BYU: Building a Community of Trust and Respect
BYU is a unique institution in all the world—a community of saint scholars, a community of saint students, an unparalleled community of academic and spiritual excellence that could only be possible as a result of the Restoration.
On the Uniqueness of BYU
Identifying gospel methodologies to engage in efforts “left undone” by colleagues at other prominent institutions.
The Second Half of the Second Century of Brigham Young University
Jeffrey R. Holland looks at where BYU is now and offers counsel about reaching for the university’s prophetic future.
An Obligation to the World
Thoughts on the daunting but doable ways the university community can help ensure that BYU will “remain a unique university in all the world.”
BYU Super Graduates
“However, at this time, acting entirely on my own and without authority from anyone else, I hereby confer upon each and every one of you the title of super graduate. You have earned this title by being resilient, durable, and adaptable throughout a global pandemic that has affected this university more than any health crisis in our lifetimes.”
A Firm Foundation
“I express gratitude and appreciation to each student, faculty, and staff member who is building on BYU’s firm foundation of bedrock virtues, values, and principles while learning appropriately when and how to adapt in changing and challenging times.”
“Look unto Me in Every Thought; Doubt Not, Fear Not”
In the challenges that lie ahead “we can, we should, and we must look unto the Savior in every thought to find every solution and to make every decision.”
“Consumed with Conviction”
C. Shane Reese implores the faculty of Brigham Young University to be consumed with conviction as they work in today's unprecedented world.
“Be Not Weary in Well-Doing”
Quentin L. Cook charges BYU faculty to persist in "well-doing" by lifting their and their students' vision and building faith in Christ.
Gathering: Education in a Compact Society
You are a vital part of this gathering. You have something to gain from and something to offer in your interactions with those around you.
The Real Value of a BYU Education
A BYU education does not focus solely on the acquisition of knowledge, as important as that is. As our mission statement makes clear, a BYU education focuses on “the full realization of human potential.”
Creating and Conveying a Christlike Culture: More Than a Job
Elder Dale G. Renlund reminds the faculty of BYU that their responsibility to help students draw closer to Christ is more than a job—it is a blessing.
The University and the Kingdom of God
I know some of you are tired. You are not sure you can keep at it. You go ahead and find some stillness today. Gather your strength today. Rest up today, because tomorrow we ride for Zion. And it is not quite Zion if you are not there.
Mastered by Our Discipleship
Inspiring learning is our entire university project. It is a shorthand description of the mission and aims. It is about educating our students by study, by faith, and by experience.
Recognizing and Understanding the Spirit at BYU
This mortal experience can take a toll on our testimony and commitment to the gospel. It is precisely in these times of testing that we need to be intellectually honest with ourselves and consciously remember the authentic spiritual experiences we have had.
Connected for Good
May your positive memories of BYU stay with you throughout your life. May your BYU connections continue to be a strong influence in all that you do. May you know that you will always be welcome here on campus on this consecrated ground.
“College Song”
I can predict with a high degree of certainty that there will be many times in your postgraduate life when you will face decisions that will ultimately be determined by whether you are motivated by pride and riches on the one hand or whether you are moved to act consistently with truths that resonate in your heart and in your mind on the other.
Rise and Shout and Shine Forth!
What messages are we sending? How are they being received? When people see us coming, do they gravitate to us or do they scatter in a great escape? I invite each of us to be a powerful influence for good.
Paired Aspirations
Karl G. Maeser urged that “the spirit of the Latter-day Work” should infuse not only “teaching the alphabet or the multiplication tables” but also “unfolding the advanced truths of science and art.”
BYU: A Unique Kind of Education
There are at least two key ways in which we are already distinctive from most other universities. And when you put these two features together, I believe they make us truly unique in ways that are consistent with our prophetically approved mission.
“Walk in the Meekness of My Spirit”
In our personal lives and in the performance of our university duties, you and I have the responsibility to do nothing that would constrain these heavenly powers from blessing those whom we serve.
The Next Phase
Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that have shaped our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.
Words to Live By
My admonition is that you be awful in its original, unpejorated sense—that you always be aware of things that are awe-inspiring. I am urging you to be full of awe, if you will.
Part of Something Greater
Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that have shaped our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.
Challenges to the Mission of Brigham Young University
To accomplish its mission, BYU must have all parts of its community united in pursuing it.
The Light of the Y
You are not here by accident. God has a work to perform through you. Make Him the center of your efforts. Do what He would want you to do. Let His light shine more brightly through you as a result of your experiences at BYU.
A Graduate Program of Real Consequence: The Role of the Law School at BYU
The development of empathetic thinking and feeling that a legal education can promote may contribute to the development of our ability to love as the Savior loves and to truly possess charity, a central and essential celestial attribute.
The Lord’s Pattern
This is the Lord’s way. He asks us to do things that seem impossible or even unwise. He asks us to build ships that no one has ever built before and to go places that no one has ever gone before.
Our Own BYU Stories
Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that impact our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.
“Go Forth to Serve”
No matter what the outer conditions are, keep spirits high and just persevere. Personal righteousness, responsibility, discipline, and devotion are requirements for final achievements.
Your BYU Story
Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that impact our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.
Your Learning Doesn’t End
Well, we believe in you, my dear brothers and sisters, and so does our Heavenly Father. I pray that you will follow His counsel for you throughout the eternities because He sees in you the power to become perfect and to dwell with Him eternally.
The Influence for Good
In retrospect, our time, like yours, passed quickly while being fully immersed in what transpires in this very special place. What does not pass quickly, and perhaps is even permanently enduring, is the influence for good that emanates from BYU.
Connections to the Past
That same aim—“to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life”—remains the principal purpose of this university today, as the first line of our mission statement makes clear.
A Founder’s Continuing Influence
John A. Widtsoe would no doubt be pleased with this remarkable new facility. But he would also remind us that, in the long run, what happens here and the attitude and spirit of those who study and labor here will be the most important factors in its future.
Enlightened, Uplifted, and Changed
As we elevate ourselves intellectually, spiritually, and in character-building ways, we will encounter new and exciting challenges and opportunities that we have not seen before.
The Why of the Y
In a sense then, our own iconic symbol can convey the kind of unique educational experience we hope to provide to our students. We might say that the letter Y explains why—W-H-Y—we exist and what we hope to accomplish.
“Why We Do Some of the Things We Do”
BYU is a great institution established by the Lord’s prophets to fulfill sacred purposes. It is prospered under the hand of heaven. We can never adequately express our appreciation for being associated with BYU and hope you sense the same feeling.
“Laying the Foundation of a Great Work”
I am confident you will all use your individual talents to “go forth to serve” and will represent us well. D&C 64:33 states: "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
How Are We Doing?
May the Lord continue to guide us and bless us as we do our very best to move Brigham
Young University forward in its ordained charge to bless Heavenly Father’s children here and throughout the world.
“A Unique University in All of the World”
Brigham Young University is a very different institution than its peers across the country. Our mission is to educate students both academically and spiritually. We look to the prophetic guidance of the board of trustees in charting the course for achievement of this mission. But the board trusts us to see that the university’s prophetic destiny is reached.
Retool, Refocus, Refine: Getting a BYU Education
A BYU education is not easy to accomplish. But
you have retooled, refocused, and refined yourselves by experiencing a university that blends
secular and spiritual truths. Congratulations, Cougars.
A Few Simple Things
When you were a student, we expected you to study, work hard, and develop into a person of faith, intellect, and good moral character. We invite you to continue to grow educationally and spiritually.
Little Worlds
We are in the world—and we have come to this university—so that we ourselves might become microcosms of the Divine, that we might have “the image of God engraven” not only upon our countenances but also upon our very existences (Alma 5:19). Of all the microcosms in the world, surely the greatest is the man or woman who strives to become a reflection of the Savior.
“Hold the Banner High”
Though men’s hearts are failing them, you should take heart. There have always been challenging times. We, the generations of your predecessors, have survived daunting challenges, and so will you. The answer to all of these challenges is the same as it has always been. We have a Savior, and He has taught us what we should do.
Our BYU Education
Hopefully we are clear that the confidence and blessings bestowed upon us as the result of our BYU experience raises much more than a suggestion that we will “go forth to serve” with commitment, effectiveness, and appreciation.
