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Paul Y. Hoskisson named director of Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, FARMS

Paul Y. Hoskisson has been appointed director of Brigham Young University's Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. He replaces S. Kent Brown, who is retiring from the university.

Hoskisson is a professor of ancient scripture at BYU, an expert on the Book of Mormon and a noted scholar of the Bible, particularly the world of the Bible.

"We are grateful to S. Kent Brown for his able leadership of this department of the Maxwell Institute over the last few years,” said M. Gerald Bradford, executive director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. “Kent provided vision during the early formative period of the Willes Center while pursuing the ongoing work of FARMS.”

“I am convinced we have an able successor to him in Professor Hoskisson,” said Bradford. “Paul's scholarly accomplishments make him ideally suited for this new assignment. He will work with others to further quality scholarship on the Book of Mormon under the auspices of the Willes Center, and will ensure that FARMS continues to foster the very best work on other Restoration scriptures and on the Bible."

Prior to his appointment, Hoskisson was the Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at BYU. He has served as associate dean of Religious Education and coordinator of BYU's Near Eastern Studies program.

Hoskisson received his doctorate from Brandeis University. He also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU.

Writer: Angela Fischer

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Photo by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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