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President Faust Addresses
Graduating Seniors
President James E. Faust,
second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, presided over
commencement ceremonies held April 26, 2003, at BYU–Idaho. A total of
2,055 graduates received 2,109 degrees—454 bachelor’s degrees and
1,654 associate degrees.
President Faust
addressed the graduates, describing graduation as a time of
accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy. He told the students to cherish
the moment, then continued, “Graduation opens up great challenges,
opportunities, and blessings far beyond our wildest dreams. You must
continually learn to function and live in this increasingly complex
world. If you are to succeed, you will need to work very hard just to
keep up with changes in technology. You will need to be smart. You will
need to learn wisdom. As President Hinckley has said to your generation,
‘This is an age that requires that you really dig into it and master
it. You cannot just do it halfway.’”
President Monson Counsels
Summer Graduates
President Thomas S. Monson, first
counselor in the First Presidency, spoke at the Aug. 22, 2003,
commencement at BYU–Idaho where a total of 436 graduates received
degrees following the summer semester—265 bachelor’s degrees and 179
associate degrees.
President Monson gave graduates four guideposts to live by:
“First, glance backward. Second, look heavenward. Third, reach outward.
And fourth, press onward.”
He said, “May each of us learn to appreciate the gift of life
that we have been given. And may the lessons we learn as we glance
backward help us to live more fully each day of our future.”
Of looking heavenward, he said, “We have not been left to wander
in darkness and in silence uninstructed, uninspired, without
revelation.” He added, “Looking heavenward should be our life-long
endeavor.”
By reaching
outward, a person can have an impact on the lives of others. “To find
real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves,”
President Monson said. “No one has learned the meaning of living until
he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to
others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy.”
And finally, “we
have the responsibility to press onward,” he said. “Great men have
not been merely dreamers; they have returned from their visions to the
practicalities of replacing the airy stones of their dream castles with
solid masonry wrought by their hands. Vision without work is
daydreaming.”
Groundbreaking Held for
Thomas E. Ricks Building
On April 26, 2003, ceremonies were held
at BYU–Idaho to break ground for a new classroom building. The new
structure and adjacent horticulture gardens will be named after Thomas E.
Ricks, founder of Rexburg and the local stake president who oversaw the
establishment of the Bannock Stake Academy in 1888 that later became
known as Ricks College.
President James E.
Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency and vice chairman of
BYU–Idaho’s Board of Trustees, presided over the services. Elder
Henry B. Eyring, commissioner of education for the Church Educational
System and former Ricks College president, was also in attendance. Thomas
E. Ricks descendants, university representatives, and students also
participated.
The
large, L-shaped classroom building designed by ffkr
of Salt Lake City will house the Department of Mathematics; Department of
History, Geography and Political Science; Department of Psychology; and
Department of Sociology and Social Work. The 56,200-square-foot building
will be situated at the southeast corner of the horticulture gardens,
with pathways linking it to the Hinckley and Benson buildings.
The contractor is
Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake City. The anticipated completion for
the building is spring of 2005.
NASA
Administrator Speaks at University Forum
Sean O’Keefe, the administrator of
NASA, shared his perspectives with BYU–Idaho students at the university
forum held Sept. 18, 2003.
O’Keefe said he
and others were waiting to welcome the Columbia astronauts after their
successful 16-day mission into space on Feb. 1, 2003. Then 15 minutes
before their scheduled arrival, “God brought the crew members into his
embrace.”
According to
O’Keefe, risk is an inherent aspect of exploration. Lewis and Clark
also experienced hazards, but they likewise did not abandon their
mission. Recent incidents are reminders of the importance of being
professional, having faith in the mission, avoiding finger pointing,
sharing the shame and the blessings, accepting the facts, and focusing on
the task at hand.
O’Keefe also paid
tribute to Brady Howell ’97,
a Ricks graduate who was a victim of the 9-11 attack on the Pentagon.
O’Keefe mentored and encouraged Howell to accept the prestigious
position of Presidential Management Intern. O’Keefe said, “When I
think of the tremendous spirit that animated the life of Brady Howell,
the phrase ‘some may equal, none excel’ comes to mind. Great lives
are defined by great purposes. Brady’s great purpose was his deep and
abiding commitment to public service.”
O’Keefe’s
visit was the second presentation in the Brady Howell Lecture Series
established by Howell’s widow Liz Anderson Howell ’97
and other members of his
family.
Internship Agreement Signed
with National Lab
An internship agreement between Argonne
National Laboratory–West and BYU–Idaho was signed on June 2, 2003.
Academic internships will be provided to three university students each
year.
BYU–Idaho
President David Bednar states, “This is a significant opportunity for
our students to work and learn at this prestigious national laboratory.
Internships play a vital role in our academic programs and better prepare
our graduates for productive careers and lifelong learning. We are
grateful for this expression of confidence in our students by Argonne
National Laboratory–West.”
Students are
assigned to work directly under a mentor who is a technical staff member
at the laboratory. “The interns are actually doing work in their field
and get hands-on experience,” says Argonne’s Gail Walters, who
coordinates the Lab’s internship program.
The
nature of research projects varies tremendously, including nuclear
physics, nuclear engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, physics,
computer sciences, health physics, mechanical engineering, and electrical
engineering, Walters says.
BYU–Idaho Enrollment
Pushes Upward
Enrollment at BYU–Idaho pushed
slightly upward for fall semester compared to the same time last year.
Official fall enrollment is 10,484 full-time equivalent students,
compared to 10,199 for fall semester of 2002. (Full-time equivalent or fte
is based on a student taking 15 credit hours.) The actual head count
stands at 11,137, compared to 10,703 for last fall. Enrollment includes
3,248 freshmen, 3,202 sophomores, 2,561 juniors, and 2,126 seniors.
The number of married students stands at a record 2,579, or 23
percent of the student body. Last year at the same time there were 1,929
married students (18 percent of the student body).
Earlier in the
year, summer enrollment hit a record 5,166 students attending the second
eight-week block of the summer semester. Last year at the same time,
4,026 students were attending BYU–Idaho. The growing summer enrollment
is a result of the Three Track System that is designed to increase the
number of students who attend during a full calendar year.
Center Stage Offers a
Variety of Entertainment
The Center Stage Performing Arts Series
at BYU–Idaho features a wide variety of entertainment. In July, the
Grammy award-winning, cowboy singing group Riders In The Sky performed
their brand of western music, and the contemporary a cappella group
Rockapella (best known for the sound behind the theme song for the former
tv show Where
in the World Is Carmen San Diego?)
presented a blend of soul, rock, R&B, and jazz. In September, popular
artist Collin Raye performed a country music concert in the stadium with
over 6,000 attending.
Other
notable performers yet to appear this season include Kathy Mattea, Cleo
Parker Robinson Dance from Denver, the joint men’s choirs from BYU and
BYU–Idaho, and organist Felix Hell. Performance dates and details are
included in the calendar of events at www.byui.edu.
Personalized Student Access
Accounts Available
Students at BYU–Idaho are now able to
access all of their personal information, e-mail, and a variety of links
from one convenient Web site developed by the school: my.byui.edu.
With a single log-in, the site gives students access to a variety
of information including financial information, class schedule, grades,
and ward information. Users can also set up a list of their favorite
links accessible from the page. A calendar of activities can be created
according to the personal interests of the user.
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