BYU President: "This Is the Most IMPORTANT Decision We'll Make" | Pres. Shane Reese E0019

Brigham Young University's existence is at stake briam Young University has announced a new president today Shane Reese Christopher Shane Reese you have been raised up for such a time as this we're becoming increasingly as a society more faithless how do you would help BYU reaches divinely appoint identity prophetically directed means that we won't budge on our support of modern prophets there are some things if we have to part ways well part ways is BYU this way or is by is by exactly we're not perfect we have work to do that's what I mean by challenges what I would say is if we're going to stay unique if we're going to actually look like the University of Prophecy it has to start with this might be the most important decisions that get made during my tenure as the president of the University when we talk about becoming BYU you referen president Kimble's address and there's no question that's that's where this all begins for us is is to what can we do as a university as employees as students to become the Christ centered prophetically directed University of Prophecy and promise that's that's really what I would say I mean when I talk about becoming BYU and and it starts and ends with our students in mind I mean it it has to begin with our students in mind so many of the students uh that they their experience their experience really is a lonely one yeah some of even gone so far in fact researchers are now talking about the epidemic of loneliness and and I think a lot of people will say oh yeah it's it's all because of covid that that was the cause and it turns out it it's not the cause it started well before covid uh Co made it worse for sure but when you think about this epidemic of loneliness there's a lot of causes and and I think it's important to to to think about the causes but I don't want to be a typical academic and just admire the problem what we hope to do is to think about some things we can do to to solve it but but look social media hasn't helped right kids self-image being shaped by what's happens on social media can't help this problem uh video games can't help this problem and not any single one of those things is a cause but they contribute to I think this epidemic of loneliness and and Recent research some of it even by people who are over at BYU they they've talked about this epidemic of loneliness uh and and so when we think about this idea of starting with how we can improve our students experience we think that they're entitled to an experience that is kind of removed from that epidemic of loneliness that has some things built in to give them a sense of connectedness to one another uh and and I think that's part of the the real look when I get excited about something that's happened in BYU this this course that we just introduced this semester winter semester 2024 really the first time we've required it of every student on campus every student every student every freshman student sorry I say freshman every fres all all the incoming freshman students which there's not a ton in the winter it's about 2,000 the incoming yeah yeah in the fall semester we get about to 8,000 new students and we're going to require it of all of those students in their first semester at BYU okay uh and and it's it's set up to give them three things okay we want to give them a sense of the mission of BYU what makes BYU unique we want to give them a sense of the resources available for them to succeed because candidly we find that we've provided a lot of resources and students don't make them themselves don't use them and this the third one is a sense of connecting so we've chosen to teach this class in sections of size 24 and and how that came about we could talk about for a long time because it's amazing but suffice it to say that we had faculty who said look it's not going to work to teach it in sections of size 50 or sections of size 30 even we got to get it down to like 24 students per section yeah which that means the number of sections is huge 8,000 divided by 24 yeah like 28 4 I mean if we're just doing the math wow this fall 284 sections of this class that means we got to have 284 professors because we want it taught by faculty because it's not just the connection that they have with each other that's vital but they they have connection with a faculty member if you walk into BYU the typical course is huge enrollment for a freshman 350 yeah yeah 350 Stadium yeah and so nothing makes you feel more alone than being in a room full of 350 other lonely students where you're not making any connections we we have assignments that are set up that they supposed to go to a a a sporting event together or they're supposed to go to a Performing Arts event or they're supposed to go hike the Y together and that's that's that's part of what's graded in this course really it's amazing it's amazing it's it it's really it's a GameChanger Force as a campus and and we've seen so I taught it this semester you did yeah when semester 2024 I taught this course cuz I thought look if I'm going to ask a whole bunch of Faculty to do this I better do it myself uh the I I got like pages and pages of stories of how this changed students lives it's unbelievable in your class in our class with in our 24 students one of the things they do is that uh uh like 10 times a semester they sit down and write a digital dial dialogue that just really is here's some of my experiences this is something I've been struggling with first of all they're crazy vulnerable in these digital dialogues like they're not afraid to put themselves out there and it's partially because we've built a sense of community trust trust absolutely trust and and and so they'll talk about that and then they'll talk about how you know what I I went on this uh this this hike up the Y and and I talked to two other people I realized I'm not alone and it's not because I made these great friends necessarily it's I realized someone else's feeling like they don't belong here either and so I got other people I can rely on it's it's unbelievable I'll just tell one quick just cuz it was it was it was super cool I had a student in this class was near the end of the semester and they said you know what I've spent all semester isolating myself you guys told me all semester we were supposed to be doing things together and I chose otherwise and it's only here towards the end of the semester that I realized the error of my ways wow like it was crazy and he said you know what I'm 100% committed to my next semester changing the way I approach my education at BYU I I see what's happening in the lives of all of my fellow classmates and I'm going to do some things different as I as I approach the rest of my education I thought look it's too bad he wasted kind of most of the semester to get there but he got there yeah right and anyway that's beautiful I go on and on it's amazing so there's there's this issue with uh with loneliness the epidemic of loneliness that a lot of researchers would say and one of the solutions to that one just one there's probably many many more obviously is to have all of the students regardless of the amount and the size of the incoming class to take a class of 24 where they can make natural Connections in order to be connected which I'm sure will last throughout the rest of their their time together and a lot of it to be the antidote of this of this issue that they face of feeling like they don't belong as an opposition to previously you know they have these Auditorium seating classes where there's so many people which I'm sure still exists right still exists but now they have more more of a connection y um it makes me wonder because I remember hearing a story of you when you got to BYU right you could you just I want to smell it I want to I want to hear I want to feel your experience that it kind of seems contrary to this whole idea of of having a class of 24 to it almost seems contrary yeah can you bring us back to freshman year we won't say the year right