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Episode 224: ‘Building disciples of Jesus Christ’ at Brigham Young University–Idaho, with President Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith

President Meredith explains how BYU–Idaho must remain a Christ-centered, prophetically directed university

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University–Idaho on Aug. 1, 2023.

In his inaugural speech, he reinforced the university’s mission of “building disciples of Jesus Christ” by reminding students, “We must, with great resolve and intentionality, remain a Christ-centered, prophetically directed university.”

That resolve and intentionality are exemplified in the lives of President Meredith and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, through their Church and family service.

The Merediths join this episode of the Church News podcast to share the importance of education, personal revelation and supportive environments in becoming disciples of Christ.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: In the Church, education is a religious responsibility. That’s a really powerful phrase. And it’s a religious responsibility because education and gaining knowledge, it’s a spiritual imperative for us; not just a secular imperative, but a spiritual imperative. The glory of God is intelligence. There are few things that we can take into the next life, but our knowledge, our intelligences, is one of those. The other thing that I would hope that the rising generation would always remember, that regardless of where they are, they can involve the Lord in their learning. We love BYU–Idaho. We’re convinced that BYU–Idaho is the right place for more people than realize it right now. However, it’s not the right place for everyone, but there is a place for everyone in the Church Educational System. And so, wherever the students go, whatever they decide to study, our hope is that they’ll involve the Lord in their education.

1:07

Jon Ryan Jensen: This is Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University–Idaho on Aug. 1, 2023. Before that, he was sustained on April 3, 2021, as a General Authority Seventy and continues in that role as he serves as the president of the university. In his inaugural speech, he reinforced the mission of the university of “building disciples of Jesus Christ,” reminding students that, “we must, with great resolve and intentionality, remain a Christ-centered, prophetically directed university.”

That resolve and intentionality are exemplified in his and his wife’s, Sister Jennifer Meredith’s, lives, filled with Church and family service, from serving as mission leaders in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission to the parenting of six children to their current role leading the university. Both of the Merediths join us today to discuss the importance of education and becoming Christ-centered disciples.

Welcome, President and Sister Meredith.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Thank you.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Thanks for having us, Ryan.

2:18

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, I would love to hear: That’s a very compressed timeline of a very eventful life that I know the two of you have led together and with your family. Can you share maybe a little bit of an overview of how your life’s journey led you to BYU–Idaho and the role that you’re currently in?

2:36

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Well, my husband was serving as an executive for a global technology firm, and we were living in Singapore when we got called on our mission. But we had lived in Hong Kong and Singapore; our children would call Tennessee home. That’s where the four youngest were born. And I feel that our service as mission leaders really prepared us for what we’re doing now, and having six children, four of whom right now are young adults. We still have two teenagers at home who will be young adults soon.

Jon Ryan Jensen: And at least one of whom is a recently returned missionary, from what I understand.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: That’s right. Just last week, she came back from Sweden.

Jon Ryan Jensen: Amazing.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: It has been. It’s been wonderful to have her home.

3:13

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: It’s great when they come home.

It would be an understatement to say that this calling was a surprise. I had been serving in the Middle East/Africa North Area presidency. You may know this, but the Tuesday following each April conference, there’s an assignment meeting where all of the general authorities find out where they’re going to serve for the next 12 months. It’s kind of like a transfer meeting for missionaries. And so we gathered in the Church Office Building, expecting that there would be no change in our assignment, because we’d only been in the Middle East/Africa North Area for a year, and typically you’re in an area presidency for three to five years.

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, again, similar to missionaries; you spend a couple of transfers in one location.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Exactly.

3:57

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Exactly. I should note that the Middle East/Africa North Area presidency at that time was solely based out of Salt Lake. And so we were living in Salt Lake. So we gather in this auditorium in the Church Office Building. There’s 300 movie-theater-style seats, there’s 15 red chairs up front, and we sit there and anxiously wait to see what our assignment is going to be. There’s a PowerPoint presentation that’s tabbed through that tells us what our assignment is. We didn’t expect a change, and when my picture popped up on the PowerPoint, it indicated no change, which is exactly what we thought.

I went back to my office. Jennifer went home. Later that afternoon, we get a phone call from Brook Hales, who’s the secretary to the First Presidency, and he says, “Elder Meredith, the First Presidency would like to meet with you and Jennifer in three weeks.” That is a long time to wait for a meeting with the First Presidency.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: We didn’t sleep very well.

4:57

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: You can imagine the talks that we had leading up to that. The thing that was perplexing is when we were called as mission leaders, we met with one member of the First Presidency. When I was called as a general authority, we met with one member of the First Presidency. This was all three members of the First Presidency, and three weeks away.

And so, as the time got closer, we wondered if we were going to be asked to move to Dubai to open up the area office in the Middle East/Africa North Area presidency. We’d lived in Singapore, we’d lived in Hong Kong, we’d had some international experience, so that made sense. So we walked into this meeting with the First Presidency thinking we might be moving to Dubai, and we walked out with an assignment to go to Rexburg, Idaho.

