Students enrolling at BYU-Hawaii for the first time reported to the Cannon Activities Center on January 8 to receive counsel from President Steven C. Wheelwright and to learn more about the university's academic advising program.
"This is truly a part of paradise," President Wheelwright said of BYU-Hawaii, but stressed the university is also "very dependent on the people that make up our community and their willingness to invite the Spirit in all that they do." He also pointed out BYUH has a two-part mission:
- "We seek to combine spiritual learning with secular, academic learning... The Lord has told us many times that our growth and development, our very purpose in life, is to become like Him... We need His help in order to be all that we can be, but we also need to do it in a way that's consistent with following Him, and following His Son."
- "The second part of our mission is to develop young men and young women of character and integrity... The single, most lacking characteristic in the world is leadership. It's what we need in our homes. It's what we need in our communities. It's what we need in the professions, and it's what we need in building the Kingdom of God."
"Our hope is that each of you, during your time here, will develop those characteristics that will enable you to be a leader, a leader in everything you do," President Wheelwright continued.
"We often think of a leader as a good example, but it's far more than that: It's being willing to take responsibility for the result that gets delivered and achieved. It's being willing to take ownership and be accountable. It's being willing to work with other people and help them catch the vision of what's possible. These are all aspects of leadership, and we consider everything that goes on in this campus as a part of that leadership development."
"Whether you're working at the Polynesian Cultural Center or working on campus, participating in a student activity, providing leadership in intramurals in your ward, taking on assignments in your ward," he said, "you're the ones who are going to have all the callings. You'll have classmates who are serving in bishoprics or Relief Society presidencies or Elder's quorum presidencies. This is all part of your development."
"We would certainly encourage and invite you to think about the whole education you're going to get here, not just the academic part of it," President Wheelwright said, emphasizing that academics need to go "near the top of the list so that you can be successful in that, but don't neglect the other parts of what you're doing."
"I would encourage you to make the Lord a part of your studies, to make sure you pray about the things you're concerned with," he added. "A loving Heavenly Father cares about anything that is worthwhile and valuable to every one of His children. There is nothing that is a righteous concern of yours that isn't also a concern of your Father in Heaven."
President Wheelwright also noted two principles will make a difference in the students' education: the "value of excellence," and "all things are possible to those who believe."
"Excellence is a habit. It's not an event," he said of the former; and of the latter, "Don't be afraid to ask the Lord for help in classes, exams, papers and everything you're doing. Now, we all understand that you have to do your part, that the Lord's not going to save us if we don't do our homework or if we don't prepare."
"We need to be grateful for our blessings," President Wheelwright continued. "This is a great university because the Lord established it, and the Church sustains it. We need to be thankful for all that the Lord has done to enable you to be here... Every day we need to express our thanks to our Father in Heaven. That also extends to expressing thanks to those around us."
"You're going to get help from lots of people," he added. "We hope that you will grow and that you will learn to love this place; but we also hope that you will learn to love the Lord even more than you do now, and that you will come to understand why integrating spiritual and academic learning is the way the Lord would have us develop as the next generation — the way that He would have us learn leadership so that it's Christlike leadership in whatever field we choose to go into."
Later in the session, the BYU-Hawaii academic advising staff reviewed a wide range of procedures, policies and practices the new students must be aware of and follow to progress in their studies.
"Check your campus email often, visit your academic advisors and ask questions," one said.
BYU-Hawaii Dean of Admissions Arapata Meha pointed out earlier that the academic advisors "are the key to your success, but the most important part of your success is your effort."