FROM ONLINE to on CAMPUS Page 4

PRESIDENT’S

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY–HAWAII 2015–16

FROM ONLINE TO ON CAMPUS Page 4

New Beginnings New president John S. Tanner builds on firm foundations page 3

Prophetic Destiny Book chronicles first 60 years of BYU–Hawaii page 6 FUNDRAISING REPORT

17% TRUSTEES AND PRESIDENT’S FUND MAHALO FOR YOUR 77% STUDENT AID GENEROSITY! including I-WORK, PCC work-study opportunities, scholarships, and You are accelerating the work of internship assistance 6% BYU–Hawaii. In 2014 donor support PROGRAMS AND CENTERS was allocated to the following: such as BYU–Hawaii Online and the Center for Learning and Teaching

1in 5 90% 100% current students receive I-WORK funding. of the I-WORK program is funded by donor of your donation goes toward supporting Your donations provided educational contributions. I-WORK and other student- BYU–Hawaii and its students. Whether you opportunities and enhanced the BYU– aid programs remain our largest fundrais- choose to give to a specific program, such Hawaii experience for these students; ing priority. Our goal is to fund the I-WORK as I-WORK, or without restriction to the many of them would not be able to attend program entirely by donor contributions, Trustees and President’s Fund, no amount without your support. and the program is growing as we enroll of any donation is used to cover fundrais- more international students. ing expenses.

Your donations to BYU–Hawaii bless students THANKS FOR GIVING! and assist the university in fulfilling its mission.

President’s Report spotlights people and accomplishments related to fundraising at Brigham Young University– Editor in Chief Photographer Hawaii. This report is published by LDS Philanthropies in conjunction with the Office of the President and Rob Smoot Monique Saenz University Communications and is sent to donors and supporters of the university. LDS Philanthropies is a Lead Editor Contributing Editors Church department that encourages and facilitates philanthropic support for programs and charities affiliated Andrew Miller Michael Johanson with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including BYU–Hawaii. For more information on giving to BYU–Hawaii, contact your donor liaison, visit give.byuh.edu, or call 1-800-525-8074. Lead Designer John Kung © 2015 Brigham Young University–Hawaii. All rights reserved.

2 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Building on Firm Foundations By President John S. Tanner

usan and I are humbled and honored to serve at Brigham Young To prepare for my service at BYU–Hawaii, I have studied and been inspired by University–Hawaii, and we thank you for your generous gifts to the univer- the history of the university and the nature of its prophetic destiny. One of the sity and its students. These sacred funds help support our wonderful stu- things I read was a history of the dedicated and devoted labor missionaries who Sdents as they strive to become lifelong learners, Christlike leaders, and builders of sweated and toiled under a hot Hawaiian sun to build this beautiful campus and their families, the Church, and their communities. fulfill the vision of President McKay. In the short time that we have been on campus, we have felt a tremendous love When I came to campus I was deeply moved to learn that we are literally build- for and from the students. There is a great power and purpose at this university. ing on the foundation laid by these labor missionaries. Recently, when a construc- We are not merely helping students know something; we are helping students tion crew began to rebuild the 60-year-old hales (dormitories), it was discovered become something. President David O. McKay taught that true education pro- that the old foundations could be reused because the labor missionaries had built duces people of noble character. The students at BYU–Hawaii are the “genuine such strong foundations. These foundations were meant to last. The project histo- gold” that he prophesied would come out of this university. rian wrote: “Under every building there is a two-foot pad of crushed coral. Surely, this is a building that will serve humanity for many, many years.” Now these foundations are being used to support the weight of an additional story in remodeled hales that will likely last many, many more years. I love this symbolism. The modern university is also built on foundations laid by labor missionaries, students, faculty members, administrators—including the nine presidents who have preceded me—and, above all, prophets of God. When we remodel or add stories, we build on firm foundations. As the new president of BYU–Hawaii, I am committed to building on the firm foundations laid by pioneers, past presidents, prophets, and the Prince of Peace. I am honored to be part of a university that aspires to be a house of learning and light, a university built in the shadow of a temple and located in a historic place of refuge and gathering—a Zion university. Thank you for your support of this great institution. This university has a role to play in the international Church as we prepare students who are able to serve with a spirit of love and peace. Your support of these students accelerates the work of the university and helps build the kingdom one life at a time. The fulfillment of President McKay’s prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, and if the past is prologue, then there are many great miracles yet to come.

