In an inaugural ceremony held today at the historic Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, LDS Business College inaugurated its 13th president, Dr. Bruce C. Kusch.

The inaugural ceremony was conducted by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, chairman of the Executive Committee of the LDS Business College Board of Trustees and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In his charge to President Kusch, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and second vice chairman of the LDS Business College Board of Trustees, said: “President Kusch, with the love and respect of your brethren and sisters of the Board, who have every confidence in you, we give you a charge to lead this college to new heights of purpose, learning, service, achievement, recognition and unity.”

President Kusch, who was joined by his wife, Alynda, and members of their immediate and extended family, responded: “President Uchtdorf, I gratefully accept your charge and pledge my ‘whole soul as an offering’ to magnify this sacred trust. I am excited for this season of learning and service, and feel much like Oliver Cowdery, who said, in describing early events of the Restoration, ‘These were days never to be forgotten.’ This is a time and a season in the history of Church education unlike any other. Truly, these are days never to be forgotten.”

Inaugural ceremony participants from the LDS Church included:

  • Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, General Authority Seventy
  • Bishop Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop
  • Sister Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President
  • Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President
  • Brother Stephen W. Owen, Young Men General President
  • Elder Craig C. Christensen, representing the Presidency of the Seventy
  • Elder Kim B. Clark, General Authority Seventy, Commissioner of the Church Educational System

The 12th LDS Business College president, J. Lawrence Richards, and his wife, Julie, were also present at the inauguration. Richards now serves as director of special projects for the LDS Church Educational System.

Other Church Educational System institution representatives included:

  • BYU-Idaho President Henry J. Eyring
  • BYU-Hawaii President John S. Tanner
  • BYU-Pathway Worldwide President Clark G. Gilbert
  • Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Administrator Chad H. Webb
  • BYU Academic Vice President James Rasband

About President Bruce C. Kusch

From the Inaugural Celebration Program

President Bruce C. Kusch began his LDS Church Educational System employment as a member of the business management faculty at Brigham Young University–Idaho in August 2002.

In July 2008, he was named associate academic vice president for curriculum at BYU–Idaho, serving in that position until June 2012 when he was called to serve as president of the Mexico Cuernavaca Mission.

President Kusch returned to BYU-Idaho in July 2015 as associate dean of online programs.

Prior to joining the BYU-Idaho faculty, President Kusch worked as a sales and marketing executive and management consultant for various high-technology firms in the San Francisco Bay Area.

President Kusch holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a Ph.D. in instructional design from Idaho State University.

In May 2012, he was awarded the Kole-McGuffey Prize from the College of Education at Idaho State University, recognizing him as the outstanding doctoral candidate for his research in creating significant online learning environments.

President Kusch has served the Church in many capacities, including: full-time missionary (Guatemala-El Salvador Mission), elders quorum president, bishop, stake president and mission president. He currently serves as a member of the North Salt Lake Utah Parkway Stake high council.

President Bruce C. Kusch became the 13th president of LDS Business College on April 17, 2017, where he had been serving as its chief academic officer since March 2016.

President Kusch and his wife, Alynda, were married in the Los Angeles California Temple in 1974. They are the parents of four children and 21 grandchildren. His personal interests include running, biking, fly fishing, photography and outdoor cooking.

About LDS Business College

From the Inaugural Celebration Program

In 1886, William B. Dougall believed that the youth of Salt Lake City should have a school of their own. He contacted several local leaders and scheduled the first meeting to take place in a bookstore owned by James Dwyer.

The night before their planned meeting, a fire broke out in the bookstore. By morning, the water used to put the fire out was still dripping from the destroyed roof. While that could have been the end of Dougall’s initiative, those determined, resourceful saints met anyway, sitting on boxes and crates in the charred-out, damp remains of the bookstore.

Perhaps it is symbolic that the organizers sat there—with ashes from books surrounding them—while they made plans for a place of learning, because the phoenix that rose from those ashes was the Salt Lake Stake Academy, now known as LDS Business College.

The College is a place where students study and prepare for specific jobs upon graduation. The school’s purpose is to provide a spiritually grounded, career-based education. It has served hundreds of businesses and commercial institutions in the Salt Lake Valley and beyond, while providing better prepared graduates who are tailored to meet current business needs.

The LDS Business College main campus has moved eight times with instruction provided in 16 different buildings across downtown Salt Lake City. From 1901 to 1961, the location of the current Church Office Building was home to LDSBC for the longest span of time. From 1962 to 2006, LDS Business College was in the Wall Mansion on 400 East South Temple before moving to its current location at the Triad Center.

The College offers programs in business, health professions, information technology, software development, interior design, paralegal studies, social media marketing and applied technology.

Approximately 2,200 students come from 43 U.S. states and more than 30 countries each year. Nearly 45 percent of students are returned missionaries and international students compose about 25 percent of the student body.

Since its founding, about 98,000 students have attended LDS Business College.

Media Resources

Video, transcripts and photos from today’s inauguration are available at ldsbc.edu/inauguration2017.

About LDS Business College

Founded in 1886, LDS Business College educates approximately 2,200 students annually from 43 U.S. states and more than 30 countries. LDSBC trains students to be job-ready proficient in one to two years at its campus in downtown Salt Lake City and online. It offers in-demand professional certificates and associate degrees, allowing students to earn a working wage while furthering their education. Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDSBC helps students achieve self-reliance in a Christ-centered environment. Call (801) 524-8100 or visit ldsbc.edu to learn more.