Getting to know Brigham Young University Idaho’s new president

REXBURG, Idaho (KXPI/KIFI) - Brigham Young University Idaho now officially has a new president. News anchor Todd Kunz spent part of an afternoon with him to get to know him better and talk about his vision for the university.

Alvin F. Meredith III sits at the helm of the university in Rexburg. It is a big mantle. Kunz asked what it is like when the call comes from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asking to speak with him and his wife Jennifer, but not for three weeks.

"That's a long time to wait for a meeting with the First Presidency. We could not figure out what that meeting could be... President Nelson sat us down and he put us on his couch. He told us to sit close to each other and act like we loved each other. And then he said, 'We have changed your assignment. We would like for you to be the new president of BYU-Idaho...' And if I were to summarize my feelings, we were both shocked and humbled," said Meredith. "We're very well aware of the legacy of leaders that have spent time here on this campus."

President Meredith was inaugurated October 10. In his remarks, he talked about preserving that legacy on campus and continuing to be, “A university with a distinctive, student-focused mission with the primary purpose to develop deeply converted disciples of Jesus Christ."

He said there are four main ways to achieve that goal.

Number one, remain a Christ-centered, prophetically-directed university that teaches and puts students on a successful path in life.

"The world needs leaders who lead in a Christ-like way, who are founded on gospel principles, and the world will be a better place if we can produce more leaders that led the way the Savior did," said Meredith.

Number two, is continuing to strengthen BYU-Idaho's core teaching mission through teaching-focused faculty. President Meredith said he and his wife select 12 random students for their weekly focus group to get feedback.

"If you give them pizza or some Jimmy John's sandwiches, they'll answer any questions that you have. There's not a one of them that has said that they came to BYU-Idaho because of the faculty and the teachers. However, if you ask the question now that you're here, what do you love about it? Every one of them, to a person, says that the professors and the teachers make a difference here," said Meredith.

He said they achieve that with smaller class sizes. The average class size is 27.

"The students tell us that the teachers know them by name and more importantly, that they genuinely care about them and their success. And and that is one of the things that makes this such a special place," said Meredith.

The third marker from President Meredith is to preserve BYU-Idaho’s culture and the Spirit of Ricks, the college that this university once was. At the time, it was named after pioneer and prominent community leader, Thomas E. Ricks. He says the Spirit of Ricks is hard to explain, but it is a feeling felt throughout campus.

"We just had a university forum speaker, who has two degrees from Harvard, came to speak to our students today, and I met with her before she spoke. And she said, 'there's a different feeling on this campus.' And that's a common refrain from visitors, especially if they're here for the first time, that they know this and feel something just a little bit different," added Meredith.

The fourth contribution to reaching the goal of the university is to teach and amplify BYU-Idaho’s message. Kunz asked what is that message and who is it to?

"There's a lot of good that that's done here at BYU-Idaho. And we need to make sure that our proverbial candles are not put under a bushel, that we tell our story. We don't do good to be seen, but we feel that it's okay to be seen doing good. And so we're looking at telling our story in a compelling way, in a way that's consistent with the Spirit of Ricks, but lets people know what a special place this is," said Meredith.

Kunz asked President Meredith where he sees the university five, ten, or 15 years. He said he received counsel from his predecessors. They told him BYU-Idaho is a special place, and to find out what the Lord wants, and focus on that.

"The hope is that BYU-Idaho will be instrumental in strengthening the conversion of the students that attend, so they can go out and do good in the world," said Meredith.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III began serving as president August 1, 2023. He is the 18th president of Brigham Young University Idaho.