New president plans for spiritual, academic progression for students

by Autumn Hill SCROLLCAMPUS@BYUI.EDU Campus Editor

After being in Rexburg for a little over a week, President Kim B. Clark is full of enthusiasm and full of plans.

From his immediate goal of being able to find his way around the BYU-Idaho campus, to his long term plans for moving the institution forward, he is excited and ready to work.

President Clark said he only recently started taking an interest in BYU-I when he received a phone call from President Gordon B. Hinckley asking him if he would be interested in presiding over it. He said, “I would.”

He said though he was not expecting the call to come, he felt he had been prepared for it.

“There must be, in heaven, a new presidents’ orientation committee,” Clark said. “Because I just had a flood of ideas and thoughts and impressions.”

President Clark said he has a lot to learn about the university before he announces any specific goals, though there are projects in the planning stage.

His plans at this point to focus on one group of people — the students.

He spoke of “a steady, upward course,” the title of a devotional Henry B. Eyring gave on this campus Sep. 18, 2001, where steady means persistent and ongoing and upward means quality.

He said he wants to make changes that center around student experiences, both spiritually and academically.

He plans to “look at the various experiences the students have … [and] try to improve their quality and the impact they have on students.”

He and his wife, Sue, intend to be very visible and work to connect with students.

This will include continuing to host a Home Evening each week as the Bednars did and “speak[ing] so many times to students that they’ll get to know me better,” he said.

What can students expect from President Clark?

“They should expect that … I will devote everything the Lord has given me — all the talent and skill, my heart, mind and strength — to this work,” he said. “They should have a devoted president who will be trying to do exactly what the Lord wants done and to do it well.”