Visit about.byuh.edu/president to learn more about President Tanner President John S. Tanner and his wife, Susan W. Tanner, assumed leadership of and to read his ongoing series of essays, called Pacific Ponderings, about BYU–Hawaii on July 27, 2015. President Tanner will be inaugurated as the 10th the university and its prophetic destiny. president of BYU–Hawaii on November 10, 2015.

3 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 PIONEER ON CAMPUS

FROM ONLINE TO ON CAMPUS

Watch a short video about Battsey at give.byuh.edu/battseyvideo.

attsengel “Battsey” Chagdgaa, a BYU–Hawaii student from Mongolia, is While taking online classes Battsey learned about another BYU–Hawaii pro- grateful for the assistance that enables her to attend BYU–Hawaii, and gram, I-WORK, which enabled her to attend BYU–Hawaii as a full-time student. although she hasn’t finished her education yet, she is already giving back. She is now studying accounting and hospitality and tourism management, and BShe prepared herself to attend BYU–Hawaii through the university’s online she is making the most of every moment. “After I came here, I realized I have been distance-learning program, and now that she is a full-time student on campus, she given so much opportunity, and I should grow as much as possible,” she says. “I is serving as an online mentor to students back home in Mongolia. always look for new things, new opportunities. Coming here helped me to realize I have to push myself to learn as much as possible.” Nurturing a Dream As part of the I-WORK program, Battsey works part-time at the Polynesian Battsey joined the Church when she was a teenager, and she met and admired Cultural Center (PCC). One might think that balancing work and classes would many graduates of BYU–Hawaii. She thought it would be great to attend there be too much, but for Battsey it has been a great blessing. “It helps me to focus on herself someday; however, she could not afford to go to college in her own country, my studies instead of thinking about my financial problems,” she says. Further- let alone in the United States. Battsey is the youngest child in a family of 10, so more, Battsey’s job has been an education in itself. She has been working as an her parents could not afford to send her, and like many young adults in Mongolia, accounting clerk at PCC, applying the things she is learning in the classroom and Battsey could not find a job that would pay enough for her to fund her education. gaining experience in her field. Battsey later prepared to serve a full-time mission and received her patriarchal blessing, which promised her that when she completed her mission, she would Enter to Learn; Go Forth to Serve receive the education she would need for her future. When she returned home, she Battsey often thinks back to when she was a youth and saw the great examples of was tempted to stay and help support her family, but in the end she realized that BYU–Hawaii alumni who returned to Mongolia to serve, and now she wants to be gaining an education would make her more valuable and better able to assist her one of them—although she is not waiting until she gets home. family and contribute to her community. Between classes and work, Battsey serves as a mentor for students in Mongolia who are working to come to BYU–Hawaii through the online distance-learning The Lord Provides a Way program. She is also president of the Mongolian Student Association on campus As promised in Battsey’s patriarchal blessing, the Lord provided a way for her to and is preparing herself and her fellow Mongolian students to return home. “I look receive an education—or two ways, to be exact. forward to working with the Mongolian students and helping them as much as I First, one of Battsey’s friends introduced her to BYU–Hawaii’s online can,” she says, “because I know that when we get back home, the knowledge and distance-learning program, which allowed Battsey to take English classes to build experience we got here will help us to support other Mongolians. Little things can on the language skills she had learned as a missionary. She also took entrepre- be great blessings.” neurship classes that taught her how to set goals, progress step-by-step, and move One way Battsey plans to help when she returns home is by assisting students forward in her education and career. in Mongolia who struggle to find work that pays enough to fund their education. She wants to build a business, such as a restaurant or a hotel, that will provide job opportunities for students to aid them through school. “I am praying for it, and hopefully it will work out,” she says. “And as I help the students back home, it’s helping the country to grow.”

Thank You Battsey recognizes God’s hand in her life and is grateful for the assistance that enables her to attend BYU–Hawaii. “I think God provided the ways for me, through many great and generous people, to come here and study,” Battsey says. “I often think about the generous and kind people who donate their money to the I-WORK and online programs because without their support and their help, I wouldn’t be here. I often feel their love and include them in my prayers, and I am looking forward to continuing their work after I graduate by helping the students back home.”