uh thank you whenever you arrive to BYU of why I think this is probably mean so much to you oh man you you you touched on the very thing I think it is my experience as a freshman I I grew up in Albuquerque New Mexico uh I grew up in a community that was not predominantly LDS uh there there were very few members of the church in my my high school and it was one of the biggest high schools in the state of New Mexico so we it was a big high school with very few members of the church um and uh I remember getting by the way uh my mom would have loved for me to go to Utah State so we didn't have deep ties to BYU but I came to BYU uh just with the hope that things would be great and uh I got here and it was anything but great I remember going going to uh even uh my first class and it was a large enrollment class I remember uh going to the bookstore and waiting in a long line and them not asking me for my name but asking me for my ID number yeah like oh am I a number now cuz I thought you know I like being called by my name I didn't I hadn't made a lot of friendships in my first few weeks uh I'm sure there was a little bit of homesickness I probably wasn't willing to admit that that was driving some of what I was feeling but but suffice it to say that I very much felt like I didn't belong at BYU I I wasn't used to being surrounded by all those members of the church and candidly that was weird for a guy who had kind of grown up without being surrounded the bulk of my friends weren't members of the church in my high school uh and and I just felt a little lost uh and I remember telling my mom uh uh I'm an only child uh and my mom raised me as a single parent and I called my mom and I said Mom this is not what I was expecting I'm ready to go home and uh my mom's very understanding uh uh she's also kind of raised me with tough love uh but she said I knew that she knew that I was really uncomfortable and unhappy when her answer was okay look I'll I'll I'll roll up there I'll come pick you up and and we'll bring you back and you can go to un M which was kind of my backup uh School uh I was done no no I was out it was I was out out she was coming she was she was scheduled to come up and and without asking me she happened to reach out to my Bishop at home a guy uh it was my Bishop for the whole time I was growing up you know you know that that one Bishop who's your your Bishop that you think of when you think of your youth this was the guy his name was Clyde uh and she said listen Bishop Shane up there at BYU and he was he was an Alum and said hey you should have him reach out to my brother my brother uh happens to be on the Law School faculty at BYU he he'd love to visit with him and just before you go make this trip up from Albuquerque which is where my mom lived to Provo to pick Shane up just see if if he'd be willing to go talk to my brother well it turns out I said she my mom called me and I thought well it's a long trip up so what's going to hurt uh I was a candidly I was super intimidated I had not met any faculty members I had no connection to any faculty members and candidly they scared the beers out of me of course uh I was like no way I'm going to go talk to this faculty member so I really almost talked myself out of it and I remember walking up to the law school which it it looks I mean it's it's kind of this imposing building yeah looks like a castle it does uh and and I was I almost turned back when I was walking up to his office cuz I'd reached out to him uh this my a dates me but it was before email so I reached out to him over phone and he said he could meet with me so I walked in up there I got the courage I actually walked in the building I walked into his office uh and on the door his name was Kevin and it was Kevin worthan say what yeah Kevin young law professor he hadn't been on the faculty for a long time he was a he was a fairly new professor uh and he he welcomed me into his office and I don't remember the exact words that he said but I do remember one thing in particular one idea and then he he said look I think he it wasn't profound but I think it was I think if you'll give BYU a chance you'll grow to really like it here and here's what meant what it meant to me H this was a faculty member who then knew my name and and when you're feeling like only your student ID number rather than your name you start to feel like you no longer are a person yeah you're an entity but he called me by my name and I knew he knew my name and he knew that for a moment there someone cared about me and I remember walking out of that office with a new resolve that I was going to stick it out I called my mom and I said really why don't I give it another couple weeks cuz I think I might be able to do this and it just took someone acknowledging me as a person and and and candidly I think that's part of why I find so much passion in this class and then seeing it firsthand teaching it this semester wow a GameChanger that's so powerful I you can't make up this type of story no and now here you are I'm just thinking of like the I love the idea of the Divine orbits yeah like he is your bishop and that is Elder that's Elder Worth's brother brother yeah those things don't happen by chance he's his brother was your bishop and then he send you to go talk to him you talk to him that's you know he's kind of nervous about it and it wasn't like I'm I'm understanding that it wasn't like this huge like I need to stay you're like you know what I'll just try a little bit longer Y and then now you follow him being as as president 14th right yeah 14 14th president he's number 13 it that's you this is crazy yeah it's crazy you can't make it up so that's that go ahead that was amazing experience it really was and like you said it wasn't like there was this profound talk that I went down it went and wrote down it was just a kind expression taking a couple moments to recognize me it was amazing so connection matters a lot matters a lot to me and this class is it seems that it's it's it's uh has fruit to it that it's making people are making more connections anything else that you would like to include any story of an example yeah you know we had a a group of students uh come and talk to uh it was a a meeting of some alumni that we had at BYU and uh we had these student we had four students from our class come and share their experience and and they were remarkable uh stories and and one of the one of the things that a a student told me is you know I when I came this was his experience that he shared with these alumni I chose BYU cuz tuition was cheap and and I thought okay uh people have different reasons for choosing and he said you know candidly I I expected that it was going to be uh an educational experience that I would get for a reasonable price and that was my whole motivation for being here at BYU I had other opportunities for more prestigious schools but candidly my family's financial situation made it so that this was probably the best thing and he said he said and then I looked around classes this semester's gone along and I watched the experience that others were having and I thought to myself there's something more here I got to quit relying on just my cheap tuition yeah and I have to embrace the opportunity that is mine and it has changed my life it's changed who I am it's changed how I view others who are in this class said I sort of felt myself as maybe a little bit above those in the class and it's changed how I viewed them and and my place not only on this campus but what I will be able to take from here I thought oh man that's that's magic and each one of them will be able to tell these stories it's I wish I could bring them all here sit down with you and you could hear their experiences it would blow you away and I know you're you're big on stats so are there any specific numbers any stats any variables that are worth mentioning yeah you know one of the things that that we here's what I'll say because it's early in the game yeah we think that we're going to start to see metrics that really matter we