- Apostle of LDS Church
- President of Brigham Young University (1980-1988)
- Eagle Scout (1955)
Biography[]
Jeffrey R. Holland was born 3 December 1940 in St. George, Washington County, Utah, United States to Frank Dennis Holland (1910-1977) and Alice Bentley (1915-2011) . He married Patricia Terry (1942) 7 June 1963 in St. George Utah Temple, St. George, Washington County, Utah, United States.
Jeffrey Roy Holland is an American educator and religious leader. He served as the ninth President of Brigham Young University and is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Holland is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the fourth most senior apostle in the church.[1]
Holland was born and raised in St. George, Utah. After graduating from high school, his college education began at Dixie College and he also served a mission for the LDS Church in Great Britain. After returning from his mission, he transferred to Brigham Young University (BYU) and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. He later earned a master's degree in Religious Education at BYU. Holland received a second master's degrees and later a Ph.D in American Studies at Yale University. In 1974, Holland was appointed the Dean of Religious Education at BYU and was appointed as the eleventh commissioner of the Church Educational System two years later, replacing Neal A. Maxwell. In 1980, Holland became the ninth president of BYU, replacing Dallin Harris Oaks (1932-).
Early life and education[]
Holland was born in St. George, Utah. His father, Frank D. Holland, was a convert to the LDS Church while his mother, Alice, came from a long line of Latter-day Saints. As a youth, he worked as a newspaper carrier, a grocery bagger, and a service station attendant.[2] As a young man, Holland served in what was then known as the British Mission His mission president was Marion D. Hanks, a general authority of the church. He and Quentin L. Cook were missionary companions.
Holland graduated from Dixie High School. He helped the Flyers capture state high school championships in football and basketball.[3] He began his college education at Dixie College before his mission. After returning from his mission, he served as co-captain of the Dixie basketball team.[2] In 2011, the school broke ground for the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building, a building to honor both Holland and the school's 2011 centennial.[4] The completed building was dedicated in September 2012.[5]
Holland transferred to BYU, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. He wrote a thesis on selected changes to the text of the Book of Mormon to complete his master's degree in religious education from BYU,[6][7] while also teaching religion classes part-time.[3] After earning his master's degree, Holland became an Institute of Religion teacher in Hayward, California. He worked as an institute director in Seattle, Washington. Holland attended Yale University and earned a second master's degree in American studies, and later a PhD in the same subject.[8] At Yale, Holland studied with American literary scholar and critic R. W. B. Lewis and authored a dissertation on the religious sense of Mark Twain.[9] He was an instructor at the LDS Church's institute in Hartford while he was a student at Yale.
While studying at Yale, Holland served as a counselor in the presidency of the LDS Church's Hartford Connecticut Stake.[10]
Leadership at BYU and the Church Educational System[]
Holland served as an institute director in Salt Lake City after earning his Ph.D. He also served as director of the Melchizedek Priesthood MIA and as chair of the Young Adult Committee for the LDS Church.[2][11] In 1974, at the age of thirty-three, Holland was appointed Dean of Religious Education at BYU. From 1976 to 1980, he served as the eleventh commissioner of the Church Educational System, replacing Neal A. Maxwell when he was called to the First Council of the Seventy.[12]:40–42[13][14] During this time, Holland also served on the board of directors of LDS Hospital and of the Polynesian Cultural Center.[15]
In 1980, Holland was appointed to succeed Dallin H. Oaks as president of BYU. After a search committee was formed, as a favorite candidate of the First Counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency, N. Eldon Tanner, and the protege of the chair of the executive committee of the BYU Board of Trustees, Gordon B. Hinckley, Holland was appointed less than two days later. As the church's Commissioner of Education at the time Oaks was released, Holland was supposed to compile a list of candidates to be the next BYU president. Instead, he was unexpectedly notified of the First Presidency's intention to make him president. After his appointment, rumors on campus cited the decision as "politically motivated".[12]:40–41 Before he arrived in Provo, Holland reduced the number of vice-presidents to four and increased the number of assistant and associate vice-presidents over academics.[12]:42