And I have to tell you our meeting with the First Presidency was everything that you would hope it would be. We walked in President Nelson’s office. There was a little couch seated against the wall next to his door, and he said, “You two sit there, and sit real close, and act like you love each other.”

Sister Jennifer Meredith: So we held hands very tightly.

6:06

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: And President Nelson said, “A couple weeks ago, there was an assignment meeting. We have invited you here today to let you know that your assignment has been changed, and you will be the new president of BYU–Idaho.” And before we left, President Nelson was just so sweet and mindful of Jennifer. He said, “Elder Meredith, over on my desk, there’s a vase of flowers. You go pick the prettiest one and give it to Jennifer.” And so we walked out of that office with a ticket to Rexburg, Idaho, and a pretty red rose. And it’s just been a sweet journey since then.

6:42

Sister Jennifer Meredith: President Nelson also told us not to tell anyone, not even our children. In fact, he said, “Say as little as possible for as long as possible.” So on that Mother’s Day, we had our son who had returned from his mission to Chile give his homecoming talk. Our daughter was leaving for her mission to Sweden. She gave her farewell talk.

And the very next day, we asked our children, we said, “We just need you to gather at our home, bring an overnight bag with church clothes. We can’t tell you where we’re going, but as soon as you get to the house and the cars are packed, we’ll let you know where we’re heading.” And so we told them we were heading to Rexburg, Idaho, and to say that they were shocked is an understatement. But it was really sweet. As we drove up I-15, we had our three youngest children in our car with us, and those would be the three children coming with us to Idaho. And our daughter at the time knew that she would be moving to Idaho for her senior year.

Jon Ryan Jensen: Lots of emotion.

7:47

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Lots. But they were such amazing — they had the best attitude. I think they’ve been through enough adventures with our family, they know that there’s always something great ahead. And as we crossed the Idaho border on I-15, they just erupted in cheers, and I sat up front. They couldn’t see the tears coming down my face, but I was just so grateful for their resilience and their ability to see that they can trust the Lord and trust His timing and even where He places them, and that it’s going to be an amazing experience, and they have absolutely loved Rexburg. So it’s been a great year and a half so far.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: We’ve all been cheering ever since. We love it there.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, hold hands as they leave the BYU–I Center after Elder Meredith was announced as the new president of BYU–Idaho on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
Elder Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, hold hands as they leave the BYU–I Center after Elder Meredith was announced as the new president of BYU–Idaho on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. | Michael Lewis, BYU–Idaho

8:29

Jon Ryan Jensen: Not everybody who’s listening to this podcast is going to have that — not a whole lot of people are taking notes and saying, “Well, when the First Presidency calls me to go sit on that couch.” But I think everybody has those moments in life where they get something unexpected, and maybe they have the three-week waiting period, maybe they’re asked to do something extremely unexpected.

And so, can you share maybe a little bit of what did you do in those three weeks? Because when we have those moments and that space in time, what we fill it with is really what’s going to help us be able to accept that call, wherever it’s to, whatever it is to do. How did you manage that?

9:06

Sister Jennifer Meredith: I actually was just reflecting on an experience that our daughter had. She, when we moved to South Jordan, Utah, from Singapore, that was —

Jon Ryan Jensen: No less drastic a change.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Right. And for a teenager in the middle of high school, she was a little overwhelmed, and her sophomore year was a bit rough. It was hard to make friends. But she at one point said — I had asked her to do something for me; I think I had a meeting, and I asked her to pick up her little brothers from school one day, and she said to me — she said, “Mom, what you didn’t know is that I had no time; I had multiple things going on for school. I had to study for an exam, and I had to finish a big assignment.” But she said, “I knew that you were serving the Lord full time, and I knew that if you needed my help, that the Lord would help me.”

And she said, “It was amazing, because I did what you asked me to do, and I prayed for Heavenly Father to help me do what I needed to do.” And she said, “Everything worked out beautifully the next day. I got an A on my test. I finished my assignment. And I think,” she said, “I’ve learned that when I’m doing what the Lord wants me to do and I’m where He wants me to be, He just makes everything work.” And I think that’s a great lesson, is that I think we have learned over the course of our marriage, is that if we are where the Lord wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do, He will help us. He’ll help us get through the hard things. And if I know I’m where He wants me to be, I know that I will get through the things that are hard and challenging, and I’m grateful that our children have had those experiences at such a young age.

10:54

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Paul said to the Corinthians, he said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). So there’s times that we feel troubled and perplexed, but because of that enabling power of the Atonement, we don’t need to be distressed, and we don’t need to have despair. And we’ve felt that multiple times in our moves and changes and calls in our lives.

11:21

Jon Ryan Jensen: That’s great perspective. I think that’s really helpful. So, you go from being in places like Hong Kong and Singapore, vertical cities, just a huge concentration of people in a small space, to one of the most wide-open spaces as you move up to Idaho. And I understand that you have done your best to make BYU–Idaho grow as well, just welcoming the biggest class in the latest semester that has started there.

What has that been like for you to be witnesses of BYU–Idaho and its growth over this short amount of time you’ve been there?

Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder D. Todd Christofferson, both of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, applaud after installing President Alvin F. Meredith as the 18th president of BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder D. Todd Christofferson, both of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, applaud after installing President Alvin F. Meredith as the 18th president of BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. | Nicolette Muhlestein, BYU-Idaho

11:52

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Oh, it’s inspiring. The BYU–Idaho story is one of growth. BYU–Idaho was Ricks College before 2001. Elder David A. Bednar was the president when it was Ricks College, and he was charged with transitioning Ricks College to a four-year university, BYU–Idaho.

Jon Ryan Jensen: So as Ricks, it was just a two-year.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: It was a two-year junior college, and it was one of the finest junior colleges on the planet. But it was a junior college. And it had its own rich history that started back in the 1800s. But more recently, President Henry B. Eyring was present there, followed by Bruce C. Hafen and Joe J. Christensen and Steven Bennion, and it had this just illustrious legacy of leaders.

Well, if you think about what’s happened since the transition from Ricks Junior College to BYU–Idaho, it’s no surprise that the university continues to grow, both in numbers as well as reputation. So, Elder Bednar was tasked to lead the transition, and he only left Rexburg because he was called to the Twelve. And one may have thought, “How do you possibly replace David A. Bednar?” Well, Kim B. Clark, who had been the dean of the Harvard Business School, left Boston to come to Rexburg, Idaho, to continue the trajectory that Elder Bednar had set the university on. And then Elder Clark only left because he was called to be a general authority and the commissioner of Church education.

And when he left, one could have asked a similar question. Well, he was replaced by Elder Clark G. Gilbert, who is just an amazing visionary leader. And Elder Gilbert only left to lead Pathway, which has blessed tens of thousands of lies, and he was replaced by Henry J. Eyring. And the point is that there’s no institution, whether it be in higher education or industry or any other field, that can go through that type of innovative and inspiring leadership and not become exceptional. And that’s exactly what’s happened at BYU–Idaho.

Students gather to listen to President Alvin F. Meredith III and Sister Jennifer Meredith at the first devotional of Winter semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Students gather to listen to President Alvin F. Meredith III and Sister Jennifer Meredith at the first devotional of Winter semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. | Hans Koepsell

And I think what we’re seeing is this wonderful convergence of a greater recognition in the membership of the Church, of what a great experience BYU–Idaho offers, as well as an increasing number of the rising generation, but nontraditional students as well, that are seeking for something that’s uniquely provided at BYU–Idaho, which is an institution that’s resolutely focused on its mission to develop disciples of Christ, provide a great education that prepares one for their life’s work at a very affordable cost and a very fun and vibrant environment.

14:41

Jon Ryan Jensen: As you go through that list of leaders, it really is a super list of individuals who came with very different talents and with different approaches to leadership and engaging with students and faculty and staff, I’m sure.

And it reminds me of Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, when he said, when he gave his general conference message to “Lift Where You Stand.” And you don’t lift where you stand and then just put what you lifted back where it was. You’re lifting where you stand in order to move something to the next place where it needs to go. And I think as I hear you mention those names, you can go back and look at how they lifted where they were, moved the university forward to the next place it needed to go, and then to the next and the next. And it just puts all the students in a better position for whatever’s coming next in their life.

You talked about the rising generation and what you’re seeing in them. And there are individuals who will say, “Well, some of these in the rising generation, religion is not as important to them. God is not as big a part of their life as it has been culturally in the past.” But I understand that you’re seeing a little different perspective than some of those who are saying those kinds of things.

What do you see in these college students?

15:54

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: I do think it’s important to acknowledge that there are some that drift, and that is very, very painful, but this narrative that the rising generation collectively is less faithful is just empirically false, and it doesn’t match the anecdotal experiences that we have.

We did a focus group this week with a group of — it was 12 seniors that are graduating in two weeks. And we asked them, “If you had to do it all over again, would you pick BYU–Idaho?” And every one of them to a person said, “Absolutely.” And we said, “So, why? Tell us about that.” The first response was a young man who said, “The reason I would pick BYU–Idaho again is because I have grown in my discipleship, and I would never want to miss that opportunity in my life.”

And then if you look at the empirical data, if you look at the trends in seminary attendance and institute attendance and enrollment at Church schools, and the number of missionaries that we’re sending out in the field, and the great work that they’re doing, the increase in the number of baptisms, the greater involvement that young people are having in the temple. Half of the —

Sister Jennifer Meredith: — temple workers in Rexburg are students.

17:13

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: So, if you look at the data, it suggests that there’s lots to be hopeful about. And we have a chance to see the data but, more importantly, have a chance frequently to be with those students and just to see the light in their eyes. And they’re not perfect. They’re carrying their own crosses, like we all do, but they are striving to be disciples. They embrace the mission of BYU–Idaho to develop disciples of Christ, and they’re growing in their discipleship. And for me, it’s just inspiring to see them.

17:40

Sister Jennifer Meredith: I would just add that it’s so enjoyable for us to attend the temple, to worship in the temple, in Rexburg, because, in fact, just a few weeks ago, we were coming in for a session, and they almost couldn’t find open lockers because there were so many students at the temple, both working and worshipping, and it was just amazing. Every time we go in there, we’re just invigorated with so much hope in this rising generation. They’re amazing. They really are leading out.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: We categorize having to use the short lockers in the temple as a good problem.