think that students are going to report that that their education while rigorous which I I think students that come to be whyu certainly feel that they've been challenged academically I did and and I think that we hear common refrain in terms of data but what we hope that they hear is that in addition to that simultaneous to that that they spiritually developed selves is is improved that that we're achieving not only the aim of intellectually enlarging but that we're simultaneously adding spiritual strength to that as well so that's the data that I think we're going to start to see but the the returns are early and I might be wrong but that's my hypothesis okay I love that and I think that that kind of guides us to the um just to the next question I mean just this idea of combining the two uh fields which you would normally think that they would not connect right you have the secular like you most people that are president of a university they report to the people they report to you know whoever they receive funding from but you report to the prophets and apostles right these are men that are divinely called um how do you balance that how do you how do you make sure that that I know I think the word that you say to be dual uh dual Heritage dual Heritage right yeah how tell me more about that yeah well you know higher education today and and and for good reasons right they they do have legislatur to answer to or they have donors to answer to and and making sure that you're providing an education that is strong that's going to not only improve the the ability of people to get jobs yeah but improve the ability to be uh for the students and your graduates to be responsible citizens uh I mean education does a lot for a human being so that's that's what they ultimately aspirationally should be about yeah we have the added charge to do that same thing we we can't abandon our academic Mission the Board of Trustees who provides by the way 70% of our operating budget when I tell other presidents that by the way I'm the Envy of the room uh that that that that we we have the blessing of an incredible financial support for what we do and prophetic guidance for what we do it's amazing but but they expect us to provide that academic mission in a strong way but not at the expense of our spiritual Mission and so I I just believe for far too long in higher education there has been a false dichotomy presented to us which is we have to choose between being conversent in our academic disciplines or conversent in things of the spirit and I just don't believe that's true I think those are mutually reinforcing ideas I I think that our academics are actually stronger because we're taught by the spirit I think our academics are stronger because there is this firm moral and spiritual underpinning to the topics that we're studying and and so I actually believe that these things do contribute to one another and that we can reinforce our double Heritage or what we would call when I say we I really mean president Kimble I'm riffing off him yeah uh being bilingual and and I think that's the that's the demand we have of our faculty so that they can model and teach it to our students I just think those things are they're not competing with one another well I with that in mind though I I'm curious what you think about the idea that you know being uh I remember president Kimo mentioning the idea of there's some things that we don't budge on when it comes to being like you know we can do rigorous academic things we can do things that are also spiritual but there's something things that when it comes to being bilingual we just don't budge on can you think of any examples of what that would be yeah it's a it's a great question and president Kimble's that that by the way that's a daunting charge like there there are some things that if we have to part ways well part ways that is for me uh first and foremost when I say we are the Christ centered prophetically directed University of Prophecy that University of Prophecy is referring to president Kimble's just amazing address the 2 Century address and education for eternity those two things form that University of Prophecy yeah prophetically directed means that we won't budge on our support of modern prophets seers and revelators that that that is something where we won't budge and if we end up having to stand alone and I think president Kimbell refers to that in his address that that those are areas where we'll where we'll stand alone if we have to and and I'm not trying to push it further but can you think of any specific examples where it has been challenging oh no question that the The prominent issue that we would talk about often is the doctrine on the family yeah there is no question that that's an area where uh the the academic areas when they talk about researching the family it is not based in what we would call traditional families it is not something that aligns well with the the traditional family as as we think about it and as is prophesied in the proclamation on the family that's an area where I will say that we see very where tension is real so what what type of research has have have there been any research like it almost seems as if the focus would be to generate research that solidifies that Doctrine right has there been any research um perform yet I I I love that question in part because we we talk a lot about what are the things that we can do at BYU that are mission inspired scholarship right how can we reinforce that and and when I think of the core institutions in society that need strengthening that need voices that have academic rigor I mean we we can't hold our own in the academy if we're not rigorous and if we don't have methods that are strong and defensible but those are the family and and the family we've got to have researchers who do this they are religion and human flourishing right we're we're becoming increasingly as a society less less so we're we're we're more faithless and and and reinforcing the benefits of religion and religiosity and and not silencing those voices in the Public Square yeah I think is so critical and the last is the constitution in part because it protects those other two institutions so those three institutions are areas of strong Focus for us as a university and it's because they allow us to pursue this academic Mission yeah those are the those are the core institutions of society that allow us to do the things that we need to do both as a church and also what we need to do as an educational institution so there's some specific I would say pillars right that you're like we're not budging on these These are really the foundation what would be what's at stake I think this is just here's what you think what's at stake if we were to do the opposite if we were to not withhold I love that uh candidly I I really think briam Young University's existence is is at stake uh and and not just the university but I think if we we could be kind of a a good but middle of the road University that looks like everybody else yeah I I I'm not sure that that's of Interest I I think Brigham Young University absolutely has to embrace its uniqueness and its uniqueness uniqueness lies in all of these things that I talk it's it it lies in having a connection to our student experience being being something that's different yeah being something that that strengthen them academically as well as spiritually it lies in our undergraduate teaching Mission like universities all over the planet lean heavily towards Graduate Admissions and graduate education because that's where the research dollars are I get why we've gravitated there but we're not going to budge we're going to make sure that we anchor on our undergraduate mission that doesn't mean we don't have strong graduate programs of real consequence but we're going to anchor on undergraduate Mission that's going to make us different than most of our peers wow we're going to have this strong emphasis institutionally on these core institutions those are the things that are going to make us different