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N OV E MB E R 2015
University to transition to new payroll system » By Brett Crandall
The university Human Resources office is rolling out a new HR/Payroll system next month to replace the current system which the university has used for more than 20 years. Workday, the new HR/Payroll system, will provide a central location for BYU-Idaho employees to: access payroll, clock in and out, manage teams and organizations, update personal information, post jobs, and hire employees. Since Workday is built from a single code base, the look, feel, and easy-to-use applications are accessible from any browser or any mobile device. To ensure a smooth transition into Workday, Human Resources is providing on-campus trainings before the December 16 launch date and additional trainings well into the new year. To register for trainings, please visit www.byui.edu/ workday/training-resources.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the Workday Communication Team at workday@byui.edu or (208) 496-1727.
New Cornerstone courses offer deeper learning in religious education » By Clint Urick
The Department of Religious Education has introduced four new courses this semester to provide a deeper learning experience for students. The new courses, called “Cornerstone” courses, will comprise the core of the religion class requirements at all CES schools. According to Religious Education faculty, the department developed these new courses to accommodate a more scriptureliterate student body. The university conducted a course/ curriculum analysis that found areas for improvement in religion courses. Using their findings, the university went to work developing the new Cornerstone classes. The four new Cornerstone courses are Foundations of the Restoration, Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel, Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon, and The Eternal Family. These courses, along with six electives, will fulfill the Eternal Truths requirements for the 2015-2016 catalog. The previously required courses are still available as electives. The new curriculum, which took nearly two years to develop, focuses more on the doctrines of the gospel rather than the storylines in the standard works.
“The Cornerstone courses provide a deeper look at the doctrine,” said Rex Butterfield, acting department chair of the Department of Religious Education. “For example, we don’t start in 1 Nephi and end at Moroni. These courses assume you already know the storyline and are familiar with the text, and are ready to delve into some of the doctrines and teachings found in the scriptures.” While the courses have only been taught for half a semester, early feedback indicates that students are finding them to be relevant and enjoyable. “I was super excited going into it, but the feedback from students has been far better than expected,” said Kyle Black, who teaches one of the new courses. “We are shocked at how well the students are responding to it.” Black thinks the new classes will have a huge impact on the students. “The hope,” Butterfield said, “is that the Cornerstone courses will help students be better able to understand their beliefs, be better able to defend them, and be better able to articulate those beliefs.”
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Faculty and students participate in World Congress of Families » By Clint Urick
Several faculty members and nearly 100 students from BYU-Idaho attended the World Congress of Families (WCF) held in Salt Lake City at the end of October. The Salt Lake City WCF marks the ninth planned conference since the organization’s foundation in 1997, and the first time it was held in the United States. Timothy Rarick
Faculty member Tim Rarick of the Department of Home and Family served on the organizing committee and began planning for the event over a year ago. Rarick also spoke at the four-day conference. Speaking about the organization committee, Rarick said he was brought in with several religious and family advocates from around the world. “I felt a little out of my league, but we went to work brainstorming and discussing what the Congress should achieve,” Rarick said. Their collaboration brought in 185 speakers and more than 3,300 attendees from 52 countries, 46 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories. Rarick was also a co-chair of the Millennial Panel, a forum comprised of 14 young adults with experience in advocating for the family. After sharing their experiences, those on the panel participated in a Q&A session with a large group of millennials. “It was great for the millennials attending to see how their
peers handled different questions and how they were able to defend the family,” Rarick said. In addition to planning, speaking, and co-chairing, Rarick was also involved in creating a scholarship for BYU-Idaho students to attend the conference. Rarick created an application and sent it out to all Marriage and Family Studies and Child Development majors. Faculty members of the Department of Home and Family went through the selection process, choosing those who really understood the issues and had a real desire to attend. The Sutherland Institute, which hosted the WCF, covered the majority of the cost for the BYU-Idaho students in attendance. “We ended up bringing about 60 students from campus, and another 30 or so online students met us in Salt Lake,” Rarick said. Online students had to provide their own transportation to the congress, some traveling from as far as New York. Kevin Galbraith, also of the Department of Home and Family, said it was very rewarding to see the online and on-campus students connecting with each other as well as connecting with industry professionals. “Not only did this congress provided excellent opportunities for making connections, networking, and securing internships,” Galbraith said, “but it was also so encouraging to see people come from different backgrounds and religions with a united purpose in defending the family.” “It was a great reminder that we’re not alone in our desires to strengthen and protect the family,” Galbraith said. “There are like-minded people across the whole world.”
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News & Notes A monthly publication of University Relations A D V I S O R Brett Crandall W R I T E R Clint Urick P H O T O G R A P H E R S Michael Lewis, Katelyn Crompton, Erik Hill, Kalan Lysenko, Tyler Rickenbach If you have any ideas for future issues, please e-mail newsdesk@byui.edu.
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