1 l BYU- IDAHO NEWS & NOTES SEPTEMBER 2014 l 1

EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2014

A conduit to education: Pathway marks its 5th anniversary» By Marc Stevens

continued on page 4

When the final figures for Pathway’s fall 2012 enrollment came across the desk of President Kim B. Clark, he was astonished. The numbers were much higher than he had expected. But as impressive as the numbers may have been, it wasn’t the sheer quantity of Pathway students that was important. It was the story those statistics told. Pathway had identified—and was meeting—a critical need within the Church.

“We’ve hit a vein,” President Clark recalls thinking at the time. Now, five years after the program’s inception, Pathway continues to do just that.

The program’s philosophical underpinnings are as old as the Church itself, explains Henry J. Eyring, whose stewardship as BYU-Idaho’s advancement vice president includes Pathway. He notes the early efforts by the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successor, Brigham Young, to make education in both spiritual and temporal matters more readily available to the Latter-day Saints.

That same desire guided the foundation of BYU-Idaho’s pioneer forebear, Bannock Stake Academy, in 1888. Later, in the concluding decades of the institution’s Ricks College era, former presidents Henry B. Eyring and David A. Bednar would use their inaugural addresses to outline bold visions of education being delivered to Church members well beyond the confines of the

Rexburg campus. After the transition to BYU-Idaho, that vision was articulated yet again by President Clark in his own inaugural response in 2005.

“The roots of Pathway are the roots of this institution, and frankly, of the restored gospel in this dispensation,” Henry J. Eyring says.

Drawing on an institutional legacy of frugality and wise use of resources, BYU-Idaho launched the Pathway program in 2009 by utilizing the existing infrastructure of meetinghouses and the Church Educational System’s seminary and institute program. Face-to-face interaction at gatherings in those Church-owned facilities is blended with BYU-Idaho’s online course offerings. That approach, coupled with the volunteer efforts of local service missionaries who administer each site, allows the program to be delivered at a lower cost in a wide range of locations.

“This is about the humblest, the least well-off Church members getting the kind of education they need to provide for themselves and their families and to lead in the Church—and to do it in a way that is affordable for them,” Eyring says.

As Pathway has evolved over its first five years, experience has shown that the students who participate come with any number of goals in mind. Some are seeking to better their circumstances

2 l BYU- IDAHO NEWS & NOTES

On the morning of July 16 people were perplexed as they walked onto the BYU-Idaho campus. Just the night before social media was flooded with images of a university essentially under water. On Facebook there were videos of rivers flowing between buildings. Snapchats showed students wading through water. On Instagram, volunteers were seen removing mud from nearby apartments. After all of that, how could the university possibly be operational the next day?

It would be understandable to have a large portion of the university out of operation—classes canceled, finals postponed, and different arrangements made for graduation. But when students and faculty showed up for classes the morning, it was business as usual.

“It was a miracle that we were able to hold school the morning after the flood,” said Wayne Clark, managing director of University Operations. “It was the result of dedicated people who worked through the night. When people came to campus the next morning, it was as if they were asking themselves ‘there was a flood here?’”

The university was not only operational the following day, but was also ready for graduation the following week. By the start of this semester, there was no detectable damage on campus—a milestone that was reached much sooner than originally anticipated. This extraordinary accomplishment was the result of the faithful preparation of the University Emergency Council, the united efforts of hundreds, and some divine intervention.

BYU-Idaho holds the safety of its students as a top priority. Even though disasters are nearly impossible to predict, the university seeks to be prepared for any situation. One of the ways

that preparation manifests itself is in the University Emergency Council, which meets regularly and has been fine-tuned considerably in recent years.

“The Emergency Council was truly a blessing,” said Clark. “It was through having this emergency system in place that we were able to tap resources quickly. Everyone one on the Emergency Council pulled their weight to make this happen.”

Even though the performance of the Emergency Council was impeccable, the flood damage required more hands than the council alone could provide. The miracle of the flood restoration was found in the hundreds of hands that showed up on campus looking for ways to serve—hands that weren’t asked or assigned, but rather came by their own initiative.

“The student volunteer

factor was one of the greatest blessings that we saw through this,” said Clark. “There are a lot of people who have a great love for this campus and were helping out of the goodness of their hearts. The hearts of those who are tied to this campus were here helping that night.”