Jon Ryan Jensen: I can understand that.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: They almost didn’t have those open.

18:20

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, you have this combination, then, of — you mentioned missionaries. We recently had Elder W. Mark Bassett on the Church News podcast, and he talked about the fact that the Church is back to 80,000 missionaries serving in the field. And I remember when I returned from my mission, there was kind of a “Haha, missionaries come home and they need to get back to quote unquote ‘normal.’”

But when I hear you talk about this, what I’m seeing instead is a transition not to what they were, but it’s a place where you’re giving them that ramp to continue that upward growth and, again, like President Russell M. Nelson has said, the positive momentum spiritually that they need in their lives.

18:59

Sister Jennifer Meredith: We feel that BYU–Idaho is a perfect place for students who are preparing to serve a mission. And the religion classes, and all of the classes, all of the classes begin with a prayer. We have devotional every week, where the whole campus shuts down and everyone can attend devotional. We have got a temple adjacent to campus. It is such a spiritually enriching environment that it’s a perfect place to prepare for a mission.

BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III smiles as Sister Jennifer Meredith makes a heart sign to students gathered in the BYU–I Center for the CES Date Night in Rexburg, Idaho, on Jan. 31, 2024.

It’s also a perfect place post-full-time service as a missionary to come home and continue your discipleship. How do you take the things that you learned on your mission and implement that in your schoolwork and your work and dating and relationships and finding a career and continuing on, building your family, getting married. And so it’s such, for all of our students, it’s such a great place.

19:49

Jon Ryan Jensen: Outside of that spiritual perspective that you gain from that generation, another common narrative that is shared not just among the younger generation as members of the Church but across the country, here in the United States of America, is that education, formal education, is lessening in importance.

How is BYU–Idaho bucking that trend and helping youth embrace that formal education as part of their current and future selves?

20:21

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Yeah, that’s a great question. There is a bit of a growing skepticism about higher education, some pockets of the U.S. And it’s really driven by three things: cost, jobs and values.

The cost of higher education has been skyrocketing. In fact, just in the Deseret News yesterday, there’s a headline by [Utah Gov. Spencer] Cox, who said, “Higher ed has lost its way.” And largely he was referring to just the rising cost of education. There are $1.6 trillion of outstanding student loans in the U.S. right now. The average student graduates with $30,000 of debt. In the Church Educational System, the Church has made a tremendous investment to keep the cost of education low. The tuition at BYU–Idaho is $4,800 a year, which is way less than half the cost of a typical four-year public university.

The second thing that I mention that is leading to some of the skepticism is the concern about jobs and, “Will a bachelor’s degree really get me a better job?” In the Church Educational System, and certainly at BYU–Idaho, there is a very strong focus in preparing our students for what they’re going to do when they graduate. Our job-placement rates are very, very strong. And if you look at just higher education in general, the average earnings of a person with a bachelor’s degree is 65% higher than those with just a high school education. Over the course of a lifetime, it’s a million-dollar proposition.

And then the last, which is a very disturbing trend, is in some places in higher education, the values that are espoused in the classroom did not match the values of the students taking the classes, which is why it’s so important that we embrace our spiritual mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ and to stay perfectly aligned with the teachings of living prophets and apostles.

But if we take a big step back and just look at higher education in general, it’s not just an economic proposition, though that is very, very strong.

22:34

Jon Ryan Jensen: And sometimes it’s the easiest one to look at; “Is this going to help me have the money I need for a home, to raise a family, whatever it is that I want to do next?”

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: And we value that increase in self-reliance, because it enables people to give back and to serve if they’re in a financial position where they’re not burdened by debt. But there are other reasons for higher education, just the personal development. This is — that time at university and college is the time of intellectual growth. It can also be a time of character development. It’s a place where you develop lifelong friendships and create social networks that will provide great blessings as we move into adulthood.

The societal benefits are tough to measure but are very evident. Studies show that those that have higher education have a higher degree of engagement and civic responsibilities. They also have a deepened appreciation for other people’s perspectives. And so there’s lots of benefits of higher education, particularly of education in the Church Educational System.

23:43

Sister Jennifer Meredith: And President Nelson has told us that education is a religious responsibility.

Jon Ryan Jensen: I love that.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Yes. As members of the Church, no matter who we are, where we are, how old we are, we can always educate our minds so that we can be of service to others.

23:59

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, if that is being embraced by those who are going to BYU–Idaho, is there something specific that has happened that has made it so that this younger generation has embraced BYU–Idaho as the place? Because, I’ll be honest; I attended Utah State University, and we joked that we were cold but thawed a little bit out, and BYU–Idaho didn’t thaw out.

So, how are you getting all of these students to embrace that idea of going to a place that, for many of them, is far away from home, is a place where you’re going to go to school and then, most likely, when you graduate, that’s not a place that you stay. You are going and then you are rocketing out somewhere else to go work.

So, why BYU–Idaho?

