Former Ricks College President John L. Clarke stated “Ricks was founded upon the firm belief there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people."
Over the past 127 years, our alumni and graduates have proven the validity of President Clarke’s statement.
Presently over 110,000 of our alumni attended this school when it was known as Ricks College. Over the past 15 years, nearly 100,000 more alumni have passed through the halls of Brigham Young University-Idaho.
While it is true many of our graduates do have extraordinary titles and have received honors and awards, I believe it is more important that our graduates, by-in-large, are extraordinary in those things that matter most—they are exceptional fathers, mothers, and disciple leaders in their homes, communities, and in the Church.
A hallmark of BYU-Idaho, including the Pathway program, is the possibility for the ordinary to blossom and become extraordinary, and as President Henry B. Eyring prophesied, even “legendary for their capacity to build the people around them and to add value wherever they serve.”[1]
While I would not be so bold as to give myself the title of ‘extraordinary,’ I do know that this school, my teachers, and my classmates helped a shy underachiever gain a testimony of the restored gospel, a desire to serve a mission, and the confidence to succeed in college and the blessings of a happy life.
On behalf of over 200,000 members of the BYU-Idaho Alumni Association, we extend a special welcome to President Clark G. Gilbert as the 16th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho. We pledge our collective support and look forward to a new era of continued growth and innovation as we strive to perpetuate the “Spirit of Ricks.” This legacy, which is the Holy Ghost working through the service of caring people, will continue to bless thousands of students on their own paths to extraordinary.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Henry B. Eyring, “A Steady, Upward Course,” Brigham Young University-Idaho devotional, Sept. 18, 2001