April 2005 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK PHILBRICK/COURTESY OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
74
Elder W. Rolfe Kerr Appointed
Commissioner of Church Education
By Chad Phares, Church Magazines
Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of
the Seventy was called
in January by the First
Presidency to serve as
Commissioner of Church
Education. He succeeds Elder
Henry B. Eyring, of the
Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, who served twice as
commissioner for a total of
about 17 years.
Under the direction of the
Church Board of Education,
Elder Kerr will oversee operations
of all Church
Educational System (CES)
entities, including the
Church’s institutions of
higher education: Brigham
Young University, BYU—
Idaho, BYU—Hawaii, and
LDS Business College; the
Church’s seminary and institute
of religion programs; and
a number of Church-operated
elementary and secondary
schools.
Elder W. Rolfe Kerr
“While this assignment will
be a heavy responsibility, it is
natural and comfortable in
that it relates closely to the
professional focus of my
career,” Elder Kerr said.
Elder Kerr, who was called
as a General Authority in
1996, brings extensive educational
experience to his new
appointment. He has served
as Utah Commissioner of
Elder Kerr served as executive vice president of Brigham
Young University in the early 1980s.
Higher Education, executive
vice president of Brigham
Young University, and president
of Dixie College in Utah.
He has also held administrative
positions at the University
of Utah, Utah State
University, and Weber State
University in Utah.
Elder Kerr observed that
the scriptures as well as the
prophets of this dispensation
have stressed to Church
members the value of receiving
an education. He noted:
“Our learning needs to be
spiritual as well as temporal,
and doctrinal as well as academic.
We need to have a
breadth but also a balance in
our learning.” The Church
Educational System addresses
the academic and spiritual
aspects of education.
After citing 2 Nephi 9:29,
“To be learned is good if they
hearken unto the counsels of
God,” Elder Kerr said, “We’ll
be better parents, better husbands
and wives, better citizens,
and better members of
the Church as we educate
ourselves.”
While CES is primarily for
young adults who are members
of the Church, about
12,000 people who are not
members of the Church are
enrolled in the institute of
religion program worldwide,
making the program not only
an effective method of perfecting
the Saints but also a
missionary tool.
The Church Educational
System tries to be responsive
ON THE SHOULDERS
OF GIANTS
As Commissioner of
Church Education, Elder
W. Rolfe Kerr of the
Seventy says he feels like he is
“standing on the shoulders of
giants.” A look back shows
those who have filled similar
assignments in the past:
Karl G. Maeser 1888–1901
Superintendent of Church Schools
Joseph M. Tanner 1901–1905
Superintendent of Church Schools
Horace H. Cummings 1906–1920
Commissioner of Church Schools
David O. McKay 1920–1921
Commissioner of Church Education
John A. Widtsoe 1921–1924
Commissioner of Church Education
Joseph F. Merrill 1928–1933
Commissioner of Church Education
John A. Widtsoe 1934–1936
Commissioner of Church Education
Franklin L. West 1936–1953
Commissioner of Church Education
Ernest L. Wilkinson 1953–1970
Administrator/Chancellor of the
Unified Church Schools System
Neal A. Maxwell 1970–1976
Commissioner of Church Education
Jeffrey R. Holland 1976–1980
Commissioner of Church Education
Henry B. Eyring 1980–1986
Commissioner of Church Education
J. Elliot Cameron 1986–1989
Commissioner of Church Education
Henry B. Eyring 1992–2004
Commissioner of Church Education
W. Rolfe Kerr 2005–
Commissioner of Church Education
and flexible when dealing
with the growth of the
Church, Elder Kerr said. One
of the biggest challenges is to