24:42

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: So, first of all, there is no such thing as bad weather; there’s only bad clothes and bad shoes, regardless of where you are. And by the way, if you think about the location of southeastern Idaho, there are people that come from all over the world to vacation, to have business conferences in southeastern Idaho. We actually love our location. There are so many wonderful things to do, not just on campus, and campus is — boy, it is a fun environment.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: A buzz of activity. There is so much happening on campus.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: But the off-campus opportunities to go skiing and kayaking and canoeing and hiking and biking, and there’s all kinds of wonderful things to do there. And I think this rising generation is — a lot of them are interested in that. So that’s kind of a — it’s not a deterrent. It’s actually a draw for a lot of our students that come to BYU–Idaho.

A BYU–Idaho graduate poses for a photo following commencement held in the BYU–I Center in Rexburg, Idaho, on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.
A BYU–Idaho graduate poses for a photo following commencement held in the BYU–I Center in Rexburg, Idaho, on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. | Madeline Jex, BYU–Idaho

25:33

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, they’re finding ways to balance those fun things they can do outside with the purpose that they have as students as well in the classroom.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Yeah.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: We have a facility on campus called the ORC, it’s the Outdoor Recreation Center, and our students can go there and rent pretty much any equipment they might need to go hiking or skiing or biking, anything to take with them for an overnight trip or just for the day. And they love it. They really take advantage of that. It’s so fun to see photos of them all over southeastern Idaho doing so many fun things outside.

Jon Ryan Jensen: I love to hear that.

26:04

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: We have a really strong activities program on campus. We don’t have LaVell Edwards Stadium or the Marriott Center, but our students, they might not be spectators, but they’re participants. We’ve got a really strong intramural program. We have performing arts. And much of what’s done on campus is done with student leaders, as opposed to full-time employees, so it just creates these really enriching engagement opportunities for our students.

26:34

Sister Jennifer Meredith: When we talk to our students in these focus groups, which we host pretty regularly, it’s so fun to hear about their experiences and how they love to be involved in any number of sports and/or activities on campus. They just jump right in. And in fact, they leave BYU–Idaho being so grateful that they were able to lead groups and organizations, because it helps prepare them for the real world and the teams they’ll be working with in the future.

27:01

Jon Ryan Jensen: I wish that people could have seen your faces when I brought that question up. You were ready for that one.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: It’s true.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: It is a fun place. Just last — I’ll give you a recent example — just last week, we had a tree-lighting event on campus. So we, just like on Temple Square, you turn on all the lights. We ordered 6,000 cinnamon rolls for students who showed up, and we ran out. We had 7,000 students on campus for a tree-lighting ceremony, and that doesn’t even get into all the other fun activities, but it is a very fun campus. We actually heard that this week in our focus group. In fact, one of the girls said, with a little bit of a surprise, she’s like, “BYU–Idaho is so fun,” and I don’t think she expected that when she got there, but as a graduating senior, she reflected on that.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: She specifically said that this year, because she was a senior, she was being more intentional about taking advantage of all the activities on campus. And she said, “Now I’m thinking, ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner?’ This has been so much fun.”

28:03

Jon Ryan Jensen: I love hearing that she felt that way, because one of the stories that we’ve observed from Church News recently is how you have jumped into the activities with the students as well, one of them being starting the date nights with the two of you. And I might have had some skepticism. I don’t know if I would have joined a date night with my university president, but the two of you made that look so fun.

How did that come about, and what did you feel about it after it first happened?

28:30

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Well actually, the genesis for that, I believe, was President [Dallin H.] Oaks, who a year — maybe it was six months — before we began, there was a worldwide devotional with young adults, and he talked about the importance of dating, and he defined what a date was. And so Elder Gilbert, our Church commissioner of education, took that and invited each of the CES schools to have a date night on the same night, and so we did. We just embraced that.

BYU–Idaho students gather in the Student Center for ice cream as part of the CES Date Night held in Rexburg, Idaho, on Jan. 31, 2024.
BYU–Idaho students gather in the Student Center for ice cream as part of the CES Date Night held in Rexburg, Idaho, on Jan. 31, 2024. | Mike Lewis, BYU–Idaho

It was back in January, and we expected about 3,500 students to come. We didn’t know how many would show up, but we planned 4,000 for our ice cream, just to be safe. Well, when we showed up, there were actually, we think, almost 8,000 students that came. So we ran out of ice cream in about 15 minutes. In fact, we played several dates of pickleball. I think we played six rounds of pickleball.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: We went 2, 3 and 1. For being in our 50s, I thought that was a pretty respectable score.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: They were less than half our age. I’m feeling really good about that.

Jon Ryan Jensen: Yeah, you’re taking on some 20-year-olds. You should feel good.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: And when we were finished, I said, “OK, I’m ready for my ice cream.” And they said, “Oh, Sister Meredith, that was gone hours ago. I’m so sorry.” So we got a water bottle.