Why We Appreciate BYU
What we do say will be almost in shorthand form, but hopefully it will reflect our appreciation and gratitude for what has shaped and is influencing the lives of those who are able to have a BYU experience. We believe BYU helps us all be better people, but we must always remember that does not mean that anyone here is better than anyone else not directly connected to this unique university.
“Where There Is No Vision, the People Perish”
A look at BYU’s past has a powerful effect, providing context and guiding our vision of BYU’s future. The life-threatening challenges with facilities and financing are largely behind us, and we can focus with little distraction on fulfilling the destiny of the university.
Now and the Future
As this group all appreciates, BYU is absolutely unique in the universe of American higher education. Not everyone—individuals or institutions—understands or appreciates who and what we are. Because we are different, aspiring for greatness in both our religious and academic missions, it is absolutely essential that we represent ourselves in the very best and most accurate light.
Keep Wearing the Y
BYU is here to help all of us serve the world better. Look for opportunities in your life to be the one who makes the difference in the life of another. Bring light and goodness wherever you are through your service.
All Things Spiritual
The interconnected nature of the spiritual and secular learning that takes place at Brigham Young University is one of the defining characteristics of a BYU education.
“Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch”
In the end the BYU Mission
Statement calls on us to “have a strong effect on the course of higher education” and to “be an
influence in a world we wish to improve.” In this, our uniqueness can be an asset.
Are BYU’s Aims Your Aims?
We believe with great confidence and conviction that you are optimally prepared for long lives of continued learning and substantial service in all that you do. We are proud of you and your accomplishments.
Wearing the Y
BYU is here to help us all serve the world better. Look for opportunities in your life to be the one who makes the difference in the life of another. Bring light and goodness wherever you are through your service.
A Great Educational Inheritance
Hopefully, while listening in lectures, attending presentations, researching, writing, and creating, we have come away with a method of learning that is portable and personal. Hopefully we will take with us the ability to continue to learn, even when the scaffolding that held us up here has fallen away.
Appropriate Zeal
My counsel to you...is to be clear in your priorities, in your understanding, in your faith, and in all your endeavors.
“That All May Be Edified of All”
An education that edifies does not destroy innocence but pushes back ignorance. It does not eradicate faith but enables educated believers to articulate reasons for the hope that is in them.
Why BYU?
Our BYU mission is chartered in the great opportunity and challenge to be learning and teaching all the time in a world of change while remaining true and firm in our values and moral compass, which do not change.
Persist Until the Clock Reads Double Zero
Just like waiting until the clock reads double zero, you have prepared for the proper educational plays, emerged victorious, and received your hard-earned degree.
A Time for Optimism
We know how things in the big picture will turn out and have great confidence that you also in your individual lives and careers will turn out as you wish and as heaven intends.
Till the Clock Reads Double Zero
Just like waiting until the clock reads double zero, you have prepared for the proper educational plays, emerged victorious, and received your hard-earned degree.
What Makes Brigham Young University Special?
As a university dedicated to education for eternity, we do believe in intensive learning, in stimulating inquiry, in commitment to excellence, and in pursuing the full realization of human potential.
“Connected for Good”
I invite you to continue to let the mission of BYU guide you to the high points in your life. Let that mission continue to lift and inspire you.
A Brand of Distinction
We are dedicated to cultivating the Spirit of the Y by keeping you informed and connected to the good works faculty and alumni are doing in the world and by providing opportunities for you to learn, volunteer, contribute, and serve with the students, programs, and activities of your alma mater—keeping you “Connected for Good.”
Simple Truths
The unique and magnificent thing about a BYU education is that in addition to being taught truths that we are meant to question, we are also taught far more important truths that we need not doubt. These truths are simple: God loves us, He sent His Son to save us, and He wants all of His children to be happy.
Learning in the Light
Brothers and sisters, we are like those who stand upon mountain peaks, responsible for transmitting light in these last days darkening with signs of battle before the return of the King. Having seen the light from others who have scaled similar peaks, our task is to reflect light to those on the next peak—over and over, from peak to peak, across the miles and the years until the King returns. We are light bearers in a precious tradition of learning in the light.
