Skip to main content
Intellect

Bruce L. Olsen to receive BYU Franklin S. Harris Award

During College of Fine Arts and Communications convocation April 28

Bruce L. Olsen, managing director of the Public Affairs Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been named the recipient of the 2006 Franklin S. Harris Award from Brigham Young University.

Olsen will receive the award during the college’s convocation ceremonies on Friday, April 28. He will also be the convocation speaker.

The Harris Award honors friends of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at BYU who have devoted outstanding professional or public service in one of the disciplines taught in the college. The recipients have achieved or supported academic and creative excellence, and have contributed their time, expertise or means to help strengthen the college.

The award honors those whose values and standards are in harmony with the mission of BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ.

As managing director of the Public Affairs Department, Olsen oversees the direction of worldwide government affairs, community relations and media relations programs of the more than 12 million-member Church. His department also supervises public relations and open house programs for the current worldwide temple construction program.

Prior to his appointment in the Public Affairs Department, he served as director of corporate communications for Geneva Steel.

Previous to Geneva Steel he enjoyed a successful 21-year career at BYU where he held several positions, including assistant dean and registrar, associate professor of communications and assistant to the president for university relations.

He continues to educate students in the Department of Communications by giving lectures to those involved in the BYU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a member of the PRSA College of Fellows.

Under his direction the Church’s Public Affairs Department has won several national and international awards, including Silver and Bronze Anvils, PRSA's most prestigious recognition for excellence and best practices in public relations.

bruce-h.jpg
Photo by LDS Church Public Affairs

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Innovative group of BYU students roll out new AI tech to solve parking problems

March 19, 2024
A group of enterprising BYU students aim to significantly — if not entirely — reduce parking violations in paid parking lots, college and otherwise. And their idea, an AI detection and tracking system called Spot Parking (more on that in a minute), just got a major endorsement and $12,000 in cash by winning the 2024 BYU Student Innovator of the Year (SIOY) competition.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Q&A with President Reese on BYU’s undergraduate teaching focus

March 15, 2024
In this Q&A series with President Reese, he shares more about the seven initiatives he shared in his 2023 inaugural response and how they apply to BYU employees.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU math videos aim to transform equations into excitement

March 13, 2024
From calculating the perfect bottle flip to understanding how much force is behind a penny dropped off a skyscraper, Math the World videos creatively answer the age-old math question, “When will I ever use this?”
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=