduation ceremony to give advice to the new graduates, to share with them words of wisdom to inspire them in their next stage of life. Perhaps because such sage advice is in somewhat limited supply, much of what is said at these events has been said before and will likely be said again. With that in mind, let me give you graduates a two-part charge that I doubt you have heard in any graduation ceremony you have attended.
First Charge: Be Awful
The first part is a simple two-word admonition: “Be awful.” Yes, you heard right. My advic
What a beautiful sight! It is my privilege to stand before an audience as full of promise and potential as this one. As president of the BYU Alumni Association, it is my privilege to hereby confer on each of you graduates lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I offer you congratulations and welcome you into this great association of more than 415,000 alumni.
Our alumni association had an ad campaign prompting us to remember our time at BYU with the tagline “Remember when; remember why.” We all have a BYU story. Recently I asked some of you graduates
I am pleased to be here in this important gathering of BYU leaders, whom I last addressed in your BYU leadership meeting in August 2014. As I said there:
[I] firmly believe that it is the destiny of Brigham Young University to become what those prophetic statements predicted it would become. But inherent in being the University of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the reality that this great goal will not be attained in exactly the same way that other universities have achieved their greatness. With your help, it will become the great univers
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 LaVell Edwards Stadium. This is a wonderful and symbolic reminder that you, the students, are the Y—meaning that you are both the reason why we exist as a university and, for those with whom you interact, the embodiment of what BYU stands for. You represent the Y wherever you go. I love this recent tradition
What a pleasure it is to be with you this evening. It feels like I am back home. While I value all of our programs at the university, I will openly confess that the Law School holds a special place in my heart. It is a place that has greatly shaped my life, both as a student and as a faculty member.
The Mission of BYU
Those who have followed my tenure as president know that my focus from the outset has been on the mission statement of the university, a foundational document approved by the BYU Board of Trustees in 1981. It sets forth the key principles that guide the
Graduates, you are a beautiful sight. It is a privilege to stand before an audience as full of promise and potential as this one. As president of the BYU Alumni Association, it is my privilege to hereby confer on each of you graduates lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I offer you congratulations and welcome you into this great association of more than 420,000 alumni.
Our alumni association has an ad campaign that prompts us to remember our time at BYU with the tagline “Remember when; remember why.” We all have a BYU story. Recently I asked some o
Dear Elder Clayton, President Worthen, faculty, fellow students, and friends: two months ago President Worthen kindly informed me of an invitation to receive an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of “outstanding life and contribution to society and the world.”
Aware that this is the highest honor that the university confers on individuals, I replied in my email, “With full appreciation in my heart, the only uneasiness in mind is whether I have done enough to deserve this singular honor.”
Then my daughter exclaimed, “What? I always thought that honorary doctorates were g
Wow, graduates! You look great. I have never stood before an audience as full of promise and potential as this one. As president of the BYU Alumni Association, it is my privilege to hereby confer on each of you graduates lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I offer you congratulations and welcome you into this great association of more than 420,000 alumni.
Our alumni association has an ad campaign that prompts us to remember our time at BYU with the tagline “Remember when; remember why.” We all have a BYU story. Recently I asked some of you graduat
Congratulations to all of you newly minted BYU graduates! You have just graduated from one of the greatest universities in the world. My name is Terry Seamons, president of the BYU Alumni Association. One of my privileges as alumni president is to officially welcome all of you into the BYU Alumni Association. So I hereby confer on each of you lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. Welcome to this great association of more than 407,000 living alumni.
As you know, the mission of BYU “is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal lif
Elder Snow, Elder Johnson, other General Authorities and officers, President Worthen, members of the President’s Council, other administrative leaders, faculty, students, friends, families, and guests, just one year ago, as I stood at this podium nearing the conclusion of my assignment here at BYU, I was quite confident that it was the last time I would have the privilege of greeting and addressing a commencement gathering of this great and unique university. Obviously I was wrong about that, as I have been about some other things over the years. But I am glad that I came.
I am parti
The program now calls for greetings by the president. Just what is really expected, however, is far from clear. One experienced president gave this sage advice to a new president about the role he should play at a commencement. “Think of yourself as the body at an Irish wake,” he said. “Your presence is necessary in order to have the party, but no one really expects you to say too much.” With that in mind, I would like to provide just a bit of context for today’s event.
