Elder W. Rolfe Kerr, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and a man long known for various high-level education-related appointments in Utah, has been named commissioner of education for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He will replace Elder Henry B. Eyring, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and commissioner the past 17 years.
Prior to his call to full-time church service in 1996, Elder Kerr worked as state commissioner of higher education, president of Dixie College, and in a number of administrative positions at Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State and a doctorate from the U.
As church commissioner of education, Elder Kerr will direct operations of the church's higher-education institutions, including BYU, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii and LDS Business College. He will also oversee the church's seminaries and institutes of religion.
He will report to the church's board of education and board of trustees.
Elder Kerr will have a hard act to follow. Under Elder Eyring, seminary (the church's system of religious instruction for high-schoolers) and institute (seminary's college equivalent) experienced a whopping 230 percent growth, driven by increases in international areas. The church's education system now operates in approximately 140 countries.
Elder Eyring oversaw the conversion of Ricks College from a two-year junior college to a four-year university, a major change announced in June 2000 that included dropping intercollegiate sports in favor of a beefed-up intramurals program, the subject of some controversy at the time. The change included hiring an infusion of faculty, a building boom and increased numbers of students.
Reflecting the change, the name of the institution became Brigham Young University-Idaho.
Elder Eyring also guided the implementation of a common admissions process for all church higher education institutions, as well as a shared library system in which all library resources are available to each of the campuses.
"The First Presidency expressed appreciation and gratitude for Elder Eyring's long years of service and leadership," a church press release stated.
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