Holland easily transitioned into the role of president. He was familiar with the president's duties, since he had worked closely with Oaks as the Commissioner of Education.[12]:41 He placed emphasis on upgrading programs and improving relationships with faculty rather than focusing on physical expansion of the campus.[12]:42 In order to supplement the school's funds, Holland launched a fundraiser called "Excellence in the Eighties" which sought to raise $100 million from 1982 to 1987.[3] Specific funds were raised for student scholarships, academic programs, faculty salaries, and extension programs. He emphasized hiring more qualified faculty and purchasing more library and research materials. He supervised the building of the Crabtree Technology Building, but didn't promise more than ten new buildings during his presidency.[12]:43
A significant achievement during Holland's presidency was the founding of the BYU Jerusalem Center.[16] Also during his presidency, the BYU Center for International Studies was renamed the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and had its role at BYU re-emphasized.[17] There had been a large amount of debate about BYU's dress code throughout the previous administrations, the most prominent question being whether women were allowed to wear denim pants on campus. Holland's view was that women should be more concerned with modesty and cleanliness of dress than the fabric and color of the clothing. He also clarified his support for dress code rules prohibiting men from wearing earrings and women from wearing safety pins in their ears.[12]:115 Regarding violations of the Honor Code, if a student requested their names be removed from the church records, Holland instituted a policy in which they would have to receive special permission from the Board of Trustees in order to remain enrolled in school.[12]:122–23
During Holland's presidency, the weekly independent student newspaper, The 7th East Press was shut down due to writing about controversial topics. However, student editor Dean Huffaker believed that Holland had tried to prevent them from being banned because Holland was conscious of public relations and didn't want to cause controversy. The students stated that they believed the ban came from one of the LDS Church's general authorities.[18]
Holland had the re-establishment religious instruction as the "hub" of BYU's academics as one of his significant administrative goals. While he did not initiaite any significant changes along these lines he did in his public communications regularly emphasize the importance of religious education.[12]:91 As president of BYU, Holland encouraged academic excellence in an atmosphere of faith. Holland emphasized that BYU could not do everything, but would seek excellence in what it did choose to do.[16]
Holland served as the president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU) and as a member of the NCAA's presidents' committee. He also received the "Torch of Liberty" award from the Anti-defamation League.[19]
LDS Church service[]
Holland was called as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 1, 1989, bringing an end to his term as president of BYU.[20] As a member of the Seventy, Holland was a counselor in the general presidency of the church's Young Men organization from 1989 to 1990.
Prior to his call as a general authority, Holland served as bishop of a single adult ward in Seattle, as a counselor in the presidency of the Hartford Connecticut Stake,[3] and as a regional representative.[20] He also served in the presidency of two other stakes and as a stake high councilor.[21]
From 1990 to 1993, Holland and his wife lived in Solihull, England where he served as president of the church's Europe North Area.[22]
Holland was ordained an apostle of the LDS Church on June 23, 1994, by Howard W. Hunter.[23] He was selected as an apostle following the death of church president Ezra Taft Benson and was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 1, 1994. In 2000, Holland became the chair of the Missionary Curriculum Task Force which worked to develop Preach My Gospel.[24]
Holland lived in Santiago and served as president of the church's Chile Area from 2002 to 2004.[25][26]
In church general conferences in the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008, Holland gave sermons that directly answered accusations that Latter-day Saints are not Christians. At the April 2009 general conference, Holland gave a sermon about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the importance of Christ's statement, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me". This talk was later reformatted with music and put on an LDS Church website, where by August 2009 it had been viewed over 500,000 times.[27]