The first graduation from this institution came at a time before it was a university. Brigham Young Academy, as it
This is a magnificent building constructed to further the study of the life sciences. The size and function of the building show how far BYU has come in this academic area.
What is now the College of Life Sciences first became a separate college at BYU in 1954 with the formation of the College of Biological and Agricultural Sciences. The first dean of the college was Clarence Cottam, who served as dean for only one year before accepting a position at a wildlife refuge in Texas.1 It is clear that Cottam left, in part, because his expectations for the new college were not be
During his final address as principal of Brigham Young Academy, Karl G. Maeser gave this wise counsel:
There are two periods in a man’s labors when circumstances seem to dictate . . . the advisability of making as few words as possible: they are at the beginning and at the end of his work.1
George Washington apparently shared the same sentiment, as his second inaugural address consisted of only 135 words.2
Following the example of these outstanding leaders, I will be relatively brief. I emphasize “relatively” because I am, by training, a law
The theme of this year’s BYU annual university conference comes from Doctrine and Covenants 128, which is a letter written by Joseph Smith to the Saints in September 1842. It is in the form of a rhetorical question: “Shall we not go on in so great a cause?”—the implicit answer being, “Of course!”1
The particular cause that Joseph was addressing when he wrote this inspired epistle was baptism for the dead—a great cause indeed. The cause in which we are now engaged is a different one. Or, more correctly, it is a different part of the same great cause—the greatest cause of al
SGS: Good morning! We add our voice of welcome to all of you at the beginning of a new year and new winter semester. While it is chilly outside, you exude a warmth that is both pleasant and encouraging. We join you in looking forward to an exciting and productive experience as we push forward to make 2014 one of our best years ever.
Two years ago, in the devotional that began the 2012 winter semester, we spoke to the theme of things that we appreciate most about BYU. Some may recall that we mentioned our Mission and Aims statements, our Honor Code, and our opportunities to att
As BYU Alumni president, I have been able to attend several commencement exercises, and I have noticed that graduates often experience a range of emotions. Perhaps you feel like this student who, some years ago, sent a letter to then President Jeffrey R. Holland stating:
Dear President Holland:
I am completing my undergraduate experience at BYU this month and will be graduating in our upcoming commencement service. My parents are relieved, my professors are surprised, and I am holding my breath. Things could go wrong, you know, even at this late date. [Jeffrey R.
How Are We Doing? To the Faculty of BYU
Once again, as we approach the beginning of another
fall semester, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome all of you here this morning. I am grateful for you who have retired and yet return to
stay in touch with BYU; for those of you who have been here before, whether for one year or five decades; and especially for those of you just
beginning your BYU career as a member of the faculty or staff. I trust all of you know that Brigham Young University is a very special place, and I
am confident that if we are observant, wh
In October 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball visited campus for the centennial celebration of Brigham Young University. As part of that celebration, President Kimball delivered a landmark address entitled “The Second Century of Brigham Young University.” His charge, as he stated in the introduction, was to share “thoughts and impressions [he had] concerning Brigham Young University as it enter[ed] its second century.”1 That was thirty-seven years ago. We are now a third of the way through the second century, and one could legitimately ask where we are in achieving President Kimb
The sight of this
sea of blue robes is impressive and inspiring, and this collective vision is the evidence of your
individual dedication and sacrifice. We recognize that your graduation today was not easily
accomplished. But then, you did not come to BYU because it was easy.
As the rover
Curiosity begins the exploration of Mars this week, let us look back already fifty years ago,
when President John F. Kennedy challenged the Rice University student body and the nation to seek
new and difficult horizons. He proposed the conquest of literally reaching for the moon. He sai
What an impressive sight! I’m gazing out at a sea of blue caps and gowns—striking evidence of your success as students at Brigham Young University.