and unique and so what's at stake is us right and and I think we've got to we got to make sure that we anchor ourselves in our core Mission almost as if if we're like everybody else then we're we don't exist I live like like opposition not an opposition to it but I guess it naturally would have to be it it will heard somebody say this they said uh if everything were green then nothing's green yeah absolutely if everything's the same then nothing's there nothing there and so it kind of but that's a big that's a big mission to take on it is it is and good news is we've got Partners in that endeavor is we're not all alone I mean you talk about I would just say that there are other faith-based universities who understand this idea of differentiation and and and and we've we've actually found some great Partners in that Community one of the things I would say is is I recently got something uh that that from Baylor University by the way the the president of Baylor University is a remarkable woman she's Linda Livingstone I love working with her through the Big 12 uh and they said because of our Christian Mission as a university and then they had this this thing they were talking about but that's where they LED right is that is that they're going to be different because of that and and I think we can take courage in knowing that there are other people who are trying to do that same thing we've got some unique aspects some peculiar things that we talk about sometimes when we talk about the church that make us even unique within the sphere of higher education for for for christian-based universities but we we love that we're unique and that we're different and and it is great to have people who actually understand that and and can can partner with you in that way so this idea of inner faith I mean maybe other institutions too not necessarily that are a religious based but just that have high value right that's a very important people to connect with that how do you how do you balance that connection of you know wanting to be different but also being a peacemaker you that's a really interesting charge it is and and you know one of the things is we talk about the the our kind of focus for what I would call Mission inspired scholarship this this family and the Constitution and religion and human flourishing I I I've often thought what would be the next things those are those are some things that we've fairly recently introduced and put some serious resources and faculty time and into re reinforcing those institutions but what are some other initiatives that might be interesting and I've often you know this is just two guys talking but I've often wondered about whether or not there's something in peacemaking and and in this space of of of kind of interfaith dialogue is is one place of peacemaking and certainly president Nelson's charge invitation for all of us to be more peacemaking in our lives I think there's a place one of the things I have found when you talk about innerfaith things uh that that makes it easier is with this movement in some spheres away from faith I find that there's more connection to Faith than people maybe admit and so when we have conversations with other Faith leaders we found that they're remarkably open to these dialogue and finding the things that we have more in common than the things we have different yeah of course and I think there is a lot of power in that and I've been so great that like like the Baptist Doctrine versus The Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints there are clear differences yeah on really important issues yeah but yet we clearly see that there's way more in common as we Face challenges in higher education and and that's been a strength I think for both of us so I think it's a win-win in that case so there is a need to go a different direction and you're saying that though not exactly the same there are other people there are other universities that you find are are doing similar things yeah that we get to walk the path with absolutely that's beautiful yeah that's great I think that is so important this this idea and I think it and to a degree I think it connects with the epidemic of loneliness what I want to get into here is when you look on if you open up if you open up your phone if you look on the TV TV you see so many campuses where there's like demonstrations you see a lot of division on different ideas and so this idea of of community has to be pretty important can you give me a little bit of background of some of the different decisions that you've been currently making to help improve the community knowing that there is potential to have a lot of division yeah oh boy you you go all around campuses these days and there's a whole lot of different issues and we won't articulate those today but but a lot of issues where they where division is found yeah and and and to me I think when you look at most of the decisions that have been made kind of highlevel decisions that are made on campus so many of them are intended to do one of two things th those things are intended to drive home this idea that we are all children of God and that's a relative position of strength for us as a Campus Community in part because it should shape how we treat one another like it it it it is the fundamental idea that we ought to be better at because we understand those those unique ID identities that we that we know how to treat one another now we don't we don't always execute on that perfectly we still have work to do but that is a critical part of of a lot of discussions at a high level we've had the second one candidly I love this and this is is sometimes missed when we talk about a new a new standard for uh ecclesiastical standard for employment at BYU or the the new honor code and the questions that are going to be asked to students and from their ecclesiastical leaders in those interviews the sole driver behind those questions the sole driver is to point our students to the temple like it's a transformative place the things that happen there are beautiful I I often will talk to students they're like well look I I don't I I don't have a current Temple recommend or I haven't been endowed how that that doesn't apply to me so and and I've even had this conversation with students who aren't members of the church and here's the deal I actually think that there's even some power that comes from even a stroll around the temple grounds I I think proximity to the temple has some power and so I I hope that that that when we get into some of the discussions and some of the there are discussions around well were they trying to do this or were they trying to do this truth is trying to understand who you really are and trying to point you to the temple drove 95% of what we were trying to address when we talk about the new dress and grooming standards or we talked about Honor Code or we talked about the ecclesiastical uh conditions of employment it was trying to get people pointed to the temple Bo and we've talked about and you talk about hearing that so recently from those we sustain as prophets seers and revelators a and you see why that emphasis is so strong uh those are incredibly unifying things those are incredibly welcoming kind of belonging things and and and and the hope is that the campus feels that way I I hear anecdotes from students emails unsolicited emails from students talk about having gone on this temple trip or went and walked around the temple with somebody uh and this was maybe a roommate when they were quarreling or it was I mean it's just small things yeah but they talk about the difference that it made and and I hope that in all of the conversations about details of some of these things we don't lose sight of those two things yeah and I mean in the in Repentance is a real thing I mean people can't be God doesn't expect us to be perfect but the standard has to be set of where we need where he'd like us to be and and it sounds like those covenants are really founded on how we are interacting with each other yeah right yeah um can