Citizenship, Research, Teaching: The BYU Way
...my hope is that we can as colleagues across campus think faithfully and diligently together about how we can make inquiry, creativity, and research a more effective part of how we not only transmit known information but, more important, how we enhance teaching by participating personally in the process of discovery and the creation of new knowledge.
Adding Burnish to BYU
Armed with BYU degrees, you will leave this place that has grown sacred to you because of the academic and spiritual opportunities you have been afforded here. You too carry the responsibility to add burnish to the name Brigham Young University. It now becomes your time to demonstrate to your employers, your graduate school professors, your business colleagues, your neighbors, and your friends what a BYU education truly means.
“Hearken unto the Counsels of God”
My list could go on, but the central point is that your BYU education has been much, much more than the mastery of academic subjects or preparation for further education or employment in the workplace, as important as these are. You have been given the extraordinary and unique opportunity to prepare for devoted discipleship and competent leadership to assist you in your families, communities, and professions as well as in your primary quest to obtain eternal life.
As You Stand in the Line
I believe you will clearly see that—as with the parade of students who have passed through these same portals—your most cherished experiences at BYU came because the Spirit of the Lord was undergirding and surrounding your experiences. The Spirit was manifest in dedicated classrooms and on acres of consecrated soil, and it was witnessed to you by leaders with testimonies of the truth.
As We Now Go Forth
Fellow graduates, think for a moment upon ways in which you have been blessed. Perhaps foremost among our blessings, and far more valuable than an automobile, is an education at one of the finest institutions in the world.
Learning to Love Learning
Today you become alumni of Brigham Young University and have the responsibility to help the world better understand who we are and what we do at this remarkable institution. How you live, what you do, and what you become ultimately define this university.
BYU’s Unsung Heroes
My question is: Who are the unsung heroes here at BYU who deserve our recognition and acclaim? I don’t know that we have many Congressional Medal of Honor recipients among us or serving largely behind the scenes at BYU. I do know that in this extraordinary community of students, staff, faculty, and administrators there are many who deserve our respect, admiration, and appreciation.
Your Contract with BYU
Missionaries are taught that part of their responsibility is to “invite all to come unto Christ.” Surely if all are worthy of an invitation to come unto Christ, they are worthy of an invitation to join a study group or to come to a dance. Let our campus be an inclusive community, not an exclusive fraternity.
A House of Dreams
President Kimball believed that there must be ongoing pruning for BYU to become more fruitful. We are trying to do this at the central level for university-wide programs and institutes.
“The Means of Doing Much Good”
While the reputation and standing of this remarkable institution are measured and evaluated in a number of different ways, ultimately the real value of its contribution is reflected in the graduates that it produces.
The Care and Keeping of BYU’s Human Resources
I appreciate this opportunity to talk about BYU’s human resources—about you and me and our friends, roommates, and coworkers. We are truly blessed.
Building a Better House of Learning
What a privilege and solemn responsibility is ours to be laborers in a house of learning that shares not only proximity with the temple but the same vision of learning as set forth in section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
A House of Learning
We are here not only to “save” ourselves—meaning to advance our careers, accomplish our personal and academic goals, and increase our individual spirituality—but we are also here to do the same for all of our students, however it is and in whatever ways they hear us.
Learn Throughout Your Lives
We hope and expect that you have grown in your understanding of the knowledge of the world and also in your convictions concerning the truthfulness of the revelations from heaven. Most important, we pray with confidence that the skills you have acquired and the talents you have magnified will allow and assist you to continue to learn throughout your lives “by study and also by faith.”
Realizing our Potential
I hope that when you are at the end of your days you will not have walked past opportunities that you should have taken or challenges you should have accepted. I hope you will draw each day upon your secular and spiritual knowledge to find your way in faith.
Measuring Up to the Mission
As graduates you may think you have completed your last final exams. I must remind you, however, that one final examination remains for us all. This will be a comprehensive final exam, and it will include an ultimate accounting of our personal stewardships—what we have learned, what we have done with what we have learned, and who and what we have become.