In 2012, Holland was the member of the Quorum of the Twelve with responsibility for the affairs of the LDS Church in Africa. In early 2012, he went to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana to meet with members and missionaries. He also met with the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Samuel Sam-Sumana.[28] In December 2012, Holland organized the LDS Church's 3000th stake in Freetown, Sierra Leone.[29][30] On March 12, 2012, the Harvard Law School hosted Holland for a Mormonism 101 series.[31] On June 10, 2015, he addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Foreign Affairs in the House of Lords at the UK Parliament.[32] In 2016, Holland was keynote speaker at the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) Duty to God breakfast, as part of his assignment as the LDS Church's chief representative to the BSA.[33]
As of January 2018, among his other assignments, Holland continues his service on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, where he also serves as chairman of the Executive Committee.[34]
In November 2018, Holland spoke at a major inter-religious conference at Oxford University.[35] During the same trip, Holland met with Theresa May, Prime Minister of Great Britain. This may have been the first official meeting of an LDS Church apostle with a British Prime Minister.[36] In January 2019, Holland presided at the groundbreaking for the church's Urdaneta Philippines Temple. He also spoke at a multi-stake conference in the Philippines that week.[37]
In 2020, while still serving as the chairman of the executive committee of the BYU-Hawaii board of trustees, he announced the appointment of John S. K. Kauwe III as the institution's new president.[38][39]
Family[]
Holland and his wife, Patricia Terry, were married on June 7, 1963, in the St. George Utah Temple. They are the parents of three children.[40]
- Their oldest son, Matthew Scott Holland (1966), served as president of Utah Valley University from 2009 to 2018[41] and has been a general authority since April 2020.[42]
- Their youngest son, David Frank Holland (1973), is a professor at Harvard Divinity School.[43]
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Matthew Scott Holland (1966) | 7 June 1966 Provo, Utah County, Utah, United States | ||
| David Frank Holland (1973) | 1973 Provo, Utah County, Utah, United States | ||
Siblings[]
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Jeffrey Roy Holland (1940) | 3 December 1940 St. George, Washington County, Utah, United States | Patricia Terry (1942) | |
| Scott Bentley Holland (1952-1952) | |||
Residences
See ALso[]
- Jeffrey Holland
- Holland in Washington County, Utah
- wikipedia:en:Jeffrey R. Holland
Awards[]
- Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America (1955)[44]
- Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the National Eagle Scout Association[44]
- Torch of Liberty Award by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith[40]
- Washington County Exemplary Manhood Award (July 2013)[45]
Notes[]
- ^ Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by date of ordination, not by age or other factors. If two apostles are ordained on the same day, the older of the two is typically ordained first. See Succession to the presidency
- ^ a b c Godfrey, Kenneth W. "Jeffrey R. Holland" in Garr, Arnold K., Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan (eds.). Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 506.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSearle - ^ "Dixie State College Officially Breaks Ground for New Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building", Dixie Today (Dixie State College of Utah), 21 March 2011, http://www.dixie.edu/news/news.php?id=734
- ^ Dixie State dedicates commons named for Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Deseret News, 8 September 2012, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765602600/Dixie-State-dedicates-commons-named-for-Elder-Jeffrey-R-Holland.html?pg=all
- ^ Holland, Jeffrey R (1966). An Analysis of Selected Changes in Major Editions of the Book of Mormon - 1830-1920. Master's Thesis: Brigham Young University. http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4800/.
- ^ Quinn, D. Michael (1997). The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power. Signature Books.
- ^ 2003 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2002, page 34).
- ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (1973). Mark Twain's Religious Sense: The Viable Years -- 1835-1883 (Ph.D. thesis). Yale University. OCLC 367235370.
- ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (April 1983), "Within the Clasp of Your Arms"., https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1983/04/within-the-clasp-of-your-arms?lang=eng
- ^ article on Holland's call as BYU President
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bergera, Gary James; Priddis, Ronald (1985). Brigham Young University: A House of Faith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books. ISBN 0941214346. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/brigham-young-university/.
- ^ Brown, Matthew S. (June 24, 1994). "Calling Fills Elder Holland with Awe". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/360764/CALLING-FILLS-ELDER-HOLLAND-WITH-AWE.html.
- ^ "Jeffrey Holland Named LDS Apostle". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. June 23, 1994. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/360524/JEFFREY-HOLLAND-NAMED-LDS-APOSTLE.html.