you take me to like if I was a fly on the wall the decision is being made to to uh to create these you know these standards that are similar to the ones before yeah what would that have been like yeah well first of all it was it was interesting I'll just take you back through one that was a little while ago uh about the conditions of uh ecclesiastical employment standard okay which really boiled down to the same as the temple recommend questions uh if I were to take a sample of people before those uh that that change was made on campus most of the faculty like ah super majority of the faculty thought that was already the conditions like they kind of assumed that was the case that's true yeah and so we kind of operating as if those were the conditions all along uh and what it really did boil down to was was questions of of the belief the first four questions and the temple recommend questions uh and and and and it's sort of makes sense to me if we're going to point people to the temple that we embrace the full set of those belief and conduct and and it's uh that those were what drove a lot of those discussions and and it was really it was really beautiful to see people saying well where else would we want our faculty where else would we want our students and and and there may be times like you said where where they're not able to use their Temple recommend yeah because of whatever they're working through a repentance process or whatever the case is but but but are they striving and and for our students in particular that's an important aspect is this idea of striving uh which which it's beautiful analogy for me I love this idea that hey I'm working at it and I and I'm making progress and like you like me none of us are perfect but we're striving so well I like the connection that it has and this almost seems like it's necessary to have the connection of the religious with the secular because I think that there are some doctrines that are misunderstood that might cause people to have more stress about their current circumstance or situation y you know um when it comes to the uh the the new Honor Code any insight any perspective that would be helpful to to to help create Community how it's connected to that yeah well I mean it certainly starts with the idea that it's principle based uh that that idea of principle based by the way principle based is is not easy is not right I mean you exactly exactly right that's it's kind of like when for the strength of Youth came out and and there were discussions about oh so what you're saying is there's no restriction against me doing this yeah uh and and I think the that that these changes a we first we we knew that there was going to be some period of time where we were going to have to learn our way through this okay uh so that sense of community by it being principal based I think is is is really an important one because what it leads to is conversations yeah right I me we're supposed to be about education at BYU that conversation ought to be us learning hey what are you thinking and and where do you see this kind of like let's take a student who decides that they're going to grow their hair out and it's going to go out down to their to their to the middle of their calf right uh that that's a man yeah well talk to me let let's let's learn where you're where you're going with this and and then here's here's what we hope for here was the standard that we've opted as a way to represent ourselves but let's have a conversation and and it may take a little time yeah and and I sometimes hear well I saw this student and I'm like well has anyone had a conversation with them the answer is sometimes no and I thought I think well then we've missed the point of this this whole principal based idea yeah let's have a conversation and what I find here's the here's the amazing thing is that so often I find and I found this in conversations I've had with students there's something more going on in their lives and and no one's bothered to visit with them about it and the truth is that this was an outward way of them expressing a need for help and someone to talk to and then the the sort of dress and grooming standard thing was really secondary yeah and when we were able to have the conversation and I was able to express an interest and a genuine interest in who they were they were fine cutting their hair it was a symptom it wasn't the cause yeah and and I think too often when when it's checklist or when it's purely this or that we don't take the time to have those conversations and there have been some really amazing conversations had on campus not just between faculty and students but student to student and and and I've I've loved that and that that really engenders a sense of belonging a sense of community uh and and I think when we talk about covenants that binding ourselves to the Savior really gives us the responsibility to look out for our brother or our sister so anyway I just that's very powerful I think it's it was it was great discussions and they they they were amazing discussions uplifting um really focused on individuals when we had these discussions around the new honor code and dressing grooming standards that were principle based well I like this idea that you already started to talk about um when it comes to belonging and I know that you've had some experience before your tenure as president um is that the right way to say a tenure ten ten years as president you know you were involved in the uh the research behind the office of belonging right yeah um can you give us a a little bit of background with that what is your involvement with that what and why is that is there any specific research that would be helpful that can help us you know I I want to be with you uh you know some people of different ethnicities I know of I had a great experience I know some people have have have had you know some explained experiences that were this way or that way what have you discovered that could be helpful to give some some background some insight it's a it's a it's a great question and one of the things that uh that I think is absolutely true is I think that the experiences that people had on campus or are having on campus they're varied yeah right and and I think at times the narrative is that the experience is all bad for people uh from certain races or nationalities or cultural backgrounds no question that you get that narrative and and certainly some people will have the narrative that it's all great and and the truth is is there's the the experiences are all over the map probably for all of our students yeah some positive some negative and and my feeling is that we have got to focus the reason belonging is such an important word to me is we can if we start with the idea that we're all children of God if that's the foundation and the basis then it should fundamentally change how we treat everybody it should our execution might fall short of that aim yeah right and and does at times and I think the office of belonging is essentially tasked with where are we falling short of our aim in that regard and can we improve that yeah that's great so so you know that it's there and I uh I have no I'm not trying to like you know poke a hole in it or anything like that I just think that the that I think that the essence of the primary truth transcends the the things below and even with the even with the um uh honor code with the the first questions of a of a temple recomend like do you believe in God yeah do you believe in in in our father in Heaven do you believe in the in in in the Holy Ghost like that's sounds like a simple question but it's a very very profound question and believing that will affect the way that I treat other people and also you know do you believe in a do you believe that uh that President Nelson hold the keys to the to the uh to the church right and which BYU is is directed under their Direction um anything else any any stats that you would add to any of the belonging data anything yeah we so we we did some analysis uh and the statistics of this