4 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 PIONEER ON CAMPUS

hen RJ Gualberto was a young boy in the While working in Whitaker’s studio, RJ saw the For RJ, art is a way of expressing himself and Philippines, he admired artwork in the drawing of President Hinckley that he had admired making a statement to the world: “I see my paintings Church’s Ensign and Liahona magazines. as a boy and realized that Whitaker was the artist as manifestations of my relationships with people W“The magazines inspired me to learn more about who had inspired him all those years ago. who are close to me or people who inspire me. And I art,” RJ recalls. “I wanted to be one of those people While in Utah, RJ also had the opportunity to see that as my contribution to the community.” who paint and draw for the Church.” He was espe- meet and study with other professional artists. “It RJ also recognizes that his artistic talent is a gift cially impressed by a drawing of President Gordon B. was a dream come true to study with people who I from God and feels that it is a way for him to draw Hinckley, which he imitated in his sketchbook. admired,” he says. “Being at BYU–Hawaii opened nearer to Jesus Christ and bear testimony of Him. “I Art became a big part of RJ’s life. He imitated doors for me to meet real working artists who I want to show the world by way of visual art how Jesus other artwork, read about art, and painted pictures of looked up to. They were my heroes back when I was Christ lived his life,” RJ explains. “A painting about a his family and friends. But opportunities to formally still in the Philippines, and I was able to work hand in scripture verse opens our imaginations about what’s study art were limited in the Philippines. After high hand with them.” going on in the scriptures.” school, RJ chose a different field of study, but his heart RJ’s opportunities did not end with his internship was not in it. in Utah. Because of his newly formed connections, he Seeing His Future in His Past Then he learned about the art program at BYU– applied for and was accepted into an intensive pro- Now that RJ has completed the program in Paris, he Hawaii and about I-WORK, the work-study finan- gram at the prestigious Studio Escalier in Paris. There is pursuing a master of fine arts degree at the New cial-aid program that would make it possible for him he learned under the tutelage of artists with a pedi- York Academy of Art. After all the doors that have to attend. “I think the Lord blessed me to meet the gree of apprenticeship going back to Michelangelo, been opened to him, RJ intends to return home to the right people who led me to apply and be accepted to Bernini, and da Vinci. Philippines and give back to his community. BYU–Hawaii,” he says. “Being in the I-WORK pro- “Looking back to where I started—just copy- “Learning how to paint and mastering my pas- gram was really a great blessing because without it I ing pictures from Church magazines and reading sion would be pointless if I didn’t share it,” he says. wouldn’t have been able to attend BYU–Hawaii and books about the masters—it’s really amazing to see “My goal is to go back to the Philippines and teach study what I love.” and realize that doors are opening for me to experi- young aspiring artists who don’t have the encourage- ence these things and learn from these people in this ment to continue with their passion.” Pursuing His Passion kind of environment,” RJ says. “When I was in the RJ thrived as a full-time art student at BYU–Hawaii. Philippines, I didn’t imagine that I would have these A Grateful Heart He was finally able to fully pursue his passion, explore opportunities. But I know that God is blessing me RJ recognizes God’s hand in his life, and he knows his interests, and develop his innate artistic talent. with all these opportunities, and I’m realizing the that his many opportunities began with the I-WORK “Being at BYU–Hawaii really opened my imagination blessing of studying at BYU–Hawaii.” scholarship that made it possible for him to attend and my mind to the possibilities of being an artist,” BYU–Hawaii. “Being in the I-WORK program was RJ says. “It made me expand my goals and gave me Why Art? really a great blessing,” he says. “It really opened a lot opportunities to stretch my skills.” Before going to BYU–Hawaii, RJ felt pressure to pur- of doors in my life, and now I feel like I am ready to During RJ’s first year at BYU–Hawaii, one of his sue a more practical career, but he saw himself as face the world and give back to the community where professors told him that his style was similar to that an artist and chose to follow his passion. “Going to I came from.” of a Utah-based artist named William Whitaker. BYU–Hawaii made me realize that God is helping me After reading about Whitaker and his artwork, RJ throughout every step, and knowing that His hand contacted the artist and requested to intern with him, is in my life helps me realize that I have to continue and Whitaker agreed. doing what I love,” he says.

Watch a short video about RJ at give.byuh.edu/rjvideo. PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 5 PROPHETIC DESTINY

Prophetic Destiny: The First 60 Years

fter receiving the call to become the 10th president of BYU–Hawaii, John S. Tanner To purchase your copy of Prophetic Destiny, visit the studied the university’s history to prepare himself for his assignment. “I have been BYU–Hawaii bookstore or go online to deseretbook.com. A inspired by the history of the university and the nature of its prophetic destiny,” he said. “As the new president of BYU–Hawaii, I am committed to building on the firm foundations laid by pioneers, past presidents, prophets, and the Prince of Peace.” In celebration of BYU–Hawaii’s 60th anniversary and those firm foundations that gave rise to this marvelous university, former university president Eric B. Shumway and former BYU communications professor Paul Alfred Pratte collaborated on a new book titled Prophetic Destiny: The First 60 Years, which captures the university’s miraculous history and the inspired promises that are being fulfilled today.

