Brigham Young University - Banyan Yearbook (Provo, UT)

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A D M I N I S RATION Holland says, get across the Red Sea with or without a bridge. ' I believe in BYU. I believe in the generations that come here year after year, states Jeffrey R. Holland, ninth president of Brigham Young University, the largest private university in the nation. A long time supporter of learning and educa- tion, Pres. Holland served as Commissioner of Education for the worldwide Latter-day Saint educational program. Before that he served as either an instructor or a director at LDS Institutes of Religion in Hayward, Calif., Seattle, Wash., New Haven, Conn., and Salt Lake City, Utah. As president of this large university, Pres. Holland feels that the mission of Brigham Young University is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. He also states that that assistance should pro- vide a period of intensive learning in a stimu- lating setting where a commitment to excel- lence is expected and the full realization of hu- man potential is pursued. Thus the administra- tion has established the theme, Excellence in the Eighties: The BYU Campaign for Academic Achievement. President Jeffrey R. Holland with Administtative Counsel: Jae R. Ballif (Provost and Academic Vice-Presi- dent), W. Rolfe Kerr (Executive Vice-President bert J. Smith (Financial Vice-President), Fred A Schwendiman (Support Services Vice-President), Carolyn J. Ras- ; (Executive : to the President), H. Hal Visick (As- sistant to the President). According to Pres. Holland, in order to meet the challenge of Academic Excellence, four ma- jor educational goals should prevail: All students at BYU should be taught the truths of the gospel of Jesus — Christ. Be- cause the gospel encourages the pursuit of all truth, students at BYU should receive a broad university education. In addition to a strong gen- eral education, students should also receive in- struction in special fields of their choice. Schol- arly research and creative endeavor among both faculty and students, are essential and will be encouraged. President Holland has stressed the importance of combining the pursuit of educational and gospel truths, but makes this statement to faculty and administrators, This is the Lord ' s university but a fine testimony is not going to suffice at this university for poor scholarship. If you are being paid to teach civil engineering, teach it. If you do it in the way I ' m hoping, your students should be able to get across the Red Sea with or with- out a bridge-whichever way they prefer. He also states, We believe the earnest pursuit of this institutional mission can have a strong effect on the course of higher education and will greatly enlarge Brigham Young University ' s in- fluence in a world we wish to improve. President Holland ' s two primary goals in relation to acheiving academic excellence are linked in a Latin motto: Virtus et Veri- tas or virtue and truth.