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To a campus-wide audience and with the
entire First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints seated on the stand behind him, former Harvard
Business School dean Kim B. Clark pledged his full commitment to
the mission of Brigham Young University–Idaho during the
inauguration ceremony this Tuesday.
The formal inauguration took place as President Gordon B.
Hinckley invited President Clark to join him at the stand and
officially installed him as president of BYU–Idaho, “with all
the authority and privileges that come with this sacred office.”
He challenged Clark to lead the university to new heights of
honor and recognition.
President Hinckley reflected on the pioneer heritage of BYU–Idaho.
The early settlers of the area founded Bannock State Academy, a
one-building campus which has now become a thriving center for
higher learning. He presented President Clark with a small
bronze statue in recognition of this pioneer heritage.
In his response, President Clark also referred to his personal
heritage, from which came a love of learning and teaching. “I
come from a long line of teachers on both sides of my family,
and I cherish that heritage,” he said.
President Clark outlined the unique mission of BYU–Idaho and
explained what makes the school different, summarizing the
mission in two words: disciple and leadership.
“Our mission, our very purpose, is to educate, develop, and
prepare disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This purpose is
deeply rooted in this university. The Lord watches over this
university in a powerful way. Our purpose is to help them become
His true followers, His true disciples, a light to the world,”
he said.
Leadership, he explained, has a small “L”. “We want our students
to provide the kind of leadership that serves and inspires—first
and foremost in their families and in the Church, in their
communities, and in their work.” He quoted the words of Elder
Henry B. Eyring from a devotional address in 2001: “Those
graduates of BYU–Idaho will become legendary for their capacity
to build the people around them and to add value wherever they
serve.”
By focusing on three great imperatives, President Clark
illustrated how the institution will accomplish its mission.
“The first is that we must raise substantially the quality of
every aspect of the experience our students have,” he said. This
increase in quality will require inspiration and change.
As an example, President Clark talked about learning by faith, a
process that requires great spiritual and mental effort on the
part of both learners and educators, and it begins with faith in
Jesus Christ and His Atonement. “This faith moves the student to
action: to obey, to bend, to search, to call up, to link. That
is learning by faith.”
An increased Activities program, new teaching methods, and
increased student classroom experience will play a role in this
change. “It will require new learning experiences based on the
creative development of new materials and new courses. I see
ahead a season of creativity and innovation, a season of
powerful new ideas and new curricula all across this campus.”
The second imperative is to open up the possibility of a BYU–Idaho
education to more young Church members. This imperative
represents a challenge, he said, because it must be done within
the restraints of square footage and enrollment allotted by the
Board. The three-track admission system is currently part of the
effort to expand, but more new and creative scheduling and
organizing will be essential in accomplishing this purpose.
“I am convinced that we will find new ways to use information
technology to reach more students and to deepen the learning
experience of those we touch . . . we will be able to break down
the barriers of time and space and connect our students on
internships or between semesters to the university and to each
other and create outstanding, interactive educational
experiences,” he said.
The third imperative involves lowering the relative cost of
education. This is in spite of BYU–Idaho’s already relatively
low costs. This change is not to come by cutting corners, nor by
squeezing the organization.
“When I think of this third imperative, I see little girls and
boys sitting in Primary classes in this country, and indeed, all
over the world. These children will make and keep sacred
covenants with the Lord. I believe the Lord desires to bless
them, and, like the army of Helaman, raise them up as a
righteous generation of disciple leaders all across the earth .
. . I realize that most . . . will never come to BYU–Idaho, but
they will be blessed by what we learn here about learning by
faith and delivering a high-quality education at relatively low
cost,” said President Clark.
New programs and technology uses developed at BYU–Idaho should
be able to be applied throughout the Church and the world, he
said.
These goals often come at the expense of one another, President
Clark said, but “we are not bound by tradition, nor are we
limited to our own understanding or to the wisdom of men. In
short, this is a very unusual university.”
He concluded, “I know that with all of us working as one, with
the inspired guidance of the Board, this university will move
forward on the steady, upward course the Lord has set. It will
be Brigham Young University–Idaho; a university true to its
heritage, true to its mission, everything the Lord wants it to
be.”
The event drew a massive crowd. The Hart auditorium was filled,
along with nine other buildings across campus.
Distinguished guests included Elders Richard G. Scott, Robert D.
Hales, Henry B. Eyring and David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, Church Educational System commissioner Elder W.
Rolfe Kerr and other members of the Board of Trustees, Idaho
Governor Dirk Kempthorne, Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers,
representatives of several regional universities, along with
various Utah and Idaho state senators and representatives and
local dignitaries.
President Clark was first welcomed by student body president
Ammon Fife, who expressed willingness on the part of the
students to learn and adapt to change. Fife was followed by Joe
Marsden, President of the BYU–Idaho/Ricks College Alumni
Association. David Ward, Faculty Association president then
welcomed President Clark. “We look forward to your inspired
innovation,” Ward said.
Governor Dirk Kempthorne then greeted President Clark, saying
that Rexburg was a community that exemplified Idaho’s
progressive growth. “Students here will be able to compete
anywhere in the world,” he said. He said that at BYU–Idaho,
education can also focus on the more important purpose of
building the strong, positive families that are essential to a
good community and nation.
Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard, then shared his insight
into President Clark’s personality and qualifications. “With
him, the school conceived itself as less of a school about
business per se than as a school devoted to the art and craft of
leadership,” Summers said. “And in him, the school found not
only an exponent of strong, principled, creative, and humane
leadership but its embodiment.”
Summers acknowledged that this was a “bittersweet” moment for
Harvard, but that as BYU–Idaho stands at a crossroads of
transformation, President Clark’s leadership is good news for
those involved. “You could not ask for a better leader and
partner in charting your future together,” he said.
“Much has been made of [the Clarks] coming to BYU–Idaho,” said
Elder W. Rolfe Kerr in his remarks. “Many have wondered why;
many others know why. They have a faith and a spiritual
sensitivity which have directed their lives through the years,
and this is no exception. When the phone call came they were
prepared.”
“It has been a perfect fit for his entrepreneurial interests and
creative spirit. The future of BYU–Idaho is bright, and uniquely
so, under the capable leadership of President and Sister Clark,”
Kerr said.
The ceremonies concluded with the remarks of President Gordon B.
Hinckley, who also highlighted the unusual place BYU–Idaho holds
in the academic world. “We’re trying an experiment here,” he
said. This experiment has included the cutting of
intercollegiate athletics, the building of the Activities
program, the three-track system, which has allowed the school to
establish year-round internships, and a faculty that has given
up rank in order to focus on teaching.
The Church educates some 45,000 students on all of its campuses,
President Hinckley said. These schools “have demonstrated that a
secular education can be taught with values and spiritual truth
and knowledge. The world needs people of high ideals and of
integrity,” Such people, he concluded, will be the product of
BYU-Idaho. |
