Arthur C. Brooks to receive honorary doctorate
Elder Patrick Kearon, General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is scheduled to be the presiding authority and speaker during Brigham Young University’s Commencement Exercises on Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m., in the Marriott Center. BYU President Kevin J Worthen will conduct the exercises.
Musician, social scientist, best-selling author and the president of the American Enterprise Institute Arthur C. Brooks will receive an honorary doctorate of social science (see below for his bio).
The student speaker for the commencement will be David Kastner, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Sciences in PDBio. Kastner is from Napa, California, and has spent his academic career focused on the study of cancer.
A total of 6960 students from 10 colleges will be receiving degrees at the ceremonies, with 5626 students receiving bachelor's degrees, 1077 students receiving master's degrees and 257 receiving doctoral degrees. (Numbers as of April 22, 2019.) The graduates represent 49 states and 66 foreign countries.
As previously announced, BYU has moved to a single annual commencement ceremony to provide a quality commencement experience. The new commencement ceremony will be held on Thursday morning, with college convocation ceremonies starting Thursday afternoon and continuing into Friday.
New this year, tickets will be required for guests attending commencement. Students who applied to graduate during the academic year of the commencement (Dec. 2018-Aug. 2019) may request up to four guest tickets. Graduates will not personally need a ticket for Commencement. Guest tickets are general admission, and ticketed guests need to be seated 30 minutes prior to the start of the service.
A standby line will be available at the northeast corner of the Marriott Center for those wishing to have additional guests attend Commencement. Standby guests will be admitted on a space-available basis beginning 15-30 minutes prior to the start of the service (guest tickets don't guarantee admission after 9:30 a.m.). In the event that the Marriott Center reaches maximum seating capacity during Commencement, additional seating will be available nearby in the Marriott Center Annex, Hinckley Center Assembly Hall and the BYU Conference Center.
Visitor parking is available at the Marriott Center, LaVell Edwards Stadium, and Indoor Practice Facility. Free shuttle service will be available from the parking lot west of LaVell Edwards Stadium to the Marriott Center. Please be aware of ongoing construction delays on nearby Provo streets, and avoid them if possible. Free public transportation is also available via the Utah Valley Express with stops at the Orem and Provo FrontRunner stations, University Place Mall, and Provo Towne Center Mall.
Campus dining venues will be open for guests wishing to stay on campus between Commencement and any of the convocation ceremonies. View map.
Thursday, April 25 Commencement Schedule
- 8:30 a.m.: Marriott Center doors open
- 9 a.m.: Graduates meet in the parking lot on the north side of the Smoot Administration Building (ASB)
- 9:30 a.m.: Family, friends and guests of the graduates should be seated in the Marriott Center. Faculty members are invited to march in the processional; meet on the east or west side of the ASB (in the event of inclement weather, faculty should go directly to the Marriott Center by 9:45 p.m.).
- 9:15 a.m.: Processional of the graduates begins
- 10-11:30 a.m.: Commencement in the Marriott Center
Thursday, April 25 Convocation Schedule
2 p.m.
- School of Education (Marriott Center)
- Engineering and Technology (Smith Fieldhouse)
- Nursing (JSB Auditorium)
- Kennedy Center for International Studies (de Jong Concert Hall, HFAC)
- Physical and Mathematical Sciences – Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Physics and Astronomy, and Statistics (Ballroom, Wilkinson Student Center)
5 p.m.
- Life Sciences (Marriott Center)
- Law School (de Jong Concert Hall, HFAC)
- Physical and Mathematical Sciences – Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Geology (Ballroom, Wilkinson Student Center)
Friday, April 26 College Convocation Schedule
8 a.m.
- Humanities (Marriott Center)
9 a.m.
- Fine Arts and Communications – Communications (de Jong Concert Hall, HFAC)
- Religious Education (321 Maeser Building)
11 a.m.
- Family, Home, and Social Sciences (Marriott Center)
12 p.m.
- Fine Arts and Communications – Art, Design (de Jong Concert Hall, HFAC)
2 p.m.
- Marriott School of Business – Entrepreneurship, Finance, Global Supply Chain, Human Resources, Marketing, Strategy, Experience Design Management, TRM, General Business, BGS (Marriott Center)
3 p.m.
- Fine Arts and Communications – Dance, Music, MDT, TMA (de Jong Concert Hall, HFAC)
5 p.m.
- Marriott School of Business – MBA, MPA, MAcc, Accounting, MISM, Information Systems (Marriott Center)
For additional information about graduation at BYU: graduation.byu.edu
About the Speaker
Elder Patrick Kearon was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 3, 2010. At the time of his call, he had been serving as a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy in the Europe Area.
Elder Kearon was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2017. He currently assists Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf in supervising the Europe and Europe East Areas and assists Elder Quentin L. Cook in supervising the North America West and North America Northwest Areas.
Elder Kearon has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United States in a range of industries and ran his own communications consultancy. His civic and community involvement has included service on the boards of charities, a school, an enterprise agency, and a college.
After joining the Church on Christmas Eve of 1987, Elder Kearon served in numerous Church callings, including assistant ward clerk, ward Young Men president, counselor in a bishopric, branch president, stake president, and Area Seventy.
Patrick Kearon was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England, on July 18, 1961. He married Jennifer Carole Hulme in January 1991. They are the parents of four children.
About the Honorary Degree Recipient
Arthur Brooks is a bestselling author, a social scientist and the president of the American Enterprise Institute. Brooks works with top scholars, policymakers and elected officials to fight for all Americans’ access to free enterprise and earned success.
Brooks path to Washington, DC, has been anything but typical. At 19, he left college to play the French horn professionally. He toured internationally and recorded several albums, eventually landing in the City Orchestra of Barcelona.
In his late 20s, Brooks returned to the US and completed his bachelor’s degree by correspondence. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in public policy, focusing on microeconomics and mathematical modeling. After completing his doctorate, he spent 10 years as a professor of public administration.
Brooks is an in-demand speaker, a Washington Post columnist, and a frequent radio and TV commentator. A Seattle native, he has been married for 27 years to his wife Ester. They live in Maryland and have three children.