I’m especially pleased to see Sharron Martin Kunz in your ranks. She started her degree forty-six years ago, interrupting her formal education to marry Calvin Kunz and raise four children. She always encouraged learning and helped support her family through eight degrees at BYU. Graduating from BYU is the fulfillment of a promise she made herself many decades ago. She has always loved Brigham Young University and what it stands for. She f
Elder Oaks, President Samuelson, distinguished guests, friends, family, and fellow graduates: Good afternoon.
I love the word microcosm. Webster’s Dictionary says that it means “a little world”— some small reflection of a larger existence. I have thought, lately, about the many microcosms in my life: the “little worlds” that mirror my bigger existence. Our universe, I think, is a microcosm of something larger. And so is Earth. And so is Provo. And so, I think, is BYU.
In the BYU microcosm, I was “born” in May Hall. When I was “growing up,” my friends and I enjoyed stayi
Graduates and all who rejoice with you on this occasion: I enjoy commencement exercises. These are happy times for graduates, for parents, for friends, for teachers, and for administration. These are times to acknowledge past accomplishments and take proud notice of goals attained. These are also times to take notice of potentials certified and to anticipate future achievements.
Commencement exercises are also occasions to celebrate graduates’ progress from one status to another. That is what “commencement” signifies. It is a rite of passage, like a christening, a baptism, or a weddi
I am grateful for the privilege of celebrating this long-awaited day not only with those of you graduating but also with your teachers, supervisors, parents, families, and friends. They, too, have experienced great anticipation for what this rite of passage signifies for those of you who have achieved the recognition identified in the program of the day. We all add our congratulations and best wishes, which we will appropriately repeat not only today and tomorrow but also on occasion throughout your lives. It is a great honor to participate with all who are involved and have contributed to
We welcome you this morning at the beginning of a new year and a new semester. We are grateful to be here with you and believe you feel the same way.
SGS: We hope you have had very enjoyable Christmas and New Year’s holidays and now look forward to both the excitement and rigors of winter semester. We also hope that you haven’t yet completely broken all of your New Year’s resolutions!
COS: We have now been at BYU in our current assignments for a few years—not long enough to have grown tired of this adventure but long enough to have developed some experience and a
I would like to begin my remarks today with a word about my predecessor, John Tanner. For the past six years I have admired John’s love of learning, his loyalty to the university, his advocacy of faculty, and his principled approach to decision making. John mentioned early in his administration that his intent was to be an “academic” academic vice president. From my vantage point I found this to be absolutely true. The conclusion of John’s service marks the end of a wonderful period of university administration in the academic vice president’s office. Going forward there will be far fewer,
As is usual at this great season of the university calendar, I share your excitement and enthusiasm for the start of another academic year filled with anticipation and expectation that the best is yet to come. I admit, as might some of you, a little regret at how quickly summers seem to slip away as we get a little older. Still, the changing of the seasons and the opportunities for new beginnings create for us feelings of exhilaration likely unmatched in other careers and occupations. What a wonderful thing it is to be involved in the life of a university, and what a signal privilege it is
I am honored to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association at these commencement exercises. I am especially grateful to be here to express my appreciation for this university and the personal joy my family experiences through having children attend BYU.
Kathy Christensen, the recipient of a scholarship at BYU, thanked her donors by expressing this thought:
I felt an intense gratitude warm my heart. There is nowhere else I would rather be. BYU has provided an environment in which I have been able to flourish. I have been challenged academically, pushed physica
Good afternoon. I feel honored and humbled to share a few words with you. How privileged we are to have attended this fine university. As we move forward, we cannot forget the great debt of thanks we owe those who have helped us get here—parents, friends, and loved ones, as well as the faculty, staff, and administrators of Brigham Young University. A special thanks to President and Sister Samuelson for their dedication and love in leading this university and to Elder Craig C. Christensen for speaking to us today.
I knew that BYU was a unique university when I sat down for my first da
I am truly
grateful for this recognition. And thanks to all of you for your presence here today, especially to
my family to whom I owe so much. I’m glad my brother Jim could play the organ today. He and I were
roommates in Helaman Halls in 1968. With great talents, he is a brother I have always looked up to.
