Brigham Young University-Idaho is getting a new president: Alvin Frazier “Trip” Meredith III.
Meredith, who will be the Rexburg school’s 18th president, is a general authority Seventy with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns and operates BYU-Idaho. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and has worked with a global technology firm.
The 52-year-old began his full-time assignment for the Utah-based faith in 2021 and most recently was in a leadership position in the faith’s Middle East/North Africa area.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU-Idaho in Rexburg in 2018. A new president has been named for the school.
On Aug. 1, Meredith will replace Henry J. Eyring, who has led the school as president for six years, including during the shutdowns caused by COVID-19. He is the son of Latter-day Saint apostle Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the faith’s governing First Presidency.
Apostle D. Todd Christofferson was on hand at the BYU-Idaho Center to name the new leader.
In this “spirit of succession in the ministry, [church] President [Russell M.] Nelson has asked me to announce the conclusion of President Henry J. Eyring’s remarkable service as president of Brigham Young University–Idaho,” Christofferson said during a devotional assembly with students and faculty.
During his tenure, Eyring has “interviewed over 500 faculty candidates, including many who are here in this auditorium today,” the apostle said. He also has “streamlined and simplified the BYU–Idaho curriculum structure. He strengthened partnerships with BYU–Pathway Worldwide and Ensign College to provide online education to tens of thousands of students across the world.”
Eyring will return to BYU’s Marriott School of Business, where he previously served as director of the MBA program, Christofferson said. “He has been asked to assist with the development of a Christ-centered leadership curriculum and to teach both graduate and undergraduate students.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Students and faculty applaud outgoing BYU–Idaho President Henry J. Eyring and his wife, Kelly, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Alvin F. Meredith III will become the school’s next president on Aug. 1, 2023.
The apostle then described Meredith’s accomplishments, saying that he is personally acquainted with the incoming president.
While he grew up in a small town in Tennessee, Meredith has “lived around the world, including in Hong Kong and Singapore,” Christofferson said. “... I have known Elder Meredith since he was a teenager, and my admiration for him only grows as time passes.”
Perhaps most relevant, Meredith “has extensive experience working with young adults, which was highlighted by his service as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission,” he said. Meredith has also served on the Church Educational System “faculty interview committee. He is an effective teacher and leader of organizations.”
He and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of six children, three of whom will be joining them during their time at BYU–Idaho.
“You’re going to love them,” Christofferson quipped to his listeners, as the couple came up to the stand.
In his brief remarks, the outgoing president mentioned the leadership of his predecessors (including his father) and then thanked members of the BYU-Idaho community during his time — students and faculty — who had “consecrated” themselves to the school.
Eyring has met Meredith and his wife and “can attest [they] are prepared to lead this university,” he said. “They will be led on a steady upward path…this great institution will get better.”
For his part, Meredith praised his predecessor for lifting others.
“You have been blessed beyond measure to be here under the leadership of President Eyring,” Meredith told the audience. “He is a world-class innovator and scholar but has uncommon humility.”
Meredith pledged to continue the university’s emphasis on students and on developing their faith in Jesus.
The Eyrings can “close this chapter with a sense of peace and satisfaction having experienced once again the Lord being with them, together and individually,” Christofferson concluded, while the Merediths “can look forward with good courage to this new chapter in their lives, knowing that hard work, success and joy await.”
Earlier this month, Christopher Shane Reese officially took over as president of BYU’s flagship campus in Provo, replacing Kevin Worthen.
