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BYU–Idaho will host a conference this week, October 8-10, for
56 LDS Foundation employees, including 46 from Utah
and Hawaii, who will join the
10 employees who work full time on campus at BYU–Idaho. Some of the VIP guests will be on
this campus for the first time. Managing Director, McClain Bybee, who answers directly to the Presiding Bishopric
and Elder Henry B. Eyring, Commissioner of Church
Education, heads this group.
With
offices in Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah; Laie,
Hawaii; and Rexburg, the LDS Foundation serves members and friends of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by facilitating philanthropic
giving to the Church’s various educational and humanitarian service
programs.
Although
this group regularly works with those who make scholarships and various
programs at BYU–Idaho possible, not since 1992 has a group this size
from the Foundation come together on this campus. Dave Richards, Director of
BYU–Idaho’s Development Office (the Foundation’s
on-campus branch), remarks that this is truly a significant event. It is
hoped that the conference will give the Foundation employees a chance to
learn more about this growing university and will also give students a
chance to welcome some of those individuals who help make their education
possible.
Emphasizing
the importance of the Foundation’s role, Richards
states, “Students should understand what the LDS Foundation does. I
don’t know how many of them know that there is a group of people in Utah
who works so hard to make education possible at BYU–Idaho and at
other Church schools. It’s really incredible that they all are here
together because their work has such an ongoing impact on what we do. I
hope students will recognize that whether it’s a scholarship, a
building, or a program, the funds that support their education were
facilitated by these great people at the LDS Foundation. We really owe them
and the donors our gratitude.”
The
LDS Foundation takes part in accepting and soliciting gifts from a variety
of donors, including the faculty and students at this university. Students
may not be aware, but their contributions to programs such as the Student
Legacy Endowment are handled by the LDS Foundation. Their efforts create a
partnership that strives to improve people’s lives—both the
giver and the receiver—by supporting education and service.
As
part of their stay in Rexburg, the Foundation employees will meet students,
attend devotional (sitting together in a special section), and receive an overview
of BYU–Idaho’s priorities. The “priorities” are
approved areas and programs of the university, such as scholarships, for
which funds can be raised through gifts facilitated by the Foundation.
Each
of these priorities is critical to the development and progress of
BYU–Idaho, particularly as they represent the needs of
students—the university’s highest priority. As the Foundation
takes part in raising funds for these programs, it is this week’s
guests who help generous individuals, families, and organizations make a
real difference in the lives of the students on this campus.
BYU–Idaho’s priorities are grouped into four
categories: 1) Expanding the Doors of Educational Opportunity for Deserving
and Needy Students, which includes scholarships, grants-in-aid, Work Study
and Mentoring, and Learning Assistance Labs; 2) Enhancing the Learning
Environment, which includes Selected Academic Programs, Adaptive Service
Adventure Program, Jacob Spori World Citizenship
Endowment, Thomas E. Ricks Professional Development, Technology
Enhancement, Leadership and Service Institute, Academic Internships, and
the Entrepreneurship Program; 3) Supporting Selected Building and
Beautification Projects, including the Low Maintenance Arboretum and other
indoor and outdoor beautification projects; and 4) Extending Our Influence
and Preparing for Future Opportunities, which includes Performing Tours,
Urban-discovery Chicago, Humanitarian Service, and Outreach Programs.
For
more information about the LDS Foundation, its purpose and services, visit
the website at www.ldsfoundation.org.
Or to learn specifics regarding its service to BYU–Idaho, go to www.byui.edu/giving (off the
BYU–Idaho homepage. Also,
for more information about what opportunities, as students or employees,
there are to give at BYU–Idaho, visit the Development Office in
Kimball 220 or call Ext.1128.
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