Also, it is fun to be able to address you here in the de Jong Concert Hall. I remember ushering here
as a freshman in 1964. My wife, Jeannie, and I have many good memories of dates and events here in
this building. I’m so glad that she and I have been able to share such an abundan
Once again it is my great privilege and honor to welcome each of you to these exercises today. I continue to bask in your achievements and am grateful to express my congratulations and commendations to you graduates, your families, and all who have contributed to your noteworthy successes. The faculty is both impressed and relieved that you have achieved the tremendous mileposts reflected in the program of the day.
This class of graduates is rather typical of those of recent years in terms of your numbers, majors, ages, and other demographic characteristics. There is more than a fift
I am honored to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association at these commencement exercises. And, I have to say, you are an awesome sight! My oldest daughter, Mackenzie, is graduating today, so I am especially grateful to be here to express my appreciation for this university and the personal joy our family experiences through having children attend BYU.
Kathy Christensen, the recipient of a scholarship at BYU, thanked her donors by expressing this thought:
I felt an intense gratitude warm my heart. There is nowhere else I would rather be. BYU has provided an
Congratulations, graduates. As we gather here this afternoon, I’m sure you are filled with thanks, as I am, to be in this unique setting with our faculty, family, and friends, and especially President Samuelson and Elder Scott. Indeed, we are the beneficiaries of a great educational inheritance. Graduating from BYU means continuing a legacy of learning established over a century ago.
As we reflect on our accomplishments today, it is only fitting to acknowledge those who have provided us the scaffolding upon which we have built our personal houses of learning.
For the past seve
As is always the case at this wonderful time of year, I have the great privilege and pleasure of welcoming you to a new semester at Brigham Young University. I hope and trust you have had productive summer months and now begin this academic year full of enthusiasm, optimism, energy, and commitment to and for the opportunities and tasks ahead. I anticipate you are excited to be here because there is much about which to be energized and encouraged this fall term at BYU. More so than ever before, there are many who would love to be in your positions who are not able to be so.
For some m
Temple and School
This year’s conference theme is drawn, as they so often are, from Doctrine and Covenants 88, the revelation that directed the Saints to build the Kirtland Temple and a school of the prophets. In 1977, then president Dallin H. Oaks described section 88 as “the first and greatest revelation of this dispensation on the subject of education.” He went on to state that this revelation, “which defined the objectives of the School of the Prophets and gave related commandments, counsel, and knowledge, is still the basic constitution of Church education. It defines B
Once again it is my happy privilege to welcome you to our annual university conference and to wish each of you an enthusiastic Happy New Year! While that statement would seem strange to those outside the academic tradition, for us this is the beginning of another new year in the university calendar. I’m excited for the opportunities that await us and hope you feel the same.
For some of you, this is your first experience with us in this setting, and we are grateful that you have joined us. While you are fewer in number than in some years because of the economic realities we face, your
I am honored to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association at these commencement exercises and hope the opportunity you have had to attend BYU fills your heart with gratitude. This university embodies sacred strength as part of the Lord’s work. Petr Ruda, a native of the Czech Republic who graduated last December with a degree in nursing, said:
BYU makes me happy; it connects me to Heavenly Father—even by just walking on campus. This place significantly changed me, and I’m grateful to those who made it possible for me to come. [In “Nurse, Immigrant from Czech Re
Graduates, families, faculty, brothers, sisters, and friends: It is a signal privilege to welcome each of you to Brigham Young University’s commencement exercises. We are gathered to celebrate, to honor you, and to reflect on what has been accomplished and what is yet facing each of you as your circumstances change and your lives encounter needed adjustment. We, of course, sincerely congratulate all who have achieved so much, often with distinction and frequently with challenges more significant than anticipated at the outset. In doing so, we also acknowledge the contributions of those whos
I am honored to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association at these commencement exercises and hope the opportunity you have had to attend BYU fills your heart with gratitude. This university embodies sacred strength as part of the Lord’s work. Petr Ruda, a native of the Czech Republic who earned his nursing degree in December—and who is with us today—said:
BYU makes me happy; it connects me to Heavenly Father—even by just walking on campus. This place significantly changed me, and I’m grateful to those who made it possible for me to come. [In “Nurse, Immigrant
Brothers, sisters, and friends, welcome to this year’s Annual University Conference. I trust you have enjoyed the summer—as they say, both days of it! Or, as many asked in the very rainy month of June, “What summer?” We hope all of you, including those who are here for the first time, are refreshed and full of anticipation for a wonderful and busy academic year.
