"BYU-Hawaii: An Institution of Prophetic Destiny" - Cont'd

 In February 1973, while dedicating one of our campus buildings, President Marion G. Romney, counselor of the First Presidency of the Church said, “This College is a living laboratory in which individuals who share the teachings of the master teacher have an opportunity for developing an appreciation, a tolerance, and an esteem for one another.  For what can be done here interculturally in a small way is what mankind must do on a large scale if we are ever to have real brotherhood upon this earth.” (Church News, 10 Feb., 1973, p. 15)

 Once again, I emphasize that if we are to have true Christlike brotherhood within this international Church we must learn to live together, to understand each other , and to accept each other.  I know of no place on earth where this spiritual, academic, and cultural educational process can be carried out more effectively than at BYU-Hawaii.  What is the Lord’s formula for this wonderful living laboratory?  What has He created in Laie that makes BYU-Hawaii what I have just described?

1. BYU-Hawaii was established by a prophet under divine guidance.

2. BYU-Hawaii is directed today by prophets, seers, and revelators.

3. We come together as a university family with one common belief in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and one common value system.

4. Most students do not come to BYU-Hawaii by chance.  In my six and a half years as president I have heard literally hundreds of inspiring accounts of how and why these young people came to BYU-Hawaii.  It is only through divine guidance that it could have happened the way it has in so many cases.  Occasionally, a few students come for the wrong reasons.  However, it usually takes only a week or two for them to realize they are out of place in this special environment and setting.

5. BYU-Hawaii has a small student enrollment (2,000 maximum) and is very family oriented.  Administration, faculty, staff, ecclesiastical leaders and students know each other.  It’s practically impossible for anyone to slip through the cracks.

6. Fifty-five to sixty different nationalities are represented on the campus.  This is by design of the Board of Trustees.  Our admission formula is established in a way that assures us of having and international student mix.  I believe our role in this respect will be expanded as the Church continues to grow.

7. There are twenty to thirty different languages represented on the campus at any one time.

8. There are no majorities and minorities.  As one looks around in the residence halls, in classrooms, in devotionals and in Sunday services, the breadth of ethnicity is clearly evident.  BYU-Hawaii is not a typical institution representative of any one particular country.  The students are gathered together in an international gospel culture basking in an incredible diversity and being prepared for some special mission which will be carried out in the Lord’s own time.

9. BYU-Hawaii has an exceptionally well qualified and dedicated faculty and staff.  These people are absolutely essential for the success of this living laboratory.  We, the administration, faculty and staff, are expected to be role models in every aspect of our lives.  The students should see in us what we hope they are or will become.

10. We study together, we work together, we worship together, and we socialize together.  BYU-Hawaii is basically a resident institution.  Most students live within a mile or two and the majority live on campus.

11. BYU-Hawaii is an isolated campus on an isolated island in a small and isolated community. That is not by happenstance. This is exactly where the Lord wants us to be -- here on the north shore where we can do His will, to a degree unhampered by the world.

12. What a wonderful blessing it is to walk across campus and see the House of the Lord rising above the palms and to know we can go there and receive special blessings and instructions. The more we all, - faculty, staff, and students, go to the temple the better BYU-Hawaii will become because we will be more spiritually in tune and more focused on eternal objectives. It will also bless us in our academic pursuits and help us to more fully comprehend the interconnectedness of all we are attempting to do at BYU-Hawaii.

13. Across the fence from this campus is the vital ingredient. What has brought 20 million people to Laie? The temple? No. The university? No. The community? No. It is the Polynesian Cultural Center. When we speak of the Polynesian Cultural Center we're not just talking about mainland United States visitors -- we are talking about people from all over the world who, according to President McKay, would come to Laie and be influenced in a missionary way. What makes the Polynesian Cultural Center the most popular attraction in Hawaii? It is, of course, a result of the combined work of all the faithful employees, but it is primarily the youth, exuberance, personality, warmth, smiles, and radiant spirits of the students who work there.  Cont'd next page