Date Night with the Meredith's. Pickleball, Ice cream, karaoke, games, bowling, country dancing and more.
BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, play pickleball against other couples during the CES Date Night hosted at BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, on Jan. 31, 2024. | Mike Lewis, BYU–Idaho

29:41

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Two deeper levels on this comment. One, we felt that it was important to change the culture of dating with this rising generation. Dating needs to be fun, it needs to be casual, but it needs to be part of our social experience for lots of reasons. The other thing that’s really important about what’s happening on campus is — actually, could you share the impressions that you had about the three things we needed to focus on with our students in this new assignment?

30:08

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Sure. Shortly after the assignment was extended to my husband, we were given a job description with that. It took several days, because we couldn’t talk to anyone about it, just for it to kind of sink in. But I had three very distinct impressions that actually align with that job description that he was given. The first is that we need to point these students to the Savior in all things. Second, we need to point them to His living prophets and apostles. And third, that we need to model that living the gospel of Jesus Christ is joyful.

Life is going to be hard. It’s intended to be hard. That’s how we grow, that’s how we change, that’s how we become better, through these challenges, but it is so much easier when we’re yoked with the Savior, when we’re yoked with our Heavenly Father. And we feel that date night is part of that ministry, to show that dating can be clunky, and it can be hard.

31:09

Jon Ryan Jensen: And awkward conversations don’t end after you get married. You’re still going to have some of those awkward conversations.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: That’s very fair, yes. So, and I think that we keep that at the forefront of our thoughts and everything we do; we want to to point our students to Jesus Christ, and we want to be a prophetic echo, because those are the individuals that He has appointed to be His mouthpiece on the earth today, and we need that. There’s safety there, and there’s strength there if we will do those things.

Jon Ryan Jensen: So, it wasn’t a date night just for a date night, but you’re looking at it through that lens of those specific goals and saying, “How are we going to help them react to the counsel of the first counselor in the First Presidency, President Oaks?”

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Exactly.

31:53

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: Pointing them to the Savior, encouraging them to follow the counsel of living prophets and apostles, that’s the core; and reminding them that we can be joyful while we’re doing that. This is the holiday season. We’re recording this just a couple weeks before Christmas, and so I’m mindful of what the angel said when he appeared to the shepherds. He said, “Fear not.” And by the way, that’s a message that we have to the rising generation as well, that they should be optimistic. President Nelson, boy, he’s the epitome of optimism, and he continues to tell us that the best is yet to come.

But the angel went on to say, “For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10). And we want our students to feel those good tidings of great joy. While they’re growing and they’re growing in their intellect and their wisdom and preparing for their life’s work, we want them to have joyful experiences in the midst of all that development.

32:49

Jon Ryan Jensen: And we heard that in the most recent general conference, as well.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III:Welcome to the Church of Joy.”

Jon Ryan Jensen: I love that, Elder Patrick Kearon sharing that message. And the question that you bring up that some of the rising generation are asking is one that Elder Ronald A. Rasband spoke about when he was recently in the Dominican Republic. And he was speaking to youth, and he said the same thing, that even in his own family, he’s been asked, “Is it worth it for me to get married? Is it worth it for us as a couple to have children?” And finding these ways during this pivotal time in your life, when you’re in college, to find joy and to create joy in the things that you’re doing, and to live in that joy with the Savior, that’s what sets you up on that path to continue to find joy throughout the rest of your life.

So, you have those ideas, you have that inspiration as you get there, and this is one of the ways that you are choosing to engage students. That is all very proactive on your side. But I wonder, too, are there things about the students and things about this experience that have surprised you as you’ve been at BYU–Idaho?

33:54

Sister Jennifer Meredith: In 2018, in June of 2018, President Nelson and Sister Nelson gave a worldwide youth devotional where they enlisted the youth in the Lord’s youth battalion.

Jon Ryan Jensen: Yeah, their “Hope of Israel” message.

President Russell M. Nelson sits with his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, during the Worldwide Youth Devotional at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, June 3, 2018.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: Yes, yes. It was so powerful. Our oldest son at the time was a month away from leaving on his mission, his full-time service to Madagascar. And I just took that in and thought, “Wow, this is so powerful. Who are these youth?” And fast-forward six years, and you ask yourself, “Where are those youth today, and what have they been through the last six years?” They have been through junior high and high school and college during COVID. They’ve served full-time missions during COVID. We served with them as mission leaders through COVID. And now they’re in college, and they’re pressing forward. Some of them are going out on missions still. Some are coming home. They’re choosing to be married. They’re choosing to press forward. And I think it has been one of the great privileges of our lives to serve with these young adults.

As I think about this most recent general conference and President Nelson’s message, he said this: “As you yoke yourself to Him,” meaning the Savior, “your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be ‘swallowed up in the joy of Christ’ (Alma 31:38).” And I think the thing that has been so amazing with these young adults is that they’re not the future leaders; they are leading now. We have so much hope and optimism in this generation that is preparing the world for the Savior’s Second Coming.

And it has been, as I said, a privilege for us to work with them, to see the amazing things they’re doing now and just imagine what the Lord is preparing them to do in the future by trusting Him, following the Savior, being actively engaged with the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their daily lives, they’re just amazing.