At the outset, let me tell all of you how grateful I am for you and for the way this community of scholars and saints has responded to our difficult economic season. My already high level of regard and appreciation has been s
What an awesome sight! What a remarkable collection of personal accomplishment your presence here today represents! What a memorable feeling! I thank the university for the privilege I have to be here to share it with you. For you and your families, this is clearly a high point of your lives.
Events of a few years ago helped me gain an appreciation for the high points of my life. My oldest daughter, her fiancé, and I decided to climb Mount Rainier. It was something I had thought about often as a young kid growing up in Washington State, where I could always see this snow-capped mount
Today as we gather for commencement, we come together with each of us wearing caps, gowns, hoods, and cords that signify different things. Someone with a trained eye can look at an individual’s commencement regalia and tell whether that person holds a PhD, a master’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree; the university that granted it; and even the person’s academic discipline.
I’ve always been fascinated by the way we seem to understand and sort out our world through the symbols, colors, and cues with which we surround ourselves. We each tell a story about ourselves by what we choose to w
Fellow graduates, when I moved into my dorm room in Helaman Halls in the fall of 2003, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I certainly never dreamed I would be standing here in a blue, dress-like outfit, in a square hat, doing this. I thought, like most of my friends, that I was just coming to college. I would be here for a few years, get my degree, go somewhere else, and move on. I’ve gotten the degree, and I’m going somewhere else, but I will never be able to just move on—none of us will. We can’t just move on, because BYU has changed us; it has become a part of us, and we are c
Today I shall bifurcate my talk between status report and message on the conference theme: “In thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). In doing so, I am reminded of a story from my father-in-law’s first tour of duty as mission president. When the assistants would introduce him and my mother-in-law to speak at zone conference, they would often say something like this: “Sister Winder will now give us an inspirational message. She will be followed by instruction from the president.” Always ready to see the humor in life and laugh at himself, my father-in-law began to refer to his wife as “
Brothers and sisters, colleagues and friends, it is always a pleasure to meet together in the BYU Annual University Conference. Each summer at BYU has been for me—and I hope for you as well—a season for both reflection and refreshment. Not that it is entirely free time, because it is not. Life, with its many attendant responsibilities and tasks, goes on, and we go along with it. However, it is a time when some of the pace of fall and winter semesters slackens just a little and we—figuratively, at least—gird up our loins for the expectations and excitement of another academic year.
Ou
To those who graduated before you, you owe a debt of gratitude. Because they have used their talents and educations to add to the reputation of the university, you and I can take pride in associating the name Brigham Young University with our own names and reputations. We can write BYU with confidence on applications to graduate schools, on résumés, on job applications, or on paperwork for professional societies.
The university has long been recognized for producing women and men of integrity. BYU graduates are known as outstanding employees, notable scholars, and respected leaders.
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, guests, and friends, as we offer our hearty congratulations and commendations on this special day to those of you we honor in these exercises, I also want to add a few words of counsel and even caution. Before doing so, I wish to exert my special privilege in extending our warm welcome and greeting to all of you in attendance today. You honor us with your presence.
Each graduating class at BYU possesses some significant commonalities with past graduating classes but also some characteristics that make it remarkable in its own right. Let me ment
One of my favorite moments on this campus is graduation time, and one of the scenes I most love to observe is the graduates assembling on the lawn in front of the Smoot Administration Building. Decked out in their caps and gowns, they greet classmates and professors for perhaps the last time.
The graduates are formed into lines, and then they march up the circular ramps behind the American and university flags. The administration, General Authorities, faculty, and other dignitaries who have led the procession then pause as the graduates file by.
For me there has always been a
My wife’s great-uncle and great-aunt are two of the kindest, most spiritual people I know, but financially their life together has often been less than comfortable. He worked as a schoolteacher, and she stayed home with the four children. From a fairly young age, the great-aunt suffered from various medical problems, and medical expenses put an almost unmanageable strain on the family’s modest income. One of their few possessions was a beat-up, unreliable old car.
