Jeffrey R. Holland

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For other people named Jeffrey Holland, see Jeffrey Holland (disambiguation).
Jeffrey R. Holland
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23) – incumbent
Called by Howard W. Hunter
LDS Church Apostle
June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23) – incumbent
Called by Howard W. Hunter
Reason Death of Ezra Taft Benson; reorganization of First Presidency
First Quorum of the Seventy
April 1, 1989 (1989-04-01) – June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23)
Called by Ezra Taft Benson
End reason Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Personal details
Born Jeffrey Roy Holland
December 3, 1940 (1940-12-03) (age 70)
St. George, Utah
Alma mater Brigham Young University (B.A., M.A.)
Yale University (M.A., Ph.D.)
Spouse Patricia Terry (m. 1963)
Children Matthew Scott (b. 1966)
Mary Alice (b. 1969)
David (b. 1973)

Jeffrey Roy Holland (born December 3, 1940) 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 LDS Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the ninth most senior apostle among the ranks of the Church.

Contents

[edit] 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.[1] As a young man, Holland served a mission to England; his mission president was Marion D. Hanks, a general authority of the church. He and Quentin L. Cook were missionary companions.[2]

Holland graduated from Dixie High School. He helped the Flyers capture the high school state championships in football and basketball.[1] He began his college education at Dixie College before his mission. After his return from his mission, he served as co-captain of the Dixie basketball team.[3] In 2011, the school broke ground for the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building, a $48 million, five-story building that honors both Elder Holland and the school's 2011 centennial.[4]

Holland then transferred to Brigham Young University where he graduated with a BA in English. He then received an MA in Religious Education from BYU while also teaching religion classes part time.[1] After earning his master's degree, Holland became an Institute of Religion teacher in Hayward, California. He next served as an institute director in Seattle, Washington. While in Seattle, Holland served as the bishop of a single adults ward. Holland attended Yale University and earned a second master's degree, this time in American Studies, and later a Ph.D in the same subject.[5] 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.[6] While in Connecticut, Holland served as a counselor in the presidency of the Hartford Connecticut Stake,[1] which had been organized in 1966.

[edit] Leadership at BYU and the Church Educational System

Holland served as an institute director in Salt Lake City after getting his Ph.D. He then served as director of the Melchizedek Priesthood MIA.[3] In 1974, Holland was appointed Dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University; during this period of time, he was the youngest dean at BYU. He went from that position to being the eleventh commissioner of the Church Educational System, a position he held from 1976 to 1980. He was then appointed president of BYU as the successor to Dallin H. Oaks. The most notable achievement of his presidency was the founding of the BYU Jerusalem Center. He also led a $100,000,000 fundraising campaign.[1] During his presidency, Holland renamed the BYU Center for International Studies the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and re-emphasized its role at BYU.[7]

As president of BYU, Holland also sought to encourage academic excellence in an atmosphere of faith. Like future BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson, Holland emphasized that BYU could not do everything, but would seek excellence in what it did choose to do.[8]

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 president's committee. He also received the "Torch of Light" award from the Anti-defamation League.[9]

[edit] LDS Church leadership

After the end of his term as president of Brigham Young University, Holland was called as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 1, 1989.[10] As a member of the Seventy, Holland was a counselor in the general presidency of the church's Young Men organization in 1989 and 1990. Prior to his call as a general authority, Holland had been a bishop, regional representative of the Twelve Apostles, and a counselor in a stake presidency.[10]

Holland was ordained an apostle of the LDS Church on June 23, 1994 by Howard W. Hunter,[11] 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.

Beginning August 2002, Holland presided personally as president of the Chile Area of the church for one year.[12]

In General Conferences in fall 2007 and Spring 2008 Holland gave two sermons that directly answered accusations that Latter-day Saints are not within the accepted realm of Christianity. At the spring 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 well over 500,000 times.[13]

[edit] Family

Holland and his wife, the former Patricia Terry, were married on June 7, 1963 in the St. George Temple. They have three grown children. His son, Matthew S. Holland, was appointed as the President of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah in 2009. His younger son, David F. Holland, is a professor at UNLV.

