A new messaging theme invites the BYU community to draw closer to the Savior.
I ’LL NEVER FORGET THE EXCITEMENT I felt as a wide-eyed freshman walking into the Marriott Center for my first BYU devotional in 1976. The speaker was the university president, Dallin H. Oaks (BA ’54). His message that day was titled “Expectations at BYU.” I remember being struck by one phrase in particular: “Rise to the best that is in you.” That invitation has inspired me from that day to this.
In his message President Oaks quoted extensively from President Spencer W. Kimball’s “Second Century” address, which was given the previous fall as part of BYU’s centennial and included the dedicatory prayer for the Centennial Carillon Tower. President Oaks closed by quoting from the prayer:
Just as these bells will lift the hearts of the hearers when they hear the hymns and anthems played to thy glory, let the morality of the graduates of this University provide the music of hope for the inhabitants of this planet.
President Oaks added: “[President Kimball’s] prayer on that day is our prayer on each day of our lives in this great university.”1
President Kimball also called on us to share our “unique light” with the world.2 It’s an invitation that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (BS ’65, MA ’66) returned to in his 2018 BYU commencement address: “Be a ray of light. Be your best self and let your character shine. Cherish the gospel of Jesus Christ and live it. The world needs you.”3
These addresses inspired BYU’s 2026–27 messaging theme: “Seeking and Sharing His Light. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we seek and share His light through our pursuit of truth, our love of God and all His children, and our service to the world.”
One of the objectives of BYU’s five-year strategic plan—Becoming BYU—is to “increase key external audiences’ understanding and awareness of BYU’s unique mission.” The annual messaging theme is a key component of the university’s overall communications strategy and guide the messaging of the individual campus units.
One place you’ll encounter the theme is in broadcasts of BYU football games this fall, where BYU’s institutional spot—with a tagline of “The Power of And”—will highlight elements of BYU’s unique mission. And you’ll see examples of BYU seeking and sharing the Lord’s light in the pages of this magazine, on social media, and in other communications.
Earlier this year—50 years since my freshman year—I experienced a full-circle moment at another President Oaks devotional, his first public address as the prophet. Again I came away inspired by an invitation he shared—to “draw closer to our Savior.”4
As we enter the second half of the second century of BYU, we reflect on the past with reverence and gratitude, and we look to the future with courage and optimism. The clarion calls from President Oaks in 1976 and 2026 ring especially true. Our hope is that each member of the BYU community—including our alumni—will rise to the best that is in us and draw closer to the Savior by seeking and sharing His light.
Michael Hansen is the BYU chief strategic communications officer.
NOTES
1. Dallin H. Oaks, “Coming Closer to Jesus Christ,” BYU devotional address, Feb. 10, 2026.
2. Dallin H. Oaks, “Expectations at BYU,” BYU devotional address, Aug. 31, 1976.
3. Spencer W. Kimball, “The Second Century of Brigham Young University,” BYU devotional address, Oct. 10, 1975.
4. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Banishing All Shadows,” BYU commencement address, April 26, 2018.