One day a woman unknown to the family arrived unannounced with the key to a new automobile, donated by an anonymous indiv
Once again it is our pleasure to welcome you to Brigham Young University at the beginning of winter semester. We have just finished a wonderful holiday season with the commemoration of the birth of the Savior of the World as our central focus and now enter a new year rich with anticipation and possibilities. We are grateful for those who have come back, just as we are for those of you with us for the first time. We are part of a truly remarkable community, and I am grateful for the blessing of being here. I hope and anticipate that the same is true for each of you.
Recently some frie
Brothers and sisters, like me, you have undoubtedly noted the caliber of the devotional and forum speakers this semester. It may never again be equaled. From the introduction just read, you also know that I am not a prominent Church leader, a university president, a U.S. senator, a Supreme Court justice, or an astronaut. I will therefore request your prayers that what I say might be of interest and of value.
Several years ago our son Spencer was interviewing with prospective employers as he prepared to graduate from BYU with a degree in finance.
One large company invited him t
BYU is built of brick and mortar. It comprises libraries and laboratories, classrooms and cafeterias, well-groomed grounds and cluttered faculty offices. It is built of impressive financial resources and of remarkable human capital. But, above all, BYU is and ever has been built of dreams and ideals. Our house of learning is also a house of dreams.
In the early days of the Brigham Young Academy, the building that housed the school burnt to the ground. Many thought the fire signaled the end of the Academy. Reed Smoot lamented to Karl G. Maeser that the school had been destroyed. But B
Graduates, families, members of the faculty, brothers, sisters, and friends, it is a pleasure to be together with you on this special day of celebration. Of course we not only celebrate the signal achievements and accomplishments of this distinguished class, but we also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of so many of you who have assisted, encouraged, and supported these impressive graduates during their stretching years of study.
Today we will grant a total of 2,513 degrees. Most are at the baccalaureate level, but 375 are master’s degrees and 36 are doctorates. As you will n
Good morning, brothers and sisters. This is a real privilege for me to share my thoughts with you this morning. When Brother Skousen called me, I thought about any number of reasons why he would be calling. Giving a devotional talk was the furthest thing from my mind. But here I am. From the introduction you know that I was recently released as Primary president—one of the choicest positions in the Church. At this point I can guarantee you that doing sharing time in Primary is a lot less intimidating and stressful than standing before you this morning.
Brother Skousen encouraged me t
I invited Clayne Robison to sing this aria from The Magic Flute1 today for several reasons—in addition to the fact that I love his rich voice. First, I chose this piece because this year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. It seemed fitting to select a piece by Mozart, who left the world so much beauty in so short a span. Second, I chose this particular aria—entitled “In diesen heil’gen Hallen” or “Within These Sacred Halls”—because it expresses sentiments well suited to our theme: “A House of Learning.” The lyrics, sung by a high priest named Sarastro, speak of
I consider it a great privilege to welcome you to our Annual University Conference. For those of you who are with us for the first time, we extend a hearty welcome and hope that you will also be with us every late August as we prepare for another exciting academic year. For those who have retired, but still return, a special thanks to you for your loyalty to and continued interest in BYU. For those of you who have been with us for a season and expect to be here for yet another year or several years, let me thank you for all you do. I have been here long enough now to have an appreciation fo
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, and friends, it is a wonderful privilege to be with you and witness the various expressions of excitement, elation, and anticipation for the future. I see in you relief that it is finally over and also mutual and reciprocal feelings of appreciation for each other and for special experiences that have been part of your BYU journey.
We are certainly pleased to honor specifically all those graduates whose names are found in the program today, and we also pay tribute to and thank the many who have made these accomplishments possible. In this we inc
It is my great privilege and honor to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I take personal pleasure in seeing Rachel Wilcox on the stand with me today. Her family is from Denver, and I am delighted that she is here to represent us and our fair city. Her uncle, Kenn Thiess, preceded me in this assignment more than a decade ago. Her family has a long and loyal heritage of support for this fine institution.
It has been a very busy summer at the alumni association. On June 23rd, as President Samuelson mentioned, the university broke ground for the new Gordon B. Hinc
It is truly an honor and a privilege to be with you today. I am especially pleased to have the opportunity to address you graduates. You have my commendation and congratulations as you graduate from this very unique and choice university.