[edit] Works

Books
Articles
Speeches

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Searle, Don L. (August 1995), "Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", Liahona: 26, http://lds.org/liahona/1995/08/elder-jeffrey-r-holland-of-the-quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles?lang=eng 
  2. ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (April 2008), "Elder Quentin L. Cook: A Willing Heart and Mind", Ensign, http://lds.org/ensign/2008/04/elder-quentin-l-cook-a-willing-heart-and-mind?lang=eng 
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ "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 
  5. ^ Church Almanac. (2003). Deseret News: Salt Lake City.[page needed]
  6. ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (1973). Mark Twain's Religious Sense: The Viable Years -- 1835-1883 (Ph.D. thesis). Yale University. OCLC 367235370. 
  7. ^ Holland, Jeffrey R. (17 November 1983), The Mission of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, http://kennedy.byu.edu/aboutus/ElderHolland.php 
  8. ^ Jeffrey R. Holland, "Past Presidents", BYU Office of the President (Brigham Young University), http://unicomm.byu.edu/president/holland.aspx 
  9. ^ "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 
  10. ^ a b 2006 Deseret News Church Almanac, p. 26
  11. ^ Personal correspondence from Jeffrey R. Holland, November 9, 1999.[unreliable source?]
  12. ^ Two Apostles Will Serve Overseas, "News of the Church", Ensign, May 2002, http://lds.org/ensign/2002/05/news-of-the-church?lang=eng 
  13. ^ 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 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Academic offices
Preceded by
Dallin H. Oaks		 President of BYU
1980–1989		 Succeeded by
Rex E. Lee
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by
Robert D. Hales		 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
June 23, 1994–		 Succeeded by
Henry B. Eyring
v · d · eQuorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Packer • Perry • Nelson • Oaks • Ballard • Scott • Hales • Holland • Bednar • Cook • Christofferson • Andersen
v · d · eApostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
J. Smith • Cowdery • Harris • Whitmer • Marsh • Patten • B. Young, Sr. • H.C. Kimball • Hyde • M'Lellin • P.P. Pratt • L.S. Johnson • Wm. Smith • O. Pratt • Boynton • L.E. Johnson • Page • J. Taylor • W. Woodruff • G.A. Smith • W. Richards • Wight • H. Smith • A.M. Lyman • Benson • Rich • L. Snow • E. Snow • F.D. Richards • J.M. Grant • Wells • J.W. Young • G.Q. Cannon • J.A. Young • J.F. Smith, Sr. • B. Young, Jr. • Carrington • Thatcher • F.M. Lyman • J.H. Smith • Teasdale • H.J. Grant • J.W. Taylor • M.W. Merrill • Lund • A.H. Cannon • M.F. Cowley • A.O. Woodruff • Clawson • Smoot • H.M. Smith • G.A. Smith • Penrose • G.F. Richards • Whitney • McKay • Ivins • J.F. Smith, Jr. • Talmage • S.L. Richards • R.R. Lyman • M.J. Ballard • Widtsoe • J.F. Merrill • Callis • Clark • A.A. Hinckley • Bowen • S.Q. Cannon • Lee • S.W. Kimball • Benson • Petersen • M. Cowley • Moyle • Stapley • Romney • L. Richards • Bennion • Evans • Morris • Brown • Hunter • G.B. Hinckley • Tanner • Monson • Dyer • Packer • Ashton • McConkie • Perry • Haight • Faust • Maxwell • Nelson • Oaks • M.R. Ballard • Wirthlin • Scott • Hales • Holland • Eyring • Uchtdorf • Bednar • Cook • Christofferson • Andersen
v · d · ePresidents of Brigham Young University
Dusenberry • Maeser • Cluff • Brimhall • Harris • McDonald • Wilkinson • Oaks • Holland • Lee • Bateman • Samuelson
v · d · eCommissioners of Church Education of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Maeser (1888–1901) • Tanner (1901–1905) • Cummings (1905–1920) • McKay (1920–1921) • Widtsoe (1921–1924) • Merrill (1928–1933) • Widtsoe (1934–1936) • West (1936–1953) • Wilkinson (1953–1970) • Maxwell (1970–1976) • Holland (1976–1980) • Eyring (1980–1986) • Cameron (1986–1989) • Eyring (1992–2004) • Kerr (2004–2008) • Johnson (2008– )
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