Divine Guidance From humble beginnings in a remote sugarcane field, BYU–Hawaii has grown in stature and quality, has matured spiritually and academically, and has taken its place among the finest undergraduate institutions in the United States. From today’s perspective it may be hard to fully appreciate the audacity of President David O. McKay’s vision and the astonishing rise of BYU–Hawaii. Shortly before the university’s 50th anniversary, Richard T. Wootton, an original faculty member and the second president of the Church College of Hawaii, commented to President Shumway on how stunned he was by the growth and beauty of the university. “It is beyond comprehension compared to the way we struggled in those first years,” Wootton said. Indeed, only a prophet of God could have foreseen the success of BYU–Hawaii, and only the ongoing guidance and inspiration of prophets, seers, and revelators could have set and kept the university on its divinely designed course. As President Shumway notes in Prophetic Destiny, anyone who reads BYU–Hawaii’s history will come to know and appreciate the “moments of human triumph, manifestations of the Spirit, and love of God” that have sustained the university through its 60-year saga. President Shumway continues: “The overarching truth in the history of BYU–Hawaii and the Church College of Hawaii is that there has always been a powerful abiding sense of divine guidance and, when needed, divine intervention.”

“By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them” Although Prophetic Destiny chronicles the milestones of BYU–Hawaii’s history, President Shumway says that the major intent of the volume is to express deep and enduring gratitude

to all those who from the beginning have helped make BYU–Hawaii what it is today. They are the champions of this noble enterprise, who over the years created and secured the unique environment of this campus. Hence, this book is . . . a celebration and a testimonial of the university’s enormous positive impact upon the Church through the lives of tens of thousands of alumni, faculty, and staff.”

6 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 Prophetic Destiny: The First 60 Years

In the spirit of recognizing the lives that have been blessed by BYU–Hawaii, Prophetic Destiny includes a collection of personal tributes and memories from alumni, faculty, staff, and donors of the university. These tributes truly demon- strate the enormous positive impact that BYU–Hawaii has on the Church today. One story highlighted in Prophetic Destiny is that of Odgerel Ochirjav from Mongolia. He graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 2002 and is currently the president of the Ulaanbatar Mongolia Stake. “The impact of BYU–Hawaii on the Church in Mongolia is enormous,” says President Ochirjav. “Right now our leadership team in Mongolia is anchored by BYU–Hawaii graduates, including my two counselors in the stake presidency, the two counselors to the mission president, and members of our stake Primary and Relief Society presidencies.”

Mosese and Nessie Naeata

of civil unrest in the country. There he witnessed great poverty and destitution but also met “such wonderful, sweet people, and believing, but they are strapped severely by circumstances.” President Naeata recalled the blessing that BYU– Hawaii was in his life, and he wrote a letter to President Shumway asking for help in admitting two married couples from PNG. “They are the future of the Church here,” wrote President Naeata. As a direct result of President Naeata’s request, the Odgerel Ochirjav and his family Jonathan Omae family came from PNG to BYU–Hawaii in 2001. Upon complet- ing his degree in business management and political science, Jonathan returned with his family to PNG. He is now gainfully employed and is currently serving as Another story is that of Elder Yoon Hwan Choi from Korea. He graduated president of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Stake. from BYU–Hawaii in 1988 and currently serves in the First Quorum of the Seventy. “BYU–Hawaii played a major role in what and who I am today,” says Past Is Prologue Elder Choi. “In this unique environment . . . I learned and lived the aloha spirit. In a 1993 devotional address to the university ohana, then-president of BYU– . . . I was able to become a more charitable, kind, helpful, sharing, embracing, and Hawaii Alton L. Wade stated his belief that “BYU–Hawaii was established in 1955 loving person. . . . The training I received at BYU–Hawaii in Church leadership by a prophet of God in anticipation of and in preparation for the internationaliza- was invaluable and helped me overcome certain hardened attitudes and percep- tion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” tions within the Korean culture. . . . It was not easy to change the local culture, but The stories of President Ochirjav, Elder Choi, President Naeata, Jonathan the Church culture has been established little by little in Korea.” Omae, and many others that are recounted in Prophetic Destiny are just a sample Finally there is the story of Mosese and Nessie Naeata from Tonga. They both of the tens of thousands of people who have been blessed by BYU–Hawaii and who graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 1972 and returned home to serve as teachers and are now strengthening the Church around the world. The fulfillment of President administrators of Church schools in Tonga. Then in the later part of the 1990s, McKay’s prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, and if the past is prologue, then Mosese served as the mission president in Papua New Guinea (PNG) during a time there are many great miracles yet to come.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16 7 COWLEY SOCIETY