36:03

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: One of the things that’s surprised me in a positive way, and I think it’s because of my experience with my education — I did my graduate work, my MBA, at University of Chicago; very competitive, a little bit cutthroat. Had a wonderful experience there, but I wouldn’t describe it as a collaborative environment. So one of the things that surprised me is how encouraging the students are with each other. You don’t get that sense of cutthroat competitiveness there. You get a sense that they’re genuinely interested in helping each other and lifting and encouraging each other.

And if you go back to our mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ, and you link that to what President Nelson has said a disciple is, President Nelson in “Peacemakers Needed” said disciples, true disciples of Christ, “build, lift, encourage, persuade and inspire.” And we see that happening with our students all the time on campus, and it leads to some really sweet and tender things.

For instance, we, this Sunday, we will be attending the baptism of one of our students that has not yet joined the Church. He attended a focus group with us, and when everyone in the focus group realized that Isaac had not yet been baptized, the discussion turned to him to offer him support and encouragement, and we ended that focus — this was just, was it three weeks ago? Four weeks ago? And we ended that focus group by saying, “Isaac, when the time is right for you, when you feel like the Lord wants you to take that step, will you be sure to invite us?”

And so just earlier this week, he came in my office and said, “I’ve got good news.” And so I got Jennifer on the phone, and he said, “I’m being baptized this Sunday.” And I think that has come about because of just the loving, encouraging environment that is present on that campus. And you don’t find that on every college campus.

38:13

Sister Jennifer Meredith: I think there’s also been one of the really gratifying things to witness, as well, is our employees and faculty. They are such incredible mentors for this rising generation. And these focus groups, we will ask our students — we usually have about a dozen in the room — and we always ask one question, which is, “How many of you have at least one teacher who knows you by name?” And every focus group, without exception, every hand goes up, every single time.

And in fact, this last week, we were asking our seniors, “How many of you have multiple teachers who know you by name?” Every hand goes up. And they, in fact, in one of our early focus groups, one of our students talked about, very tearfully, about how she had had some tough things going on in her life, and she got a phone call from her professor. He asked her, he said, “I noticed that you haven’t taken your final. Are you OK?” She said, “That was his first question to me: “Are you OK?” And then followed by, “What can I do to help?” And she said, “That meant the world to me. He saw me as a person. I explained to him what was going on, and we figured out an arrangement,” so that she could still take her final.

But that’s the kind of care and individual attention that our teachers — in fact, our students will say, “I’m pretty sure they have our names memorized within the first week.” How they do that, I don’t know. I’m sure they’re blessed from heaven. But it’s really, truly, even though we have 34,000 students on campus, we have these small class sizes, around 27 students per class, and you get that very individual care for each student. And for anyone listening, we would love to invite you to come to BYU–Idaho, come take a tour of our campus. You can even come to one of our devotionals to see all the fun things happening there.

40:04

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: BYU–Idaho is uniquely focused on teaching, and our teachers are uniquely focused on the students. When we ask students, “What do you love most about BYU–Idaho?” it always starts with the teachers. And I want to make a note; we use the word “teachers.” Every employee at BYU–Idaho is a teacher. It’s not just the faculty. Everyone embraces that really sacred title of being a teacher. And our teachers, like Jennifer said, they know the students by name, they care for them, they root for them, they encourage them; not just in their academics but in every facet of their lives.

We have a unique way of teaching, as well; it’s referred to as the Learning Model. And the Learning Model is just an active way for students to learn. We invite our students to prepare before they come to class. When they’re in class, not only does the teacher or the professor take the role of teacher, but the professor invites the students to teach and to share with what is a very active classroom. And then there’s a very intentional invitation to ponder the things that have been discussed in class.

And the Learning Model is a unique approach to teaching and learning at BYU–Idaho. When you think about the innovations, BYU–Idaho is known for being a very innovative university. The Learning Model is a really key part of that.

41:34

Sister Jennifer Meredith: And our teachers, they have, many cases, decades of industry experience before they come to BYU–Idaho, so they know how to prepare our students for real-world jobs. And we hear that over and over and over again from our graduates, that they are so grateful that when they start a new job, they hit the ground running, and their employers are amazed, and they want to hire more BYU–Idaho students because they know what they’re doing, because of those amazing teachers.

42:01

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: I was at an alumni event earlier this year, and I met one of our graduates. I said, “So, tell me your story.” He said, “Well, I graduated from BYU–Idaho. With the help of a professor, I got a job on Wall Street. I worked on Wall Street for a few years then went to Harvard Business School,” and now he’s an executive at a firm down in Utah County. And I said, “How have you done all that with a BYU–Idaho education?” And he said, “I couldn’t have done it without a BYU–Idaho education.”

But he was particularly appreciative of those professors who had had industry experience that taught him how to network. And our teachers are very focused on teaching in the classroom what our graduates will do in the workplace. It’s not a big focus on theory and textbooks. They’re bringing their real-world experience into the classroom, which is invaluable.

Sister Jennifer Meredith: And they’re really good at helping our students get internships. For most majors, it’s required that you have at least one internship before you graduate, which also sets them up for success postgraduation and finding jobs.

