BC Magazine Fall 2009 issue.

It’s here for your enjoyment. Download the free PDF and read away!

Float Update – June 4th

With one month to make the float ready to go, we worked for about nine hours in the float yesterday. It was a great and fun experience, as we glued paper in the chicken wires to form hills and waterfalls. And I think Jae (our graphic designer) had a lot of fun trying to balance herself on the tree.

The Detail of Details

Building a float IS a lot of work. At the same time, it brings a sense of accomplishment that few things can actually match.

Here we have some photos of the details in the the LDSBC Float 2009. Check it out!

Float 2009

The LDSBC Float is great, thank you! With an intensive work schedule and the help of our Float Comittee, the 2009 July 24th ”Days of 47 Parade” will certainly be Gold and Blue.

Check the pictures to get an idea of it.

 

 

 

BC Mag Spring 2009

Articles are up, and a PDF is available for download if you go to the digital version section and click on Spring 2009.  Check out the front cover featuring new college president J. Larry Richards and let us know what you think.

New Course, Solid Foundation

by Craig V. Nelson

First-semester students like Paris Thomas develop confidence and accountability under the direction of instructor Adrian Juchau.

A course designed primarily for first-semester students at LDS Business College has significantly increased the likelihood that students will succeed in college.  According to recent data, first-semester students enrolled in the Foundations of Learning course have a 90 percent likelihood of continuing school.  In the past, that figure was as low as 70 percent.

Adrian Juchau, director of student support, said the course’s strength comes from helping students understand how they can use the College to learn and fulfill their divine potential. “The data indicates that students [enrolled in the course] tend to do better academically.  More importantly, their confidence increases, and their love of the College increases,” he said.

“I was ecstatic to know that the gospel is a main part of our learning material.” -Cami Clayton

The course teaches students to change their outlook on education and take personal responsibility for learning. This awakening, Juchau said, creates a new level of awareness and excitement.  Students begin to look forward to their classes, do more reading and research, and tend to engage in more outside-of-class learning experiences.

“The principle comes out of 2 Nephi, chapter 2, and this idea of things that are to act and things to be acted upon,” Juchau said.  “To ‘act on’ something is to be accountable, but too often students want to be acted upon, to be spoon fed information. We try to help them understand that they are to act and be accountable for their learning. We discuss that God wants us to be agentive learners and not be compelled in all things.  This concept, for many, is one of the most impactful parts of the class.”

Juchau said the course covers five main points: the divine nature and purpose of the College, overcoming obstacles, becoming disciples, learning by study and by faith, and creating critical connections with the campus community and the divine.

“The hope is that the course will help them stick around longer, gain confidence, do better in school, become life-long learners, and be more serviceable to God,” Juchau said.

Many students say the course provides a springboard for their studies at the College.  Cami Clayton said:  “I was shocked with how much the gospel is intertwined with the class (and) with the material.  I thought it would be along the lines of ‘How to Survive College 101.’  I was ecstatic to know that the gospel is a main part of our learning material. That alone is a huge reason why I want to come to class.”

Another student, Nick Golden, added, “I didn’t take school seriously before I transferred here. I didn’t understand the value of education. I’m actually pondering things I learn in class and taking time to learn and getting way better test scores. I can achieve my goals and can be successful as a student.”

Juchau, who did part of his master’s degree research on what education at a Church school might entail, said currently about 20 percent of new freshman enroll in the course.  He hopes eventually all students will elect to take the course.

Speaking of LDSBC students, Juchau noted, “President (Boyd K.) Packer once said, ‘When you made the decision to come here, you did a very good thing.’  We want students to understand the importance and value of their education and the opportunities available to them at the College.  Learning is so much more than acquiring knowledge. It’s about personal growth and contributing to the world around them.”

“I’m actually pondering things I learn in class and taking time to learn.” -Nick Golden

He added, “These students tend to be so much more grateful for their education, and in so many ways this place is an answer to their prayers.”

“I Was a Bit Scared”

by Matthew Case

My name is Matthew Case. I’m from Greensboro, North Carolina. I hadn’t considered LDS Business College as a choice, but my brother-in-law was a student here, and he suggested it to me. I’m really happy I made that choice.

I had just gotten back from my mission, so I was a bit scared.  I didn’t know how I was going to do in an educational setting after the mission. I hadn’t gone to school for two years. But everybody was helpful and made the transition really easy.

My favorite things are the teachers and the class sizes. Because the class sizes are so small, the teachers are able to meet the needs of individual students. They really care. That’s probably the part I like most about LDS Business College.

Since it is such a small campus, it’s really easy to get to know people. There is definitely a sense of family here. I feel a connection with everybody.

There are a lot of benefits from the location. I have really enjoyed the closeness here to public transportation. It’s right next to TRAX, so I can get home really easy. It also adds benefits other times when I haven’t wanted to go straight home. I can find whatever I need right here in town.