Distinguished Graduates of 2006
I believe being acceptable to God and having the approval of the right kind of men and women are the ultimate accreditation that we should each personally seek. And the basic standard by which we will be measured is whether or not we serve Christ.
This I Believe
I believe you are the hope of things to come in the sciences, the home, politics, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, and society as a whole. There is no better time than today to catch—then realize—the vision of your possibilities.
“One of the Great Lights of the World”: Seeking Learning by Study and Faith at BYU
In a very real sense BYU extends the long shadow of the Prophet’s personal and prophetic commitment to seek learning by study and by faith. Joseph loved to learn.
The BYU Way
A hallmark of BYU has always been that we have attempted to do all that we do with absolute integrity.
Let Your Voice Be Heard
I pray that your experiences will have taught you this university’s divine mission and that you will faithfully accept your very personal responsibility to carry the Spirit of the Y into every corner of your life, safeguarding its reputation and sharing its light with all around you.
More Than Knowledge
Perhaps the most unique thing about a BYU education is that it prizes eternal and not simply academic progression. This difference in priorities encourages both faculty and students to factor in service alongside their pursuit of knowledge.
BYU Spring 2005 Commencement
Having faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice and in the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ helps you to overcome, by faith, each and every obstacle and challenge you will experience, have experienced at BYU, and might possibly experience in the future.
To the April 2005 Graduates
I have much to learn, and I am sure that I continue to learn. This is one of the joys of being at Brigham Young University. And, I might add, one of the major reasons for you to be here—not only to learn while you are on campus but to learn how to continue to learn throughout your lives.
The Spirit of the Y
I pray that you will understand clearly BYU’s divine mission and that you will faithfully accept your very personal responsibility to carry the Spirit of the Y into every corner of your life, safeguarding its reputation and sharing its light with all around you.
Reflections on the BYU Experience
I have good memories of my BYU experience as a student—ward activities, teaching at the MTC, intramural football games, challenging business classes, and weekly devotionals here in the Marriott Center. But I didn’t really appreciate what BYU offered until I had graduated and left the campus.
A More Excellent Way: A Changing BYU in a Changing World
We know who we are. We know that we have made the commitment to do our parts in advancing scholarly excellence while lifting and strengthening the faith and testimonies of our students. Without apology, we affirm the supremacy of Deity, the reality of the Restoration unfolded through the Prophet Joseph, and our allegiance to today’s presiding high priests who are also the officers of our board of trustees.
High Expectations
We promise we will never forget you and expect that you will not forget BYU. You will demonstrate your great love for this institution and all that it represents by the way you live your life. You will live in such a way that objective observers will be able to tell that you are different—in a very positive way. They will usually not know exactly how or why, but they will appreciate the goodness and example of your life.
Using My Role to Help Others
I pray that you will exemplify BYU’s influence in your lives by joining me in serving this great university and the students it produces.
Men and Women for All Seasons
Let us continue to do what we have learned from our university experience and seek out truth and understanding everywhere it can be found.
This Special and Great University
I hope we will commit ourselves today and continue this commitment throughout our lives to contribute in every way that we can to building the kingdom of God on earth and also in supporting our alma mater.
Beethoven’s Kiss: On the Odd Reasons for Brigham Young’s Excellent University
The mission of BYU is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. That assistance should provide a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued.
Remarks at the Inauguration of President Cecil O. Samuelson
Look to the example of your president. He and his beloved companion, Sharon, have walked side by side with love in their hearts through all the years of their association. Make them your shining example.
Inaugural Address
We “enter to learn [and] go forth to serve.” While we are here learning, we also gain much by serving. As we go forth to serve, we strive to continue to learn.
A Few Questions and Answers
The Lord’s hand is on BYU and that the work of BYU is a vital part of the Lord’s work. We are thus entitled to seek His blessings and are also entitled to be guided and protected.
The Chance of Your Lifetime
As you leave the campus and pursue the chance of your lifetime, I am confident that you will reflect often on the educational and spiritual roots provided by your BYU experience.
Feelings of Gratitude
One of the significant joys of alumni giving is to know that our contributions have, in some small way, made it possible for us to share in your experience of walking across that stage and receiving that diploma.