I did not have the privilege of attending Brigham Young University as a student, but I was privileged to serve here in the administration for a time. My wife and I were richly blessed by that experience and cherish the years we enjoyed so much here. We are pleased that several members of our family are graduates of BYU. In fact, a son-in-law is amon
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, honored guests, and friends, as we offer our hearty congratulations and best wishes to those we honor in these exercises today, it is my most pleasant privilege to extend again our warm welcome and greeting to all of you. We are especially grateful for the presence of Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve and chairman of the board of trustees’ executive committee and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Twelve and also a member of the executive committee of the board of trustees. Elder Hales is conducting these services, and we shall hear from hi
I am honored to represent the Brigham Young University Alumni Association today as its 90th president. I am humbled by the potential of those of you here today and the great opportunities that lie before you.
Fifty years ago, during a time in our history when Americans were living under the threat of atomic warfare and the possibility of Communist invasion, a journalist launched a radio series to bolster the confidence of all Americans.
The show featured individuals from diverse walks of life—some were completely unknown and others were quite renowned. Each week they shared th
As I prepared for this talk, wondering what I might say or do that would make any lasting difference, I recalled the example of another Miltonist turned administrator. When the Renaissance scholar Bart Giamatti became president of Yale, he wondered:
What was it that Yale needed most, wanted most, and would most contribute to solving our deficit, enhancing our quality, and making me a Manager?
One night . . . , crouched in my garage, as I was trying to memorize the Trustees’ names . . . , it came to me, and I wrote, right there, between the lawnmower and the snow tire
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. I have spoken before about our vision, our antecedents, and also our future and will again do so today, albeit somewhat differently. My basic premise has been, and continues to be, that we are all engaged in the daunting and exhilarating adventure of helping BYU become the best it can
What an incredible privilege it is for me to have attended BYU and to now serve both this university and its sponsoring organization. That said, I must acknowledge that being alumni president is not without its perks. One of those is being invited to sit in the president’s loge during Homecoming games. (Although, frankly, at times during the last few years, that has been the only thing fun about those games.)
At one Homecoming game, running a bit late, my wife and I arrived just after the kickoff. People were still milling around, and, although still at some distance, we noticed that
When I first found out that I was to speak at commencement, I was really excited and naturally wanted to share the news with some of my friends. One of them happened to be chatting online with an old friend of mine from Singapore. He told her, “Val is valedictorian!”
Her response? “Really? All my life I thought Val stood for Valerie.”
What a great response. It certainly put things nicely into perspective.
Let me begin by sharing a little experience with you. One Monday night when I was a freshman living at Deseret Towers, our family home evening activity consisted of ma
The First Presidency has extended to me this wonderful opportunity to conduct and provide remarks at the April 2005 commencement exercises. I am honored and privileged to be with all of you this afternoon.
I bring the love and best wishes of the Church Board of Education and the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees. This board consists of the First Presidency; Elders Joseph B. Wirthlin, Richard G. Scott, and Robert D. Hales of the Twelve; myself; Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, general president of the Relief Society; and Sister Susan W. Tanner, general president of the Young Women or
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, and friends, it is my most pleasant privilege on this special day to voice again my warm greeting and welcome to all of you and give my hearty congratulations to those we honor in these exercises. We are especially grateful for the presence of Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and chair of the board of trustees executive committee, who presides, and for Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Presidency of the Seventy and member of the board of trustees. We are appreciative of their support and contributions to BYU.
We are also es
Like your parents—and probably like you when you are parents—our family has set certain standards in our home for ourselves and for our children. One relatively high standard in our home involves the privilege of driving. If our children meet certain criteria, they are allowed the use of their parent’s car. If the standard is not met, they know better than to bother asking. Do they complain? Absolutely. Do they have a hope of changing Dad’s mind? None!
Some time ago I was dropping off my then unlicensed 16-year-old son at an early morning Saturday football practice. Now, although my
As I contemplated my theme for this talk, I was reminded of a clever cartoon that was published in the Daily Universe when I was a BYU student in the 1970s. It illustrated a part of our culture—the BYU experience—that we continue to share in 2005.
