Ricks President Inaugurated

Newly inaugurated President David A. Bednar pledged to lead Ricks College into the 21st century, but promised not to change the school’s focus on its students.

Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over Bednar’s inauguration Friday at Ricks College, a two-year school owned by the church. Bednar assumed his duties July 1, replacing Steven Bennion, who left to become president of Southern Utah University.

In his inaugural address, Bednar said one of his top priorities is to maintain Ricks’ small-college atmosphere while keeping up with a changing society and technology.

Bednar said he realizes many young people do not have the opportunity to be a part of Ricks, and he is working on ways to reach out to people outside of Rexburg and eastern Idaho.

The school’s enrollment has grown by about 1,000 students in the past few years, forcing an enrollment cap of 8,600.

After receiving his doctorate from Purdue in organizational behavior, Bednar taught at the University of Arkansas for 15 years and at Texas Technical College for two years.