Skip to main content
Intellect

President Cecil O. Samuelson, Sharon Samuelson speak at BYU devotional Sept. 4

Brigham Young University President Cecil O. Samuelson and his wife Sharon will welcome students to fall semester with a devotional Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 11:05 a.m. in the Marriott Center.

President Samuelson will speak on “Character,” and Sharon Samuelson’s talk is titled “Beware the Dragons.”

The devotional will be broadcast live on the BYU Broadcasting channels and online at byub.org. Rebroadcast and archive information will be available at byub.org/devotionals or speeches.byu.edu.

President Samuelson was called to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1994 and was recently granted General Authority Emeritus status. At the time of his assignment as BYU’s 12th president in 2003, he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

Prior to holding these positions, President Samuelson was a professor of medicine and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Utah, and he was senior vice president of Intermountain Healthcare.

He has a bachelor of science degree, a master’s degree in educational psychology and a medical degree from the University of Utah.

Sharon Giauque Samuelson graduated from the University of Utah with honors in history. She has held leadership positions in all of the auxiliary organizations of the church while raising their family and being active in the community.

Writer: Hwa Lee

samuelsons.jpg
Photo by Jonathan Hardy/BYU Photo

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Family ties: BYU study finds older Hispanic adults are buffered against social isolation despite higher rates of sensory disabilities

August 13, 2026
A recent BYU study, led by nursing professor Corinna Trujillo Tanner, examined social isolation in an especially vulnerable group — older adults with vision and hearing impairments. Researchers say the results, showing higher social connection in US Hispanic and Mexican older adults, can be explained by the shared ethnic cultural value of familismo that prioritizes family, respect for the elders, and reliance on one another for essential support.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Want a happier marriage? BYU study suggests one simple habit

August 10, 2026
BYU researchers found that couples who exercise together report stronger communication and conflict resolution.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

How BYU MBA students & Pathway Worldwide are empowering the next generation in Ghana

August 05, 2026
In an effort to encourage competitive skills in a complex labor market, a group of MBA students and professors from the BYU Marriott School of Business recently spent two weeks in Ghana, consulting with businesses and working with Ghanaian BYU-Pathway students.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=