The Leadership Opportunity
Please remember this principle as you leave the university: “If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.”
Focus on What Matters Most
You will receive promptings, and, from my point of view, there is no education more important than learning to know and respond to the promptings of the Spirit. Stay worthy of and live for the companionship of the Spirit.
Making the Most of the Unique BYU Experience
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Temples of Learning
After reflecting on the 9/11 tragedy a year ago, BYU's president counsels students to treat the university, and their bodies, as temples of learning.
The Challenges of the 21st Century
President Bateman addresses the challenges and opportunities facing BYU as it moves into the 21st century. He challenges faculty to recommit to excellence.
A Consecrated Place
His plan of redemption has always required men and women to consecrate all they have and all they are to the service of God. They covenant to do that.
The Banyan Tree
A strong trunk is essential if the branches and secondary roots are to receive quality nourishment. The parent trunk in Provo must be extraordinary both spiritually and secularly if the reach is to be infinite.
Continue to Have a BYU Experience
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.
A Brighter Day
The university and the Church have added light to your being, but none has received the fullness that lies ahead.
“And If Your Eye Be Single to My Glory”
During this era of incredible growth in the Church, it is crucial to keep our eye single to the glory of God by asking how our gifts can be extended to as many people as possible, including members in third world countries.
Gathered in the Tops of the Mountains
"You have been gathered on this campus to strengthen your testimonies and acquire sacred and secular knowledge that will give you the power to be a righteous influence in this world."
From Pioneer Roots to a World-Class, Worldwide Institution
"I thought how important BYU is as a window on the Church. The glass is not dark but clear and allows viewers to see the values and truths of the restored gospel."
Commencement, August 1999
At the 1999 comencement, speaker Margaret D. Nadauld encourages students to become keepers of morality in a world slipping away from good, wholesome values.
Children of the Covenant
BYU faculty and students are different in many ways. They are a covenant people, working with the Lord to fulfill His purposes and create a better world.
Brigham Young University in the New Millennium
As BYU moves into the new millennium, it will continue to grow in influence, playing an important role in the Lord's plan for His kingdom.
Why Do We Serve at BYU?
Serving at BYU is unique because of both contractual and covenant relationships. We can choose to serve for a multitude of reasons, but the best is charity.
Some of BYU’s Responses to “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
My address today is related to the topic of strengthening marriages and families. It’s a topic I’m generally comfortable with. But I’m not comfortable—and not just because I feel inadequate to address this audience. Family has been a popular topic for speeches on this campus recently. Both President Bateman and Elder Eyring have recently addressed us on the topic of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (Ensign, November 1995, p.…
The BYU Experience
What do you have here that is different? I hope the BYU experience will cause you to take on those qualities that will make of you a true disciple of Jesus.
A Zion University and the Search for Truth
President Bateman addresses BYU's statement on academic freedom and how it aligns with the university's goal to search for both spiritual and secular truth.
What I Now Believe About a BYU Education That I Wish I Had Believed When I First Came
I can imagine no greater honor or responsibility for a member of this faculty than to be privileged to speak with you for a few minutes in this capacity. In fact, for the life of me, I could not imagine why I was even considered for this opportunity until I received an interesting letter from KBYU informing me that the devotional addresses I gave in October 1980 and November 1981…
Reaching the Heights Prophets Have Envisioned for Us
The process of reaching the heights prophets envisioned for BYU requires a regularly renewed commitment to its students, scholarship, and research.
A Charted Course
Faith in a revealed religion does sacrifice the academic effectiveness of a university; it allows enhancement by giving it a charted course.
The Mission of Brigham Young University
President Bateman shares with faculty some of the goals and projects that will help BYU make progress in accomplishing the goals of the university.
A Light on a Hill
With a world ever more in need of intellectual, moral, and spiritual light, the mission and aims of BYU make it a "light on a hill" through study and faith.
A Zion University
BYU is a unique university whose goals support those of the LDS Church—academic excellence and spiritual growth. In short, it is an attempt to create Zion.