“If Anybody Needs Me, I’m Always There to Help”

early two decades ago, Mildred Fong Wong had just retired as a public school teacher and counselor in Honolulu when she received a call from her friend and fellow educator Barbara Velasco, who had recently been Nhired as a fundraiser for BYU–Hawaii: “‘Mildred, I need you,’ Barbara told me. ‘Come out to the college, join our committee, and help us raise funds for the college.’ And of course if anybody needs me, I’m always there to help, so I said, ‘Okay, what do you need?’” Mildred had some previous experience in raising scholarship funds for students at other schools, but soon after she began actively supporting BYU–Hawaii, she recognized something different there—something wonderful. “The thing that touches me is the students I meet,” Mildred says. “When I found out what the university is doing and how it is helping these students from the Far East and Polynesia and that these students often come without a penny in their pocket, I thought, ‘If these students come with nothing, they’re the ones we ought to really help.’ And that’s why I support BYU–Hawaii.”

A Legacy of Support Mildred’s family has a history of supporting BYU–Hawaii and its students, but she didn’t come to fully understand or appreciate the scope of the university’s mission and the need for student support until she became personally involved. Since then Mildred has recruited her brother Leonard Fong and her other siblings to estab- lish several scholarships at BYU–Hawaii to support students in financial need. One of the scholarships that Mildred and her siblings established is the Hing and Alina Say Fong Endowed Scholarship in honor of their parents, who left A New Generation of Giving them a legacy of hard work, love, and faith. Hing and Alina Fong had 16 children Today, with the support of Mildred and her siblings, many students have the together, and in spite of the challenges of raising such a large family, the Fongs opportunity to study at BYU–Hawaii, and meeting those students is what Mildred always opened their home to guests, including friends, servicemen, missionaries, enjoys most. “It’s very thrilling,” she says. “It brings tears to my eyes to hear their and Church members and leaders. “We’d call everybody over to our house, and stories about how they came with nothing.” we’d treat them like they were one of us,” Mildred says. “My mother made every- Mildred sees herself as a cheerleader as she tries to find others interested in one feel like they were important.” the mission of BYU–Hawaii. She is currently helping spread the word about the Mildred remembers the Fong family’s first experience with what would Matthew Cowley Society, which comprises those who have made planned gifts to become BYU–Hawaii: they hosted at their home for dinner some 100 labor mis- the university through wills, trusts, life insurance policies, and so forth. sionaries who were building the campus for the Church College of Hawaii. When “A lot of people today still don’t know enough about BYU–Hawaii, and they the college was ready to open, Hing Fong—who owned a mattress factory— need to know about what’s happening here and appreciate what the Church is supplied all the mattresses, beds, and furniture for the student dormitories. doing,” Mildred says. “They don’t know the need. We’re asking people to help the Later on, Mildred’s younger brother Kenneth served as one of the first mis- students, even if it’s just a few dollars here and there. It’s worthwhile to help them sionaries to open the China Hong Kong Mission. When he returned home he told because they appreciate everything. It makes you feel very good.” his family about the many Chinese students who wanted to study at the Church College of Hawaii but could not afford it, so the Fong family began sponsoring these students. In addition to funding their education, the Fongs had the students To learn more about the Matthew Cowley Society live with them for weeks at a time and treated them like family. visit give.byuh.edu/cowley or call 800-525-8074.

“I am grateful for Brigham Young University–Hawaii and for the difference it makes in the lives of the young people who attend. They will raise the next generation, make connections in the worlds of business, education, and government, and serve faithfully in the Church. Thank you for what you do. I pray that you will sense the Lord’s gratitude for what you do for these young people.”

—Elder Paul V. Johnson speaking to BYU–Hawaii donors on April 6, 2015, when he was commissioner of the Church Educational System and a member of the BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees

8 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015–16