New BYU-Idaho president shares vision for university, community involvement and more during interview with East Idaho News
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REXBURG — The new president of Brigham Young University-Idaho isn’t wasting any time getting to work.
Alvin “Trip” Meredith III was inaugurated last week as the university’s 18th president. He and his wife Jennifer had only been to Rexburg one time before the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked him to lead the university earlier this year. The Merediths have six children and his professional background includes working as a senior executive of a global technology firm.
Meredith laid out the priorities of his presidency during his inaugural address and is already implementing noticeable changes, such as having an active role on social media and announcing plans to overhaul the university’s website.
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He spoke with EastIdahoNews.com reporter Nate Eaton Wednesday afternoon about his vision for BYU-Idaho, working with the community and what he hopes to accomplish during his tenure. You can watch the interview in the video player above or read the transcript below, which has been lightly edited for clarity.
Nate Eaton, EastIdahoNews.com: President Meredith, you’ve got a business background. What did you think when you were asked to be the president of BYU-Idaho? You had only been to Rexburg one time, right?
President Alvin “Trip” Meredith III: Yes, we were here in February and left with a great feeling about Rexburg. We left thinking that we would never be back. We had no idea or anticipation of this call being extended. But we were excited. We are good friends with some of the past presidents like Clark Gilbert and have known of the great work Elder (David A.) Bednar and Kim Clark had done here. One of my hopes is to stand on the shoulders of Henry J. Eyring, who led this university with great compassion and love. He’s left a foundation for us to build upon.
Eaton: You’ve been here two or three months now. Have you been able to go to any activities on campus or in town?
Meredith: Well, we’ve loved the events on campus. When we first moved here in July, we went to Extravadance on campus. We’ve been to our “Get Connected” program, Power 2 Become and participated in spirit week. We watched the BYU football game in the Manwaring Center last Saturday – horrible game but good atmosphere. We’ve also drunk deep from the cultural well of Rexburg and southeastern Idaho. We’ve been to Bear World and we went to Big Jud’s with Elder (Ronald A.) Rasband.
Eaton: Did you do the Big Jud challenge?
Meredith: No, but they did bring a big hamburger to Elder Rasband and he promptly swapped with my 24-year-old son for a smaller version. We also went to the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot. We thought that would give us a lot of local credibility but we found out that no one in Rexburg goes to the potato museum. We’re hoping to drive truck at some time during potato harvest days. We love the culture here. I grew up in a relatively small college town in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which is the home of Middle Tennessee State University. So in some respects, this feels a little bit like coming home.
Eaton: During your inauguration last week, Elder (D. Todd) Christofferson mentioned there are challenges in higher education. What are some of the challenges you foresee?
Meredith: Well, I think two challenges that are facing higher education across the country are cost and the value proposition of what you get from higher education. We are really blessed to be supported by the (Church Education System) Board and the Church, which makes BYU-Idaho the most affordable choice for higher education in the area. There are lots of people questioning whether getting a college degree has a payback or return on the investment. One of the things that’s been a great success of the university here is the job placement coming out of BYU-Idaho as well as the starting salaries coming out. We’ve got great success stories at this university with those two things.
Eaton: You referenced in your devotional a few weeks ago some chatter on social media about “free the knees.” Shorts are now allowed on campus as part of changes to the dress and grooming standards in the Honor Code. Some might think it’s silly. For others, it’s a big deal. How do you think the changes are going to affect the university and student body going forward?
Meredith: My hope is that we’ll get past the shorts and the sandals and focus on our purpose really quickly. We have a consecrated group of students who come here not just to get an education, but also to develop themselves as disciples of Christ. My favorite line in that devotional was, “Can we pause just for a moment and lift our eyes up from newly revealed ankles and knees and talk about things that are higher and holier.” I think the students have responded to that.
Eaton: The university plays such a pivotal role in the Rexburg community. Some people in the community feel there is a division or a them versus us type of thing here. How do you foresee your administration working closer with the Rexburg community?
Meredith: I have not sensed that division. In fact, I’ve sensed just the opposite – that there’s a healthy, symbiotic relationship here. BYU-Idaho could not be what it is without the support of the local community. And I think the local community could say the same thing about the influence that the university has had on them. I think as we move forward, I hope to to continue to build on that healthy relationship with our local leaders, local government and in the community.
Eaton: You referenced four areas of focus during your inaugural address. One – remaining focused on the primary purpose, which is developing disciples. Two – strengthening the core teaching mission by being focused on students. Three – preserving the spirit of Ricks. And four – teaching and amplifying the university’s message and story. That’s the one that stuck out to me. How do you plan to teach it and then amplify it?
Meredith: Let me tell you why I think that’s important. First of all, we live in a world that is in desperate need of not only education, but education that’s based on gospel principles. Paul prophesied of the latter days that people would be ever learning but still not able to come to a knowledge of the truth. That’s one of the unique things about BYU-Idaho. We focus on producing the best accountants and biologists and artists but first and foremost, we want them to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We feel that those two objectives are very complimentary of each other and that’s a story that we need to tell. As a new person to BYU-Idaho, I was shocked at the quality of education, the facilities, the strength of the students and the faculty. I feel for us to reach our full potential, we need to tell our story in more compelling ways. We’re reviewing every aspect of our communication strategy. We’re redoing our website, we’ve taken a more active role on social media, we have a different approach to outreach and we’ll continue to do that – to share our story and make the unique type of education provided here at BYU-Idaho more available to those who could be blessed by it.
Eaton: I think that is a great move as someone who works in the communication industry. I remember years ago, as a young reporter right out of school, I covered some engineering students who built a merry-go-round and a swing set to create energy that powered a school in Africa. People all over saw the story.
Meredith: Yeah, well, we don’t want to do good to be seen. But it’s okay to be seen doing good. We’re doing so much good that we feel like we need to tell our story more.
Eaton: If I were to sit down with you five years from now, what would you say that you hoped you accomplished?
Meredith: I’ll tell you the counsel that I got from prior presidents – each of them used different words, but the message was the same. The first was BYU-Idaho is a special place; don’t mess it up. The second message is to find out what the Lord wants to have happen here and focus on that. If I fast forward five years, my greatest hope is that we will have continued the great effort to develop disciple leaders who go out into their families and the church and the community to make a difference to be a positive influence for good.
Eaton: What do you want the community to know about you?
Meredith: I married well, really well. (laughter) I think I would want the community to know that I can see us working together to do a lot of good not only for Rexburg, but for the students of BYU-Idaho.
Eaton: President, congratulations on your new position and welcome to eastern Idaho.
Meredith: Thank you, Nate. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.