To a Man Who Has Done What This Church Expects of Each of Us
President Hinckley shares his appreciation for BYU President Rex Lee, whose faith, dedication, and strength are worthy of admiration and emulation.
The Snow-White Birds
BYU has weathered much in the struggle to determine its mission of blending the sacred and secular—which our students, like snow-white birds, need to fly.
Building a Whole University
How can faculty remain focused on the interests of their students and of the university while maintaining forward momentum? This age-old question can be answered when a university is looked upon as one whole rather than just as individuals or professors.
BYU: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Some Possibilities for the 21st Century
Rex E. Lee outlines some of the changes BYU has seen in his administration, as well as the changes he foresees going into the 21st century.
“Come, Come, Ye Saints”
I welcome the BYU community this morning as we begin another school year. I especially welcome those who are new among us. In many searches and circumstances, we have prayed you here, just as you have prayed about coming here. We who gather today in the Marriott Center are the largest part, but not the entirety, of the BYU community, whose members and influence now stretch into a far-flung empire…
Excellence, Charity, and the University
A summary of BYU’s future plans are proposed with the message that it is important to progress academically and in overall excellence.
Ascending Both Mt. Everest and Mt. Zion: BYU in the Final Decade of the 20th Century
Through its goals in long-range planning and its capital campaign, BYU will work through this decade to continue to to come closer to its potential.
“The Spirit of the Army”
In this upcoming self-study and planning project, let us truly examine the "spirit of the army" here at BYU, striving to reach our great potential.
Out of the Best Faculty
"What we will take with us—to the degree we have developed them—will be the cardinal qualities that Jesus has perfected; these are eternal and portable."
To Choose and Keep a Mentor
"You will find that he knew the way and wanted to share it with you. And you will have confirmed to you that he was the perfect example in mentoring, as he is in all service that brings real value."
What We Are and What We Can Become: A President’s Perspective
"Over the past year perhaps more than at any other time I have understood and appreciated that while we are many, we are also one."
“Teach Ye Diligently and My Grace Shall Attend You”
"The Lord speaks of a solemn assembly where the laborers for Zion may purify themselves so that he by his atoning power may make them clean."
Some Thoughts about Butterflies, Replenishment, Environmentalism, and Ownership
Remember the Brazilian butterflies. What you as an individual can do may not be much, but it is something; and when aggregated with what others are doing, the increment can be significant.
The Dream Is Ours to Fulfill
They fulfill their dreams by coming to this oasis of learning in a spiritually parched world, yearning to ask the young ruler’s question: What shall I do? And they come believing that the faculty and staff here will tell them what to do.
Building upon Strong Foundations
While five or six years of graduate school may have started us on the path toward becoming pretty good scientists or literary scholars, they did not necessarily qualify us to redesign the campus, or to replace Norm Chow in calling the football plays, or to run the Church.
Building BYU: Our Shared Values, Our Challenges, and Our Opportunities
BYU is unique among American universities because it incorporates the restored gospel as an integral part of its academic program. It is also true that both our uniqueness and also our effectiveness are enhanced to the extent that we use the Restoration to inform what we do academically.
Gratitude in Scholarly Life
The text for this speech is unavailable. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
Opportunities for Learning
"I can think of no better lesson that all of us could learn from our experience at BYU than the importance of genuinely caring for our neighbor."
The State of the University: Sound Spiritually, Academically, and Financially
"I will also at this time express my conviction that we are engaged here at BYU in something very worthwhile, something that has both intellectual and also spiritual dimensions of great significance for us and our students."
“All Those Books, and the Spirit, Too!”
"May we lay down our lives for those sheep, a day at a time, in a service that partakes of the most honorable cause that ever graced the pages of human existence."
Hopes and Dreams of an Even Better Brigham Young University
"The standard we must demand is that all we do, in the classroom and out, must reflect our respect and appreciation for our differences."
“I Say unto You, Be One”
"Each of us must accommodate the mixture of reason and revelation in our lives. The gospel not only permits but requires it. An individual who concentrates on either side solely and alone will lose both balance and perspective."
Out of Your Experience Here
"We can offer our own witness of the truth, quietly, sincerely, honestly, but never in a manner that will give offense to others."
