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Inauguration - President Howard W. Hunter

General Authorities of the Church and members of the Board of Trustees, President Shumway and members of the faculty, honored guests and friends, ladies and gentlemen and students: Thank you for being here on this significant occasion. I extend to you sincere greetings and a warm welcome at this historic time, the inauguration of Eric B. Shumway as the eighth president of the Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus.

Because this is a historic occasion, it is natural for us to recall history and the memory of the many persons who came here before us and laid the groundwork for all that has followed. Only three years after the first settlers entered the Salt Lake Valley, missionaries were sent to Hawaii. The pioneers had scarcely had time to build a shelter and break ground for planting when Apostle Charles C. Rich, under the direction of Brigham Young, called ten missionaries to open the work of the Lord in these Sandwich Islands.

After a long trek to the Pacific Coast and a slow voyage from there to the islands, these first missionaries came ashore at Honolulu, the capital of the kingdom, on December 12, 1850. The following day, after finding lodging, they climbed a mountain behind the port city. Each of them carried a stone for the building of an altar at which they offered prayer, dedicating the land for the preaching of the gospel. George Q. Cannon, the youngest of the elders, later wrote: "The spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon us, and we were filled with exceeding great joy. I had the satisfaction, afterwards, of witnessing the fulfillment of the promise made on that occasion" (George Q. Cannon, My First Mission, 2nd ed., SLC: Juvenile Instructor, 1882, p.17).

Some years later, difficulties arose at the initial gathering place for the Saints on the island of Lanai. Brigham Young then sent two former Hawaiian missionaries, George Nebeker and F. A. Hammond, to locate a new gathering place. After an intensive search on the islands of Hawaii and Kauai, Elder Hammond negotiated the purchase of 6,000 acres in Laie for the price of $14,000. This occurred on January 26, 1865. Of his experience Elder Hammond wrote, "I pray the Lord may take the lead of this mission and influence every move pertaining unto it" (F.A. Hammond, Journal, 1865). History demonstrates the Lord answered Elder Hammond's prayer.

Laie has since been crowned with a magnificent temple which flanks this campus on the one hand. The campus is flanked on the other by the beautiful and unique Polynesian Cultural Center, established by the Church to preserve and enhance the rich and beautiful cultures of the South Pacific islands and to further the education of young men and women. This university campus is perhaps one of the most beautifully situated of any in the world.

The Church, from its earliest beginnings, has placed the education of its members at the forefront. This commitment is based on such fundamental revealed truths as "the glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth," and "it is impossible to be saved in ignorance" (D&D 93:36; 131:6). Also, "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come" (D&C 130:18-19).

This triad of learning established by the Church in Laie, namely the BYU-Hawaii campus, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and the temple, has a significant place in the plan of the Lord to further the work of his kingdom.

The BYU-Hawaii campus was established to fulfill the admonition of the Lord to "seek learning, even by study and also by faith." In this same revelation the Saints were admonished to study "things both in heaven and in the earth, things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgements which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms" (D&C 88:79-80).

Such study provides an intellectual foundation in the lives of the students of this institution with the intent that they may excel in their chosen careers and be of benefit to society in general.

The privilege of obtaining such secular knowledge is, in many cases, made possible through the continuing operation of the Polynesian Cultural Center, established in part to provide employment opportunities for those who come here to study at the BYU-Hawaii campus. At the center our students learn the value of hard work, and the importance of preserving the native cultures of their forebears.

In the temple we learn the things of eternity and make sacred covenants, which, if fulfilled, will bring us back into the presence of the Lord. The know-ledge we gain in this holy house helps us to see clearly our priorities in life and our place among the purposes of God. A magnificent center of learning has been woven together in this favored place called Laie.

It is now my privilege, acting for the Board of Trustees, to give President Shumway his charge of responsibility and to install him formally in the office of President of Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus.

As we do this, we acknowledge the great contributions of all who have served here. Their sacrifice has brought down the blessings of heaven on this chosen place. President Shumway will build on that great heritage and come to appreciate it even more than he does now. Great as the achievements of the past have been, our charge to him is to lead those who serve and study here to prepare for even greater challenges and greater contributions.

First, we charge you to find better ways to help students learn. The world in which your students will work and live is changing rapidly. The rate of change in technology and in society itself seems to be accelerating. The economies of the countries from which students come and to which they will go are developing. Students cannot possibly master even a small part of what is known and is being discovered, and facts and skills can rapidly become out of date.

For those reasons, we charge you to ensure that every effort is made to focus the curriculum on those essentials which are valuable both now and in the future, allowing students to continue learning in a rapidly changing world. We charge you to marshall and inspire a faculty who will help students succeed in learning here and throughout their lifetimes.

We charge you to maintain and enhance the atmosphere of learning which gives confidence to those who struggle as well as challenge to those who are quick to learn. We challenge you to keep standards high while keeping hope alive in the hearts of the students and maintaining genuine concern for each person.

Second, we charge you to find better ways to help every student, faculty member, and employee become part of a loving, productive, and honest community. President Shumway, your long service on this campus and across the Pacific Basin has helped you sense what a remarkable laboratory for living has been created here. You know the labor and the prayers and the sacrifice which have brought us to this point. We charge you to maintain what has been accomplished to date, and to move this university forward. Students in this setting can learn lessons of respect and tolerance, of hard work, and of integrity, which will make them leaders in a world that will come to value those qualities more as they become more rare.

We charge you, therefore, to keep the building of character a central educational purpose of this institution. And we charge you to find ever better ways to allow the diversity of cultures from which students come, and to which they will go, to be an effective and an important part of the educational resources of this campus.

Students can learn from each other to be more compassionate. They can learn to be more productive. They can learn from each other the value and the necessity of honesty and integrity. Some of that they will learn from lectures and sermons. More of it they will learn from serving each other. And as you find ways to build character, you will change individuals, families, communities, and nations for the better.

Finally, and most important, we charge you to build faith in God the Eternal Father, in his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and in the great principles which lead to eternal life, which come to us from prophets of God, both anciently and in our own time. We charge you to do that as a central part of your educational purpose, not as an addendum to it.

It is the light from heaven which will make students better learners. It is the light from heaven which will make them better people _ more loving, more tolerant, more productive, more honest, and thus better citizens of a community. Your students can reach their potential as learners and as human beings only as they learn to let faith in divine truth animate their whole lives. We charge you to find even better ways to invite all who study and serve here to allow this unwavering faith to rule and lift their lives.

And so, President Shumway, I charge you on behalf of the Board of Trustees and all those who love this institution, to dedicate your service to enlarging the capacity of those who study and work in this blessed place to learn over a lifetime, to live productively in association with others, and to grow in faith in God and in truth.

Dr. Eric Brandon Shumway, I officially install you as the new president of Brigham Young University Hawaii Campus. I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you; upon your beloved wife, Carolyn, and your family; and upon your academic associates and the students for whom you have now been given responsibility. Our prayer and our blessing is that you will go forward with the wisdom, energy, and faith which have marked your life and which will bless this great institution.

You have our confidence, our love, and our prayers. May you feel the sustaining power of our Master as you lead and serve here, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.