| BYU-Idaho: unique institution, innovative president |
Brad Jackman
JAC01016@BYUI.EDU
Scroll Staff |
The course of BYU-Idaho will never be the same; the inauguration of Kim B. Clark as President of BYU-I made that quite clear. While just a year ago it was nearly impossible to imagine BYU-I without President Bednar, the same is now true of President Clark.
The selection of Kim Clark was no mistake, nor was it by chance. In some ways, it feels as if both President Clark and BYU-I have been preparing for each other for many years.
This institution changed its future in 2000 by declaring that it would become a four-year university. This opened the door for amazing growth, improvement and creativity. President Bednar masterfully handled the transition and set the stage for a new era at BYU-I.
Meanwhile, President Clark was at Harvard, making waves in the educational world. Incorporating technology into the school was a major goal of his. He led a $500 million campaign to fund school initiatives, with the development of educational technology as a priority.
President Clark’s research in education at Harvard helped that school greatly, but it has the potential to help BYU-I even more. BYU-I is essentially a clean slate and in recent years has become accustomed to major and dramatic changes. This is the perfect canvas for an innovator in education.
In his inaugural reception address, President Clark outlined three imperatives: increasing the quality of education, increasing enrollment and lowering costs. These are ambitious goals to say the least, but President Clark isn’t one to be described as common. Neither is BYU-I.
Under President Clark, the future here is incredibly bright.
BYU-I will become unique, different even from other Church schools. While some, including students, have considered this school second-rate compared to BYU-Provo, it should be quite obvious after the inauguration that BYU-Provo and BYU-I are on different paths.
While BYU-Provo is set in tradition, BYU-I is fresh off the starting block. Students who once chose to come to BYU-I only as a second choice will one day stand proudly, reminiscing about the early days when an apostle-in-training led the university, followed by a master of innovation and vision. It is almost difficult to compare the two schools anymore.
Even President Hinckley lauded BYU-I’s unique course, citing its sacrifice of faculty rank and intercollegiate sports.
In years to come, people won’t be talking about sacrifices; they’ll talk about the results. Students, faculty and administration should stand tall after last Tuesday’s inauguration; they’re a part of history.
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