- ^ July 1980 article on Holland's appointment to head BYU
- ^ a b "Jeffrey R. Holland", Past Presidents, BYU Office of the President (Brigham Young University), http://unicomm.byu.edu/president/holland.aspx
- ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (17 November 1983), The Mission of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, http://kennedy.byu.edu/aboutus/ElderHolland.php
- ^ Baird, Joe (February 22, 1983). "BYU 'Press" gets heave-ho from campus". The Daily Utah Chronicle. https://basic.newspapers.com/image/429968175.
- ^ "Homecoming 2009", Dixie State Magazine (Dixie State College of Utah): 8, Fall 2009, http://www.dixie.edu/pr/magazine/09%20Fall%20Alum%20Mag.web.pdf, retrieved 2011-08-31
- ^ a b 2006 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2005) p. 26
- ^ article on Holland's call as BYU President
- ^ Church News 20 August 2020
- ^ Church Educational System (2003). "Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles In the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times", Church History in the Fulness of Times (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church) p. 660.
- ^ "History of the development of Preach My Gospel".
- ^ "Two Apostles Will Serve Overseas", Ensign, May 2002, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/05/news-of-the-church/two-apostles-will-serve-overseas
- ^ "New area assignments: Service begins Aug. 15 for 30 area presidencies", Church News, June 14, 2003, https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2003-06-14/new-area-assignments-14651
- ^ Shill, Aaron (8 October 2009), "LDS Church using the Internet to its advantage", Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705335169/LDS-Church-using-the-Internet-to-its-advantage.html
- ^ Holman, Marianne (February 23, 2012), "A bright future for members in African nations: Apostle visits, blesses countries in West Africa", Church News, https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2012-02-23/a-bright-future-for-members-in-african-nations-38123
- ^ "Historic Milestone: Sierra Leone Stake Marks Church's 3000th", churchofjesuschrist.org.
- ^ "Historic milestone: Sierra Leone stake marks LDS Church's 3000th", Deseret News, December 2, 2012.
- ^ "Harvard Hosts Mormon Apostle as Speaker". 2012-03-21. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/harvard-hosts-mormon-apostle.
- ^ "Mormon Apostle Addresses All-Party Parliamentary Group in UK House of Lords". 2015-06-10. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormon-apostle-addresses-all-party-parliamentary-group-in-uk-house-of-lords.
- ^ article on Holland's speech
- ^ Church Education: About CES Administration, churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ article on Holland at Oxford
- ^ article on Holland meeting May
- ^ Church News article on Urdeneta groundbreaking
- ^ "Church Names Native Hawaiian as New President of Brigham Young University–Hawaii: John "Keoni" Kauwe and his wife, Monica, begin service on July 1". Newsroom (LDS Church). May 12, 2020. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/john-keoni-kauwe-new-president-byu-hawaii.
- ^ Walch, Tad (May 12, 2020). "BYU administrator named as BYU-Hawaii's new president, replacing John Tanner". Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/5/12/21256358/byu-administrator-named-as-byu-hawaiis-new-president-replacing-john-tanner.
- ^ a b "Jeffrey R. Holland". Organization: General Authorities. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/leader/jeffrey-r-holland?lang=eng.
- ^ Trotter, Scott. "UVU President Matthew S. Holland called as LDS mission president, set to leave UVU in June 2018". Utah Valley University. https://www.uvu.edu/news/newsarchive/2017/november/mshmission.html.
- ^ Fletcher Stack, Peggy. "Former Utah Valley University president joins LDS Church's general authority ranks". Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/04/04/former-utah-valley/.
- ^ "David F. Holland". President and Fellows of Harvard College. https://hds.harvard.edu/people/david-f-holland.
- ^ a b "Archived copy". http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/Distinguished_EagleScouts.aspx.
- ^ Eyring, Emily (July 23, 2013). "Mormon leader Elder Jeffrey R. Holland to receive Manhood Award". Deseret News (Deseret News Publishing Company). https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865583521/Mormon-leader-Elder-Jeffrey-R-Holland-to-receive-Manhood-Award.html?pg=all.
External links[]