The scene is the BYU campus. A BYU security officer is standing over a student who has been bloodied and bruised, apparently by several stones that lie next to him. The officer is dutifully taking careful notes. The caption reads, “And then I said . . . he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
My recollection is t
It is a privilege to gather with and greet you today. I look forward to our Annual University Conference because, in many ways, it signals the start of another academic year and the beginning of yet another series of special adventures here at BYU.
For me a sense of time has always been a little tricky. It certainly is today.
In some respects it seems that so much has transpired since we last met in this setting that it must have been years ago. Nearly a year ago I was formally installed in my current position after a summer’s “test drive.” We have had two more commencement ex
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, and friends, it is a privilege, pleasure, and opportunity to be with you as we congratulate those we honor—including especially those who have sacrificed for and contributed to all graduates whose names we find in the program. We are especially pleased to welcome Elder Richard G. Scott, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. We are grateful for the presence of Sister Susan W. Tanner, Young Women general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a member of
I appreciate the opportunity of being here today. Many of the defining experiences of my life were obtained here at BYU, on what I believe is hallowed ground.I solidified my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I confirmed my desire to fulfill a mission.
I was introduced to my beautiful wife.
I was educated with the basics of my occupation.
I learned the importance of service to others.What an honor it is to serve this university and the students it graduates.
In April I shared with the graduates an experience I had
If you could choose one season to live in permanently, which would it be? Honestly, living here in Provo the past few years makes it hard for me to decide. I grew up in La Cañada, California, convinced that there was only one season. Leaves changing colors and snow covering the ground were the stuff of fairy tales. Yes, I was one of the freshman herd from California and Arizona who gleefully galloped around outside the first night of snow and then froze the next day when we realized all we had packed for the year were shorts and sandals. Once I was safely bundled up in the jacket I had my m
Graduates, families, brothers, sisters, and friends, it is my happy opportunity and responsibility on this special day to add again my warm welcome and greeting to all of you and my congratulations to those we honor. We are especially grateful for the presence of Elder Richard G. Scott of the Twelve and chairman of the executive committee of the board of trustees, who presides. His support, counsel, and occasional correction are most appreciated and greatly helpful.
As always, we are grateful for the presence and constant encouragement and support we receive from Elder Henry B. Eyrin
The great Hungarian concert pianist Andor Földes tells the remarkable story of the watershed moment in his rise to world renown. He was 16 years old and already a veteran of years of intense practice and performance. The pianist Emil von Sauer, Franz Liszt’s last surviving pupil, came to Budapest and asked young Andor to play for him. Having listened intently to him playing Bach’s Toccata in C Major, von Sauer requested another piece. Andor put all his heart and skill into playing Beethoven’s “Pathetique” sonata, then continued with Schumann’s “Papillons.” Finally, after a long pause, von S
On behalf of all I wish to state our deep appreciation for the service of President Merrill J. Bateman, who presided here from January 1996 until April 2003. His was a wonderful and very progressive administration. We offer him the highest commendation for the tremendous work he accomplished and to his beloved companion, Marilyn, who stood so ably at his side.
He was honorably released because we felt he had carried long enough the great stress of administering this institution while at the same time serving as a General Authority of the Church.
He never offered a word of comp
President Hinckley, officers, other members of the board of trustees, other General Authorities, auxiliary officers, government and education leaders, honored guests, students, staff, faculty, special friends, brothers and sisters, and family: It is an honor and privilege not easily described to stand before you this morning in these special circumstances. I am mindful of the significant sacrifices made by many of you to participate with us. Sharon and I will be ever grateful for your support and thoughtfulness. Likewise, literally hundreds of the university family have worked tirelessly to
Brothers and sisters, colleagues, and friends, it is a privilege and honor to gather with you today in this Brigham Young University Annual University Conference. It is a special occasion for me, being my first such conference in my new capacity. I look forward to the discussions, presentations, and recognitions while we are together.
At the outset, you should know how much I appreciate the contributions made by all those who have gone before us. My gratitude is rapidly expanding as I see how strong the university is and witness the strides that have been made. Of course, my thanks m