I think we're going to again this is one that we'll start we'll monitor we'll see how we do uh one of the things that we we ask regularly is is did you feel a sense of belonging I mean that's a it's a simp simple question and the answer is not 100% of our students say yes yeah so what that tells me is we got work to do right and we'll continue to track that as we go along you you know I love I just want to come back to a point you made because um this one of the sort of most memorable talks that I've seen given at BYU is one that talks about the primary questions and far too often yep Elder Corbridge like it's an amazing talk and and and and we often find ourselves mired in the secondary questions and have completely abandoned the primary questions so I love that talk because it is it's a great reminder of exactly the point you made uh is is is we got to focus on primary questions and and really I think we've asked the office belonging to focus on primary questions where where where so often they're asked to to spend a lot of time on secondary questions and and look other corge talks about this it's not the secondary questions aren't important but if we're spending all our time focused on those and haven't considered the primary questions we'll be spinning our Wheels we we won't be making progress you know I just and this maybe is a side note but it goes along with what you're saying my mom is white my dad is black I had a Filipino um stepdad it just gives me a different lens but I feel like this new class with the 24 I feel like a lot of times and not always the case that it's I don't feel heard you know and I feel like it opens that door to be uh you know to have more opportunities to be heard not in it not in any of some of these even even some of these topics but just who I am yeah you know and uh what I like and you'll find that all of these different backgrounds that I even have people they're the same I'm serious I don't I don't like personality I think that there's even statistics on the idea that that most people are similar in personality if you did like personality tests now obviously culture culture is really about values you know it is right but um we have more in common than we don't no and that that boy if I had to say what what what would I hope that our Campus Community Embraces is we have more in common than we don't and and it starts for me by looking at everybody whoever you see on campus yeah whoever you see on campus no matter how different or similar they appear on the outside they're child of God like and that changes how I should behave yeah somehow and and for some people that's going to be a shift from how they would typically behave right I mean it is and and it and it might mean for us to to to shift because we we start there but it's anyway y I just think that that really goes into the uh I just I listened to one of your interviews and you talked about this book called morality and it really outlines this idea of going back to the Covenant right when we think more outward when we think more of the people that are not not just ourselves that it it creates more of a community it creates more connection it's really what I feel like at least from a spiritual perspective that's what we're how we're designed to be to live together to associate with each other yeah I I that that book I I can't recommend it strongly enough the people was so good written by a Jewish scholar who who passed away last year Jonathan sa yeah an amazing guy um he was the chief Rabbi for the for the UK uh and and he's an amazing guy and in this book he has this quote that I just love he said it is adopting more of a we mindset over an i mindset and points out that there are so many things in society that are driving us towards the ey mindset me me me me uh and then he he has this phrase and I'll and I'll misquote it so uh I feel bad about that I have a horrible memory for quotes but he said it when you when you are part of a Covenant Community and and he's really talking about covenants between people and God yeah so so it's not all that different from our conception of covenants uh but he but he talks about it's walk talking arm inarm with another person and talking about the difference that that will make in the world is being able to walk arm in-arm with this we mindset I I love it it's a it's an amazing book uh it changed a lot about the way I think about things oh that's powerful um we talked about a lot of different things and we don't have to go into every single uh perspective specifically but are there any that you feel that we should discuss I think that well actually here one I think that uh um I know that uh president worthin has mentioned this as well just the idea of how important hiring is and how to you really make sure I think it must be so challenging to to align the hiring with the mission um especially with Academia you know uh I feel like I mean if I'm just being real there currently right now I'm sure there are are are faculty St that aren't in alignment like how do you even approach that yeah like I don't do you want to go there yeah yeah sure I I look the I think it was a a University conference I addressed that I gave to the university uh employees yeah about about Mission aligned hiring this is part of why this is such an important thing to me is is look we hire lots of people at BYU uh and and one of the things that seems critical is that the people that we put up in front front of our students and that includes faculty and staff by the way I I was primarily responsible as the academic vice president for faculty but it applies to both because they're their supervisors that's right in their student employment I mean they're the the grounds person or the person that works in dining services that they interact with students as often as faculty do and and it becomes critical if we're going to accomplish this Mission if we're going to stay unique if we're going to actually look like the University of Prophecy that you and I have spoken about today it has to start with those people that we put up as Role Models I could send my son who's a student of muu by the way uh I could send him to any university around the planet and he thinks he wants to study Finance uh he probably will I feel like I lost him to the dark side because he's going to finance instead of stats uh and and uh I could send him to any great University on the planet Berkeley or or or Harvard or or or the University of Utah these are great institutions I I have great respect for what they do academically and and he would be taught Finance by someone who might very well be the best in their field yeah at teaching finance and he'd get a great Finance education and then I could send him across the street to the Institute Building and he he'd be taught the truth of restored Gospel of Jesus Christ by someone who might very well be the best in CES yeah right at teaching that subject but he wouldn't get it in the same person he wouldn't get those things in a statistics classroom or in a finance classroom or in a business classroom and and and we're asking that from all of our faculty to be that role model someone who Embraces their faith as much as they Embrace their discipline and so if that doesn't happen in every classroom with every faculty we're going to have a hard time achieving our mission we're going to have a hard time staying unique in the sphere of higher education and so who we hire might be the most important decisions that get made during my tenure as the president of the University president woran used to say that all the time and I and I actually see what he's talking about that those are the people that are in front of our students so it's vital that they want to be part of it now I I get that not everyone's figured it out we didn't get taught that where we went and got our phds that's right right I mean Texas A&M taught me how to be a good statistician they didn't teach me how to bathe my subject in the light and color of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ so we realize