BC Mag Spring 2011 issue

It’s finally here! We’re celebrating 125 years of experience this year. Download the PDF here or by clicking on the picture.

BC Mag Spring 2010 issue.

After much laboring we’re pleased to bring you the new Spring issue.  Enjoy!  Download the PDF here or by clicking on the picture.

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.