REXBURG, Idaho — Family members and friends unable to physically attend commencement exercises Friday at BYU-Idaho were able to support their loved ones through streaming video.
Commencement exercises, held at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the John W. Hart Auditorium, were later broadcast via the Internet through the BYU-Idaho website.
This year's spring 2010 graduating class earned 1,305 degrees — 967 bachelor's degrees and 355 associate degrees.
The keynote speaker, Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy, spoke of the hope for difficult times ahead as individuals plan and pray and work.
"I know many of you are faced with uncertainty," Elder Hinckley said. "Most of you hope to find employment in what is a very difficult job market. Others of you will go on to pursue other degrees at this or other institutions. Still others will settle into building a home life and raising children. In every case, you will be better off for having completed your degree here."
Elder Hinckley offered four pieces of advice to help individuals as they look to the future with hope, despite difficult economic and moral times:
Be optimistic.
Sharing an example of his father, President Gordon B. Hinckley, and the tough economic times he experienced during the Great Depression, Elder Hinckley spoke of the importance of staying positive, even when times are hard.
"Times are tough, but you can still do the best of things," Elder Hinckley said. "There is no reason for pessimism. There is every reason for hope and optimism. ... What values will you take away from today's recession? Just determine to make the best of every circumstance."
Apply yourself.
"There simply is no substitute for goals, planning and steady, focused, directed application — that is, work," Elder Hinckley said. "Those who live productive lives work hard. I am satisfied that is the case. They discipline themselves. And success doesn't come overnight."
Elder Hinckley spoke of the day-in-day-out application of work and the satisfaction that comes from it.
"Life has taught me that working through a problem, completing a task, grinding through a mound of paperwork, even repairing a broken appliance or lawn mower, can bring me much more satisfaction than going to a movie or watching a television show," he said.
Deny yourself.
"Now probably is not the time in your lives to be buying the fanciest iPad, the biggest truck or the most expensive flat-screen television," he said. "Those can come later, when you are on a secure financial footing, and they should never be facilitated by high-interest consumer debt.
"I am convinced that the best way to begin cultivating a proper attitude toward spending is to pay your tithing. The Lord has promised that he will open the windows of heaven to those who observe this great commandment."
Don't take shortcuts.
Drawing from examples in his own life, Elder Hinckley spoke of the need to avoid unnecessary hardship.
"Stay on the beaten path. Hold firm to the tested and true. Don't stray off into dangerous territory against the warning voices of the prophets, your parents and your true friends. Don't seek shortcuts in life that may be dead ends that sap your strength, that weaken your resolve, that rob you of precious years and that subject you to the powers of destruction. There really are no shortcuts in life worth taking."
Other speakers included Paul V. Johnson, commissioner of the Church Educational System, and BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark.
e-mail: mholman@desnews.com