Ryan Anderson

Publishing peace is a key element of the prophetic mission of BYU-Hawaii and it is now the focus of a new program offered through the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding. The International Peace Building Certificate is focused on helping students "publish" peace in the business and religious arenas through mediation and conflict management, explained Dr. Chad Ford, Director of the McKay Center and Associate Professor in International Cultural Studies.

Ryan Anderson | University Relations | 9 October 2008

Honesty, education, truth, and missionary work were a just a few of the topics addressed by BYU-Hawaii education professor Dr. Hiagi Wesley during his devotional address October 7. He told the students by putting God and the Church first in their lives they would “be following a more excellent way.”

Dr. Wesley, a convert to the LDS Church originally from Rotuma, opened his address by encouraging the students to follow a more excellent way, and he said, “To ensure that we can be partakers of that gift, the Savior declared: Come, follow me!  To truly acquire a more excellent way, we must be willing to follow line upon line, precept upon precept and live by every word which proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.”

Timely advice given by a panel of BYU-Hawaii professors echoes the warnings of President Gordon B. Hinckley, given a decade ago, almost to the day. These professors were the panelists at the School of Business Financial Crisis Forum and they encouraged students to stay away from debt and prepare for upcoming troubles. Such a pressing issue has the attention of many; the turnout for the forum was so large the event had to be moved from Aloha Center rooms 155 and 156 into the ballroom, and even then the over 300 attendees filled more than half the room.

To share great examples of hope during his devotional address September 30, BYU-Hawaii Vice President for Academics, exemplified his pioneer ancestors during his devotional address September 30. Dr. Max L. Checketts used his ancestor’s pioneer stories, and stories from the lives of Book of Mormon and Bible prophets, to teach how hope is the way “for us to overcome our adversity and challenges.”

Our faith will never be enough to get us all the way to the Savior, but, if we can get close enough to reach out our hand and ask for help, we are close enough for Him to reach out and meet us, explained Elder Keith R. Edwards of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, during his devotional at BYU-Hawaii on Sept. 23. He built his address around the idea that “faith is not built on minimums” and encouraged all in attendance to increase their faith by doing more than is expected of them.

Developing a testimony of Jesus Christ, holding to the iron rod, and having a positive attitude was advice given to BYU-Hawaii students at the September 16 devotional by President George Kaluhiokalani, president of the Kaneohe, Hawaii Stake. He counseled students to use adversity to strengthen their testimonies rather than let it sour their experiences.

Two new faces now call the Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship and Brigham Young University Hawaii home. James Ritchie became the Director of the CIE in August and Leonard Black joined as the new Entrepreneur-in-residence around the same time.

Encouraging teachers to reform their courses using “the three R’s of education,” Brent W. Chowen, Assistant Professor in the BYU-Hawaii School of Education, urged educators to create a more global university and improve students’ learning experiences during his Convocation address September 9.

Cebu City—Ten BYU-Hawaii students spend their summer studying the lifestyles of the not so rich and famous among nearly 700 returned missionaries living on dozens of islands here.