“It’s a place where we come to gain greater knowledge.”

The fact that we’re also next to Temple Square is great. You can feel the Spirit there. It’s really convenient to be able to go to the temple and then just come right over to campus.  Or if you need a break, you can go over to Temple Square and meditate on life a little bit. In the Foundations of Learning class, we talk a lot about the College being a temple of learning. It’s a place where we come to gain greater knowledge. And since it’s a religious institution, we’re able to learn by faith. That’s what we do in the temple, so I think it’s a very direct and literal relationship that the temple has to LDS Business College.

“I feel the ability now to do what I need to do to become who I want to become.”

As a side note, I enjoy the windows and how they face Temple Square. Several times, in between classes, I just take a couple of minutes and stare out the window at Temple Square and realize what a blessing it is to be here, right next to the temple, and to have that great legacy of faith of our ancestors and of the members right there to look at and ponder.

Since being here at the College, my desire to help out, to be a contributing citizen, has grown. It’s definitely something I wanted before, but with the help of the faculty, I am more oriented to exactly what I want to do in my life and how I’m going to achieve it. And because of that orientation, I feel empowered. I feel the ability now to do what I need to do to become who I want to become. And by becoming that person, I will be able to bless the world and make the difference I can.

I think the College has helped me prepare to be a better father, a better husband, a better contributor to society, and to catch a vision of who I want to become and who God wants me to become.

I love this College.

Lost & Found: Alumni Researcher Returns 1,000s to College Records

by D. Louise Brown

In 1931, Elmo Garff was a junior class officer at LDS Business College. The 94-year-old alumnus was astonished when he recently received a phone call from College service missionary Elder Howard Troop. “Wow! You found me after this many years!” Garff said.

The friendly voice of Elder Howard Troop, alumni database research specialist service missionary, is often the first contact alumni have with the College in many years.

For more than two years, Elder Troop has worked as the College’s alumni database research specialist. He and his wife, Ann, answered a posting on the Church’s service missionary website requesting someone to research and update the College’s alumni records. Neither he nor the College community fully realized the impact his work would make. When he began, the database contained addresses and phone numbers for about 3,500 alumni, much of it outdated. Today, Elder Troop’s work has built a database of 11,000 names. And it’s growing.

“It’s been wonderful,” he said. “I’ve been able to use skills I acquired in the business world to do the research to find these graduates.”

“Wow! You found me after this many years!” -Elmo Garff

Elder Troop’s friendly voice is behind daily phone calls he places to lost alumni across the nation and beyond. Those contact numbers don’t come easily. He works with several information sources, often cross referencing incomplete and scattered information, much like genealogical research, to pinpoint potential information. He then phones, emails, or writes to those individuals to confirm their affiliation with the College. The thrill of reconnecting a formerly lost alumnus to the College is his “payment,” he said. “I use all the databases I have to find these students,” he said, reflecting his desire to see them reunited with the College.

Alumni are usually amazed to receive his phone call. Gaylene Mooseman Peterson, a 1964 graduate, was delighted to hear from Elder Troop. During their conversation, she asked about a number of her classmates with whom she’d kept contact. Through her, several other alumni were restored to the alumni records.

Graduate Sherry Turner, ‘63, expressed regret to Elder Troop that she’d missed the events associated with the College’s move to its new location in 2006. Now that she’s back on the records, she looks forward to receiving information about future alumni events.

Clarence Vance, class of ’61, was pleased to hear from Elder Troop, and suggested that his wife, Cara Lou, be added to the records since she’d also graduated from the College.

The information Elder Troop collects is used to mail this magazine, send out event invitations, and keep alumni informed of other activities and opportunities at the College.

Elder Troop urges alumni to contact the College with address changes, either by phone, email, or letter. “And if you know of anyone living who has attended the College, please let us know their names, and we’ll try to update their information. There are a lot of people we just can’t find,” he said.

“I’ve been able to use skills I acquired in the business world to do the research to find these graduates.” -Elder Howard Troop

Elmo Garff, then and now (age 18 and 90), is back on the alumni records of the College through the research efforts of Elder Howard Troop.

As their missionary service draws to a close (they’ve already extended their mission twice), the Troops draw satisfaction from knowing the years they’ve served have blessed thousands. Sister Ann Troop has worked in a variety of positions at the College, and assisted with the alumni research. “It’s where we were supposed to be,” said Elder Troop.

Get Online, Get Involved, Get Connected

You have probably heard of social networking.

Perhaps a friend, family member, or co-worker has invited you to get involved. More than just silly videos on YouTube, social networking has quickly become a daily form of interaction. Rising generations will likely have no memory of a world without “friend requests,” blogs, forum discussions, and comment boards.