Meeting the Challenges of the Nineties
Looking back on the eighties and forward to the nineties, Dallin H. Oaks identifies challenges that lay ahead for BYU in the new decade.
Mt. Everest Found: What BYU and Undergraduate Education Can Do For Each Other
"The only constant across the entire time period has been our commitment to our unique combination of things spiritual with things secular."
This Bequest of Wings Was But a Book
"The teacher’s work, especially here at Karl Maeser’s school, is a deeply satisfying labor, with students and books and papers that bless us all the days God lets us live. What a good way to spend our lives."
Education: Unlocking Opportunity
Here we are in these beautiful temples of learning with qualified teachers, countless books, and resources. All of this and the Spirit, too. May we each receive the knowledge that is here. Use it in wisdom to unlock eternal opportunities.
A Unique and Wonderful University
The text for this speech is unavailable. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
“Where There Is No Vision, the People Perish”
We must gain our own vision of God and His plan. Elder Didier shows how we can learn from Adam and Eve's example to receive a vision and live faithfully.
On the Lord’s Errand
My remarks this morning will be a little different from those I have given in years past. Each fall in this setting I have given a report on several aspects of our university work or discussed the ongoing cycle of our administrative review or explained the allocation of resources or on and on and on. And usually I have gone on and on and on. My mood and my feelings…
If I Were You, What Would I Do?
With a lighthearted poem, "If I Were You, What Would I Do?" President Hinckley encourages students to take advantage of their opportunities at BYU.
Count Your Blessings
Elder Jacob de Jager enumerates just some of the blessings we receive by being part of BYU. Count your blessings frequently, and strive to live up to them.
The Formula for Success at BYU
Many things have changed at BYU over the years, but not its formula for success: being worthy, seeking learning, working hard, and helping others.
Expectations at BYU
President Oaks tells students the expectations they should have for their BYU teachers - from their scholastic preparation to their kindness and concern.
The Second Century of Brigham Young University
President Kimball speaks of the dual responsibility of Brigham Young University, academic and spiritual, then dedicates the carillon tower and bells.
Your Fringe Benefits
Your first priority at BYU is education. However, there are some fringe benefits you should take advantage of, including whom you choose to associate with.
The Student Body and the President
President Oaks narrows the distance between himself and BYU students by sharing some interesting information about the student body and about himself.
Highlights in the Ninety-Nine-Year History of BYU
Former BYU president Ernest L. Wilkinson presents BYU's history from its incipiency, reflecting on the past and anticipating a successful future.
Challenges for the Year Ahead
There will be challenges this year, but stay safe, keep the Honor Code, help others, and take a well-rounded education seriously, and you will succeed.
Decades of Distinction
Know that you have leaders of distinction here at BYU and that the Church invests its money and talent so heavily in this school because you are worth it.
The Vision of the Founders
We have a responsibility to the pioneer founders who sacrificed so much for their vision of this school to keep its spirit and purpose alive and unique.
The Unique Role of BYU among Universities of America
BYU distinguishes itself from other prestigious universities because it has not denounced its faith; as students and faculty, we must not denounce ours.
Jesse Knight—The Man and His Goodness
There are few individuals who contributed as much to the development of Brigham Young University as Jesse Knight. From donations of money to donations of land, Jesse Knight made it possible for BYU to become what it is today.
Karl G. Maeser
Bryant S. Hinckley offers a tribute commemorating Karl G. Maeser, whose life and service to BYU make up an important part of the school's legacy.
The Y in Y-o-u
As I contemplated the Y on the mountain above this campus, and how students hike each year to keep it white and clean, I thought, "I hope there is a Y in each of your hearts, and that you examine it daily to keep it pure and clean."
Founder’s Day Assembly
To commemorate Founder's Day, Bryant S. Hinckley shares the inspiring stories of some of the people who worked to establish the vision of BYU.
Devotional: Bryant S. Hinckley, 1951
Bryant S. Hinckley commemorates the efforts of others in establishing BYU and reminds students to remember the heritage and potential of this institution.
Final Address
Among the words of the English language the word farewell is the hardest to pronounce, and I, probably, will succeed very poorly at my present attempt.
