A Message from Dean David Magleby

[Excerpts from remarks given in Annual College Meeting, August 29, 2007]

At the start of each new school year, the university, colleges, and departments/schools hold meetings for faculty and staff. These meetings recognize the good things the faculty and students have done over the past year, inform faculty and staff about opportunities and resources, and allow me to share some reflections on the college. For this newsletter I share some of my remarks intended for the faculty and staff of the college as information you might find helpful in your lives and to give you a sense of our shared commitment to making BYU an even better university. I titled my remarks “A Task Well Done,” drawing that title from the following quotation from President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“There is nothing in all the world so satisfying as a task well done. There is no reward so pleasing as that which comes with the mastery of a difficult problem.” President Gordon B. Hinckley, (“If I Were You, What Would I Do?” BYU 1983-84 Fireside and Devotional Speeches, September 20, 1983, p. 9.)

Plus: BYU Students Meet the Dean

Honored Alumni Lecturer Judge Davis- A Few Good Memories Worth a Thousand of Life's Lessons

Judge Lynn W. Davis believes there is nothing higher, stronger, or more wholesome for life than a few good memories, and in a presentation during Homecoming week he told students exactly that. This year’s Homecoming theme was the mantra: “Come Full Circle,” an idea inspired by an episode in the life of Karl G. Maeser. In recognition of this lofty idea, the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences was one of many university units that invited distinguished BYU alumni--people who have come full circle professionally, personally, and spiritually--to speak to students during the 2007 Homecoming celebrations.

Stanford Professor Jack Rakove Discusses Living with the Nation's Founders

Students across BYU campus gathered together Monday in the Joseph Smith Auditorium to return to their patriotic roots. The call came as part of BYU's observance of Constitution Day, a day identified by Congress in 2004 to recognize the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. As a part of the celebration, the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences invited Jack Rakove, the W. R. Coe professor of history and American studies and professor of political science at Stanford University, to speak to students about our nation’s relationship with the Founding Fathers and the Constitution they worked together to produce.

Washington Seminar Newsletter and Friday Presenter Series

The Friday presenter series, that takes place as a part of the Washington Seminar Program through BYU, is possibly the most popular aspect of the courses offered to students at the Barlow Center. This series gives a unique look into various aspects of government interaction—from within the three branches of government and from those outside. Some of the speakers last semester included members of Congress, lobbyists and lawyers from nationally recognized firms, one of the original Titans (the team that inspired the movie Remember the Titans), and many other noteworthy individuals. While these presentations were all enlightening, a few in particular stood out in the minds of the students.

National Advisory Council Raises Bar in Numeracy

The National Advisory Council for the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences, chaired by Terry Seamons, recently gathered for its annual meeting on September 21st to discuss new educational goals and their relevancy to the job market. The topic for the meeting was the importance of research methodology and numeracy among undergraduates and recent graduates.

Numeracy refers to an ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts, and as defined by Joseph Olsen, Assistant Dean of the college, is an aggregation of skills, knowledge, beliefs, habits of mind, communication capabilities, and problem solving skills that people need in order to engage effectively and autonomously in the world.

Professor Carroll to Develop Marriage Media Campaign

This September some of the brightest minds in the field got together to discuss why young adults are waiting longer and longer to tie the knot. Jason S. Carroll, Ph.D., of the BYU School of Family Life is one of a small number of scholars who were invited to assist in the development of a national media campaign aimed at young adults during the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center wingspread conference from September 24th until the 26th.

OTHER NEWS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN!