LDS Apostle to speak at BYUI commencement - East Idaho News
Education

LDS Apostle to speak at BYUI commencement

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REXBURG — Elder Ronald A. Rasband, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will address 2,012 graduates at Brigham Young University-Idaho’s 2016 Winter Semester Commencement on Friday, April 8. The event will be held at 5:45 p.m. in the BYU-Idaho Center.

The university will award 472 associate degrees and 1,565 bachelor’s degrees. Of the graduates, 1,203 are women and 809 are men. Nearly 50 percent have served as missionaries for the Church.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015. He had been serving as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since 2005 and was serving as the senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy when called to the Twelve. Elder Rasband was named a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 1, 2000.

He has held numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission (1970-1972), Temple Square missionary guide, bishop, and member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee. He presided over the New York, New York North Mission from 1996 to 1999.

Elder Rasband attended the University of Utah. In 1995, Utah Valley University awarded him with an honorary Doctorate of Business and Commerce. In 1976 he joined Huntsman Container Company as sales representative, and in 1987, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation. He and his wife, Melanie, are the parents of five children and have 24 grandchildren.

Accompanying Elder Rasband at BYU-Idaho’s winter commencement will be Elder Kim B. Clark, General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of the Church Educational System. Clark served as president of BYU-Idaho from 2005-15.

Graduates, parents, and guests can find more information here about 2016 Winter Semester Commencement events.

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