As would be expected, students and alumni of LDS Business College have jumped into social networking with both feet. In the computer lab, students visit with friends across the world or make plans with someone on another floor of the building. Information ranging from the latest student news to get-togethers or events on and around campus is shared with hundreds instantaneously.

M. Russell Ballard wrote in “Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet”

“Now some of these tools—like any tool in an unpracticed or undisciplined hand—can be dangerous…. Social networks on the Web can be used to expand healthy friendships as easily as they can be used by predators trying to trap the unwary. That is no different from how people choose to use television or movies or even a library. Satan is always quick to exploit the negative power of new inventions, to spoil and degrade, and to neutralize any effect for good. Make sure that the choices you make in the use of new media are choices that expand your mind, increase your opportunities, and feed your soul.” Ensign, July 2008, 58–63

Sean Farris asked if you are connected?

Don’t just sit there! Get online, get involved, and get connected. Registering on Facebook is similar to creating an email account.

Options are available to keep your profile at the degree of privacy you want.  If you want to get more involved online, consider first what you want to accomplish through online interactions: Are you looking to connect with family and friends?  Do you want a place to post deep thoughts or ramblings?  Do you want to set up an event and activities site eto share with a select group?

If you want to be in contact with the LDS Business College family (faculty, staff, alumni, and/or current students) search Facebook for the “LDS Business College Alumni and Students” group page.  There you’ll find an opportunity to search for classmates, and learn what current students are doing.

Or go online to register at www.ldsbc.edu/alumni and start connecting with classmates there.

If you have questions about how to get connected, email me, Sean, at sfarris@ldsbc.edu I can’t wait to interact with another friend who shares my love for LDS Business College.

The College’s 12th President

by D. Louise Brown

John Lawrence (Larry) Richards was appointed 12th president of LDS Business College on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, replacing Stephen K. Woodhouse who served in that post for 17 years.

Addressing the overflow crowd in the meeting, President Richards spoke of his appointment by the board of trustees. “I appreciate their confidence and trust, and pledge to do my best to live up to that trust.” To the students he said, “I love you students more than I can express. I pledge to serve you.”

President Richards began an early career in the banking industry when he became a branch manager at age 26. Ten years later he became bank president, and his reputation in the industry was established. His leadership abilities enabled him to become president of three other banks, and interim chief executive officer of an insurance company. He also provided consulting services to a number of Fortune 500 and other prominent businesses.

“I love you students more than I can express.  I pledge to serve you.”

His 25 years in banking were “very exciting,” President Richards recalls. “But then one day I remember telling myself, ‘There’s got to be something else.’” Shortly thereafter, his wife, Julie, showed him a newspaper ad for a faculty position at LDS Business College. “It pressed on my mind. I wondered, could I be the right person? So I applied,” he said. He became a full-time faculty member in the College’s business department, then the business skills program director.  He also directed strategies to improve planning, co-chaired a campus wide coordinating committee, and created a framework for developing academic programs.

“What we do here, who we serve, and how we serve them is unique.”

President Richards’ ability to teach and influence students was recognized in 2003 and again in 2006 when students honored him as the College’s “Teacher of the Year.” In 2002, students also gave him the “Everyday Excellence Award.” He expressed his teaching philosophy: “What we do here, who we serve, and how we serve them is unique. We’re in a position to bless the lives of those looking for an atmosphere that’s highly spiritual and academically challenging.  We have a strong belief that academic performance can be increased when pursued in an environment that’s full of the Spirit; we blend learning by study and by faith.”

In 2005, President Richards was appointed assistant to the president with responsibility for faculty administration, student life, and planning. He began serving as president in January, 2009.

A native of Salt Lake City, President Richards was born in 1952 to George LaMont and Edna Fae Richards. He was elected high school student body president, and later served as a student body vice president and student chairman of the Union Building Board at the University of Utah. He married Julie Victor of Brigham City, Utah; they have two children.

“We’re in a position to bless the lives of those looking for an atmosphere that’s highly spiritual and academically challenging.”

President Richards’ earliest work experience was in his father’s business where he learned to work hard for not much pay, he said. He earned a bachelors degree in Speech Communication at the University of Utah in 1976. He engaged in post-graduate studies in Human Resources Management at the U of U in 1977. In 2007, he completed a Master of Science in Education, specializing in Professional Studies in Education with an emphasis in institutional leadership and curriculum, from Capella University.

“It is our challenge to partner with Heaven to enlighten minds, elevate hope, and ennoble souls.”

President Richards has served in numerous civic and Church positions, currently as bishop. Of his appointment as president of LDS Business College he noted, “It is a sacred privilege to work with competent colleagues to bless the lives of students.  This is the Lord’s institution.  He runs it through His apostles and prophets.  It is our challenge to partner with Heaven to enlighten minds, elevate hope, and ennoble souls.”

View the timeline of President Woodhouse's service