Well done. This achievement took real effort, steady resolve, faith, and sacrifice. You may be thinking as Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course[s].” [1] He didn’t actually say “courses,” but if he were graduating today, he might have. He did add, “I have kept the faith.” [2] Jennifer and I congratulate you for finishing your course, but especially for keeping the faith in Jesus Christ.
Commencement is both a celebration and a beginning. Today, we honor your faithful journey and offer our continued love and admiration as you press forward.
Take a moment to reflect on the path that brought you here. Some of you came straight from high school or a mission, others began later, and some much later. Different starting lines, yet the same remarkable finish line.
Along that path, you have grown as disciples of Jesus Christ as you have studied and served, attended devotionals, begun your classes with prayer, and made the temple part of your education.
At the same time, you have experienced an inspired education. You have learned from devoted faculty who know you by name and who, as Elder Clark G. Gilbert observed, “unapologetically build their professional focus on teaching and advising students.” [3]
Beyond the classroom, you have built lifelong friendships, participated in campus activities, and explored the breathtaking landscape of southeastern Idaho.
Through it all, you have gained the knowledge, skills, and values to move forward in your families and careers with purpose and confidence.
All of this has been made possible by the Church’s deep and continuing investment in you. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has placed education among its great priorities. President Dallin H. Oaks has said, “As Latter-day Saints we believe in education, and we have a philosophy about how and why we should pursue it. Our religious faith teaches us that we should seek learning by the Spirit and that we have a stewardship to use our knowledge for the benefit of mankind.” [4]
That vision is reflected in the mission of BYU-Idaho: “to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities.” [5]
As you commence this next phase of your life, we wish you success in all that you pursue. But our greatest hope is that you leave here as devoted, lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ—true peacemakers, as President Oaks has invited us to become.
My dear brothers and sisters, Sister Meredith and I express our love and confidence in you. We pray that you will always remember that living the gospel of Jesus Christ is joyful.
I bear witness of Jesus Christ—our Savior, our Redeemer, the High Priest of Good Things to Come, and the Light and Life of the world. I testify that President Dallin H. Oaks is the Lord’s living prophet.
May the Lord pour out His choicest blessings upon you and your loved ones—today and throughout your lives. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] 2 Timothy 4:7
[2] 2 Timothy 4:7
[3] Clark G. Gilbert, “A Pioneer’s Heart, A Disciple’s Future,” (Brigham Young University-Idaho devotional, Sep. 15, 2015), byui.edu
[4] Dallin H. Oaks, “Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2009, 26
[5] “BYU-Idaho Mission Statement,” byui.edu
About President Alvin F. Meredith III
Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.
Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.
In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital.
President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.