43:18

Jon Ryan Jensen: I feel like it would be a really missed opportunity if we didn’t talk for just one second about parents’ role and how they can perhaps help their children. I have four teenagers of my own at home. As President Nelson and other Church leaders talk about having home-centered, Church-supported gospel learning experiences, are there things that you have seen that you would say, “Boy, I hope that parents know that they can have a really impactful role in their children’s decisions in higher education if they would do blank”?

Is there something that you would suggest to parents that they do to best prepare their children for this kind of experience that you’re talking about?

44:00

Sister Jennifer Meredith: So, I have a few thoughts. In the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet, “A Guide for Making Choices,” there is a section called “Truth Will Make You Free.” And it says, “Heavenly Father wants His [sons and daughters] to always be learning. You have both temporal and spiritual reasons to seek and love learning. Education is not just about earning money. It is part of your eternal goal to become more like Heavenly Father.” And I think teaching our children that what President Nelson has taught and what the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet teaches, that I would hope that we would encourage them to always seek learning, even after they’re finished with their formal education, to always be learning and always looking for opportunities to use that learning to serve others.

Anytime you can find opportunities to help your children learn to seek personal revelation, like President Nelson has encouraged us, to make decisions in their lives. We had a situation with our children, with one of our moves, where they needed to decide which school to attend. And so with our daughter and our son at the time, we had them visit each of the campuses, and we invited them to just be thinking, “Does this feel like where I should be?”

And they made the exact same decision, gratefully, but it was a really sweet opportunity for them to be prayerful and to seek personal revelation and to know that they were going to accept whatever consequences come with that decision to go to attend that school, for example, right? But any opportunity we can to help them learn to listen to the Spirit and to follow those promptings, I think, will prepare them for all the decisions they’re going to make during the decade of decision as they enter their young adulthood.

Jon Ryan Jensen: That’s great perspective. Very helpful.

45:46

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: It would be wonderful if all parents would teach their children what President Nelson has taught, that in the Church, education is a religious responsibility. That’s a really powerful phrase. And it’s a religious responsibility because education and gaining knowledge, it’s a spiritual imperative for us; not just a secular imperative, but a spiritual imperative. The glory of God is intelligence. There are few things that we can take into the next life, but our knowledge, our intelligences, is one of those.

The other thing that I would hope that the rising generation would always remember, that regardless of where they are, they can involve the Lord in their learning. We love BYU–Idaho. We’re convinced that BYU–Idaho is the right place for more people than realize it right now. However, it’s not the right place for everyone, but there is a place for everyone in the Church Educational System, whether that be in Provo or Salt Lake or Laie or in Pathway somewhere across the world, or whether it be at a state university or some other private university. There’s an opportunity for students to be engaged in the institute program. And so, wherever the students go, whatever they decide to study, our hope is that they’ll involve the Lord in their education.

47:06

Jon Ryan Jensen: Thank you for that counsel. I think there will be a lot of parents who appreciate that.

As we wrap up the Church News podcast today, thank you so much for coming in. Great perspective on BYU–Idaho and your experience there since having had that unexpected call, as you referred to it.

We have a tradition here at the Church News podcast where we like to give our guests the last word. And so I would like to invite Sister Meredith, President Meredith, to share what it is that you know now, after having had this experience in Rexburg.

47:35

Sister Jennifer Meredith: It has been such a privilege and a joy to work with young adults as mission leaders, and now in leading BYU–Idaho, to see that the Lord is so intimately, individually involved in the lives of our young adults, and collectively, that He has already prepared them. And I can’t wait to see what they continue to do throughout their lives to bless the Church, to bless their communities, to bless the world at large. And it has been a privilege to be a part of a mission where we are developing lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ who are leading and will continue to lead, and I’m just so grateful for them.

These experiences have just underscored my testimony that we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves His children, and that Jesus Christ is our way back to our Father, and that by following Him and following our living prophets and apostles, we will know everything we need to know to return home safely and to help our brothers and sisters along the way.

48:44

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III: First of all, Ryan, thank you for having us. It’s a privilege for us to be able to tell the BYU–Idaho story. We love that place that Elder Bednar refers to as a “special and sacred and set-apart place.” I would tell you two things that I’ve either learned or had reinforced because of our time in Rexburg, Idaho.

One is the remarkable place that “Disciple Preparation Center” is in the lives of our young people. President Henry B. Eyring, speaking to BYU–Idaho graduates, made a prophecy. He said, “Those graduates of BYU–Idaho will become” — and then he says, “and this is a prophecy that I am prepared to make and make solemnly” — and then he goes on to say, “Those graduates of BYU–Idaho will become legendary for their capacity to build the people around them and to add value wherever they serve.” We see those legendary graduates all over the Church and just stand in amazement at the good that they are doing.

The second thing that I would mention, and this is just something that’s just been reinforced, is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is joyful. In the book of Hebrews, the Savior is referred to as the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11). And we rejoice in the good things that are coming, but most importantly, we rejoice in that High Priest, even Jesus Christ, and share our witness with you and everyone that’s listening that good things will come to those who strive to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

50:39

Jon Ryan Jensen: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m your host, Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.

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