there's going to be a season of learning a season of figuring this out and we're willing to allow for That season we get it but we want someone who wants to do that m and if you don't want to do that it's okay if you go to other places yeah right I don't I don't fault anybody for not wanting to do that they they they'll have other opportunities other places cuz we we want people that are good enough to go to other places that's right but we want people who want to be there because that's what we're trying to accomplish how do you stay because the trend that I see is that many in Academia bounce around right they'll be at a school for this long then they jump to another is anything you put in place that helps them that would cause them to want to stay yeah truth is if if if we if we're in a bidding battle they're GNA they're going to they're going to outbid us yeah like like over the course of someone's career we're going to get out bid well not just financially that but that's my point is that is that when you talk of if it's just based on your contract value yeah we're going to get out bid and we know we're going to get out bid but but we have a crazy high retention rate and you and you pointed out that in higher ed people are very willing to move around but I think it's because most people resonate with that mission I think it's because they've tasted of the fruit and think man this is delicious I want to stick around I I I think I've seen so many faculty get get jazzed about what we're trying to accomplish and they want to be part of it they they they see the difference they can make in students lives they like the idea of being bilingual they can be their full authentic selves and maybe that is a lot of a part of it because I think that the unfulfillment of you know if you're not getting paid as much as you would like at least you know you're doing something that you love yeah and if NE if neither are the case it might be easier and I'm talking speculatively right might be easier to jump yeah yeah if if you're if you're if you're not doing something you like and you have opportunities to make more money somewhere else why wouldn't you jump yeah right but but I think at the end of the day it is because they resonate with the mission that's powerful but with that in mind I mean how do you align you know you got the Big 12 right we're not talking about the apostles even though kind of anyway didn't want to go there right but we're in the Big 12 and so that Staffing I think in align that question I think maybe people have is uh I don't think that they question whether or not that it does align with the mission but what are some unique ways that you're seeing that obviously it does we we just hired a new uh basketball coach yeah how do you make that same application to not just faculty and people who teach but people who are involved in a lot of these high visibility um assignments yeah well boy uh we're thrilled with our new basketball coach I'll just say uh he he struck me from the very first moment a as an Incredible family man you just heard how he went through the decision and it was a text from his wife when he was on the road that that was the Lynch people talk about well what what moved the needle or what made the biggest difference and it was a text from his wife and that revealed to me that this was an incredible first of all family man uh second of all during the course of our interview it became apparent that he was an incredibly humble follower of Jesus Christ it like he articulated that in no uncertain terms during my interview with him I I interview all of our head coaches really I IED myself as part of that interview process cuz it's just as you point out it's too important that that's part of the visible aspects of who we are as a university especially with our entrance into the Big 12 yeah uh and and and and actually turns out he's pretty good at basketball too he he knows a lot about basketball he sort of checks all the boxes is amazing uh that's true of so many of our coaches I look at the presser with uh Kanani sitake when we first entered the Big 12 I'm like and and I was sitting I got to tell this story cuz it was just one of the cool experiences I was sitting in the Press seats and some people people had kind of walked out but there was still pretty group good group of people he was one of the last coaches to talk during the press conference uh and there was these three or four reporters from Texas and Oklahoma that were sitting behind me and these were fairly big names in in their in their uh communities uh and as colani started talking they were kind of carrying on a conversation about another topic and as he started talking about his his faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ like they they got quiet they stopped sto talking about whatever they were talking about and as he got done talking about why he was at BYU and how BYU's mission was unique and how that impacted their football team these guys were like I could play for that guy and and I I just loved to see that and those those kinds of things it's not limited to those two I see evidence of this across our entire Athletic program I see it in our athletic director I see it in his associate athletic directors this some they they've got some great things going on and so I think the Big 12 becomes a great place for us to be able to show this off I'll just sorry I just go One More Story uh the our tailgates that happened during this year's football season were unbelievable they were really a collaborative effort between our Athletics program our alumni relations and the church and what we did is instead of going into these communities uh and doing something good for BYU we worked with local alumni from the school where we were visiting really to find a service project that would benefit a community that they thought was in need so it was typically a local church organization that provided shoes or toys for kids in need or it was a at one of them it was a a local Native American community that needed more books for their educational programs so that was amazing they doing that's what they were and we were cont our alumni were showing up to contribute to their project it's amazing they combined that with BYU TV did a story on the good things that their alumni were doing not ours but we we funded it to go talk about the the good things in the world that their alumni were doing we call them big stories these things were game changers then you combine that with our football team running out and there will be people who will be critics and say well you didn't win any games though but look look we started where our football team would run out the flag the state flag for their state that's is it like the traditional thing that they always do it they they've been doing it this year and I don't know if they did in the past but I received letters from the chair of the faculty Senate at West Virginia and the the uh local community organizer the the the Chamber of Commerce the chair of the Chamber of Commerce reached out and sent me an email saying you changed hearts in West Virginia you changed a practice we have had a longstanding practice to boo the visiting team when they ran in but when we saw you running in with our flag we saw the spot you did on our alumni we we we can't boo you guys anymore like how does that not become a peacemaking moment like in a in a in an atmosphere that is set up to be anything but peacemaking uh and so I I just love how our uh athletic department has embraced this idea of being different and embracing their double Heritage it's amazing that's really really powerful so they like just naturally right it sounds like I mean they're just being who they are yep it does that's what it sounds like it seems like this is what they normally would do uh coach sataki is being himself and he's I think most coaches would shy away from saying that and you're like no no because of our mission we're going to we're going to really embrace it we're going to embrace it when we go to these