Hearts were softened all across the country as people outside of Rexburg made special arrangements to get BYU-Idaho the materials it needed sooner than normal. Because of these accommodations the

university was able to completely finish its renovations by the start of this semester.

“I just can’t thank all of our people across this campus enough for their efforts and how they stepped up,” said Clark. “It was neat to see the love that they have for this university.”

Employees and students band together to help campus recover from flood» By Austin Cary

There are a lot of people who have a great love for this campus.WAY N E C L A R K U N I V E R S I T Y O P E R AT I O N S

2 l BYU- IDAHO NEWS & NOTES SEPTEMBER 2014 l 3

4 l BYU- IDAHO NEWS & NOTES

News & NotesA monthly publication of University Relations

A D V I S O R Marc Stevens

W R I T E R S Austin Cary, Clint Urick

PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Lewis, Ryan Chase, Leanna Davidson, Tyler Rickenbach

If you have any ideas for future issues, please e-mail newsdesk@byui.edu.

Home for sale. 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath home in Sugar City. 2,115 sq. ft. Open floor plan, large master bath with jetted tub, full vinyl fencing. Call 313-3415.

Items for sale. DeWalt drill, new 30 30 rifle,30 30 ammo, nice sofa, set of irons, gun case, driver, new sand wedge, Scotty Cameron like new putter, golf pull carts, fly rod/reel, new Adam’s hybrid 3-4-5, pine trees, beautiful onyx lamp, wicker rocking chairs, Leon Parsons deer painting, Lazy Boy recliner, Florence Hansen small statues. Call 356-0219.

FOR SALE

through additional education while others are simply looking for personal enrichment. Some use the program as a springboard for matriculation into a bachelor’s degree program, either at BYU-Idaho or another university. But no matter what brings a student to Pathway, he or she finds a unique educational opportunity offered in an inclusive and nurturing environment.

“Pathway is a conduit to education for members of the Church from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels,” says J.D. Griffith, managing director of Pathway. “We try to open the doors of Pathway to as many students as we can.”

Once they’ve walked through those doors, students are guided through an experience designed to help them meet three key objectives: get the gospel deep into their hearts, help them become lifelong learners, and prepare to lead and support a family.

“We want to train up the mothers and fathers, the priesthood and Relief Society leaders of the Church,” Eyring says. “The Spirit is crucial. Ministering is crucial. Leadership is crucial.”

That notion of ministering soon emerged as a defining aspect of Pathway, Griffith adds. The program’s administrators have found that although they oversee a site’s initial implementation and provide it with ongoing support, Pathway succeeds best when it is priesthood led and driven at the local level.

“The real blessings of Pathway occur when priesthood leaders see Pathway as part of their ministry—when priesthood leaders see that Pathway changes the heart and mind of one of their flock. Real growth happens when members of the Church gather

together and the Spirit testifies of both spiritual and temporal truths. That is what happens with Pathway,” Griffith says.

That growth and edification is the ultimate purpose of Pathway. There is clearly much of BYU-Idaho in Pathway—its innovative approach to delivering educational opportunity through online and in-person settings, its emphasis on affordability and accessibility. In the end, though, the program’s mission to bless individuals and families in a gospel-centered environment transcends its BYU-Idaho roots.

“Pathway is for the kingdom,” President Clark says emphatically. “It’s not for the university.”

Just as BYU-Idaho is not the focus of Pathway, neither is the program’s continuing expansion or increasing enrollment. Milestones like this year’s fifth anniversary can easily be measured by such statistics, but Pathway’s true worth and impact on the Church are measured by its ability to bless lives, and, in some cases, even save souls.

That makes the message to each potential Pathway student not unlike the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ itself. And it’s a message President Clark can easily imagine sharing with someone considering whether to participate in Pathway.

“You’re a child of God,” he says. “You have a great future and Pathway can help you find your path. God has a plan for you. He knows exactly where you are. He loves you. He has prepared a way for you. That path will include education, a family, and service in His kingdom. He has much work for you to do. You have a great future.”

Pathway 5th anniversary: continued from pg. 1

Pathway is for the kingdom. It’s not for the university.PRESIDENT KIM B. CLARK