new um teams um we're GNA um hire people that have these same standards and it will naturally happen yeah now one of the things that I loved about about Kevin young we hired him is that he he was worried that we're going to ask him to be something different than he is I said look what do you mean in what way well was he gonna have to to to sort of put on errs or like look we're hiring you because of who you are we there's no way we want you to be someone different that's why this hiring people who who are mission aligned who want to be part of this Mission because we don't want them to be inauthentic that's right the missionary program of the church is asking us to be normal and natural yeah not inauthentic and the same thing holds true for our faculty same thing holds true for our coaches same thing holds true for all the efforts that we do if this this is just for show then we're doing it wrong it it better be who we are at our core who we are authentically who we are naturally I think that's very important um to be able to do that but it's not as easy as it looks right as for you as a president you know if somebody could go behind the scenes with you what are some of the things that that are good that you wish people knew and maybe what are some of the challenges too the truth is that you'll he you'll hear stories uh about you know is is is BYU this way or is BYU leading too much with exactly and and certainly do we have examples of that sure yeah yeah we're not perfect we have work to do that's what I mean by challenges but what I would say is I feel like we've done a tremendous progress and I think we started at a at a much better place than it might seem from from reports uh I know too many faculty who are absolutely consecrated I know too many faculty who on a daily basis do exactly what we hope they're going to do which is to embrace their their double Heritage or their bilingual as president Kim will called it yeah it it it we have work to do and we have great people that are willing to dig in and do the work so I think if if I were to say sort of where where do I see I see us having work to do yeah and I see incredible hope and promise for where we can get because of the people that we are hiring and the people we have that are committed to what we're trying to accomplish but again it's honest yeah not not without work to do so yeah I think that's that's healthy um if you could no so you've been there for a year now um and I mean what are your you kind of came in with these These are the initiatives what do you think that you would now looking back of over the this Academic Year what would you what what tweaks would you make yeah so so I wouldn't I wouldn't change any of the initiatives and I wouldn't change the order I I feel like it it starts and ends with our students in mind I I say that often and and I hope our students know how important that is and and unfortunately for higher education how different that is yeah so so so I love that that we start and end with our students in mind and and and I love for different reason each of our initiatives a year in I I'm already starting to ask myself questions about what's next we've got this course in place I love that that's improving our student experience but it's not enough we we have things we need to do to further improve our student experience uh I I also think when I think about improving our student experience I I constantly ask myself the question is is there any way we can get more students into BYU because I know that there's students who don't get in and that's heartbreaking and and I and I'd love to find ways to get more students into BYU we have limitations right now we have space limitations we have housing limitation by the way that's the thing I may have heard more often than not this first year is what are you going to do about housing because those are some limitations but but I want to find ways to improve our student experience to the extent possible and that includes finding ways to get more students into BYU uh wherever possible wherever it's reasonable it is also true and and I just say this because I think it's important we have started to function as a system BYU Idaho insign College BYU Hawaii seminaries and institutes we we we work well together probably better than maybe we've ever worked Elder Gilbert's leadership as the commissioner Church education on this front has been remarkable and so I hope that when we can't provide a BYU experience for all those who want it and and that we may never get to that point because of space limitations because of resource limitations that they'll consider what a remarkable opportunity at BYU yaho is because candidly uh I think it's remarkable and BYU Hawaii for those who certainly live in that region yeah it's an amazing experience we we have so many common elements and we work well together I hope that that's another thing that that we'll look at but but when I think about this next year it's thinking about how we can improve the student experience it's thinking about what is the next focused scholarship areas where we can invest our limited resource that has the biggest impact not only on our students but also on the church uh because they're going to be closely aligned with our sponsoring institution and the Church of Jesus Christ to latterday Saints so those are some things that I look at when you say tweaks it's maybe maybe more expanding yeah yeah yeah that's a better word expanding okay so uh making it more of a unified system and and well leaning more into that and then also uh the idea of of uh going further on the student experience even more deeper right looking at the data looking at it making making some expansions like that yeah yeah um if you could sit down this is the you know I'd like to just conclude with this question right you sitting down and share just like this one to one with if you could talk if you could talk to every individual student what would you say to them what would you hope that they would actually understand and believe what message would you give to them of advice I love this question in part because uh I've I've done like I have office hours with students this is something that I've tried to Institute so that I get sometime I I can't spend it with every student but I can certainly spend time with those who will make time in their scheduled to meet with me at at at times I can do that and and and fundamentally I think so many of our students are so much better than they think they are I need every student to see themselves for who they are and and they're so much better than they think they are and and so that that idea of their Divine potential they don't that's a word we throw around and I'm not sure that it's ever internalized Enough by our students when I've had opportunities and I look for every by the way best part about being president versus academic vice president is President I get to spend more time with students which is where the magic is and and and with every student I talk to the thing I don't think they fully understand is what we mean by you have Divine potential and that I can see them as what president Kimble described as a brilliant star that would come from buram Young University and I want them to be able to see that in themselves and and so that's what I would tell them full circle I think that that's the same charge as this as the university to be separate to be different but a different way um that's so profound and I hope that people understand that I um I always conclude with this idea that you know I believe what we said is true I love this conversation we've talked about a lot of really important things but the thing I like to emphasize at the end is don't don't take our word for it find out for yourself till next time

Channel: Let's Get Real with Stephen Jones

Views: 82,772

Keywords: byu, shane reese, lds, latter day saints, mormon, brigham young university, president shane reese, byu football, byu basketball

Id: 4d2wUYainRw

Length: 70min 44sec (4244 seconds)

Published: Thu May 09 2024