That "The glory of God is intelligence" (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36) validates and underscores the emphasis placed on education by the Church from its earliest days. Several times in revelations through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord declared the importance of education. (See Doctrine and Covenants 55:4, and 93:53.)

Raija Kemppainen

Photo by Michael W. Shurtleff

Students in Columbia, S.C., attend an institute class discussing world religions. Emphasis on religion in the early days of the Church lead to the Church Educational System, which now includes institutes and seminaries organized around the world.

The proclamation, signed by President Joseph Smith and his counselors, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, said, "The 'University of the City of Nauvoo' will enable us to teach our children wisdom, to instruct them in all the knowledge and learning, in the arts, sciences, and learned professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practicable utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness" (History of the Church, 4:269).

A university was part of the liberal charter given the City of Nauvoo by the Illinois legislature in 1840. A proclamation delivered by the First Presidency in 1841 reiterated the stand of the Church on education.

The emphasis on religion in the early days of the Church spawned a Church Educational System that today includes universities and a college, as well as institute and seminary programs, and other educational entities. CES spans the globe and touches hundreds of thousands of lives.

The Church Educational System now touches the lives of more than 360,000 youths through seminary; more than 365,000 college-age adults through institute; and another approximately 470,000 through BYU Adult Continuing Education. There are about 42,000 students enrolled at the Church's universities and college, and more than 9,000 in elementary and secondary schools in Fiji, Kiribati, Mexico, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, according to the "Church Educational System Annual Information Update 2005."

Among the graduates is Raija Kemppainen, familiarly known as Pini, who already had a strong background in education and the Church when she traveled with her family from Finland to earn a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Foundations at BYU, graduating in 2003. Now back in Finland, where she is the Young Women president in the Espoo 1st Ward, Helsinki Finland Stake, Sister Kemppainen looked back and called her years at BYU "some of the highlights of my life," in an e-mail to the Church News.

A lifelong member of the Church, she stood by her husband, Jussi, helping open Russia to missionary work beginning in 1989. For her husband, it was part of his calling as a counselor in the Finnish Mission presidency.

"My assignments included helping with the auxiliaries and supporting the new members in the Church," Sister Kemppainen said. She and her husband also helped with the Church in the Baltic state of Estonia where they lived for three years.

But it was at BYU, where she also taught, that she learned that spiritual and intellectual growth are interrelated, she said.

"I am happy that I have had a taste of the special atmosphere at BYU. I have noticed a few times in my life that working too hard can drain you spiritually," she said. "Although my working days were long while at BYU, I never was drained spiritually. I was able to renew my spirit through devotionals, dialogue with colleagues, and prayers."

As a teacher at BYU, adopting the practice of prayer in the classroom made a difference, she said. "I felt whole at BYU because I did not have to separate the spiritual and academic 'me.' "

Now back in the secular education of Finland, she said she has come to appreciate the importance of seminary and institute in the lives of young members of the Church. Having taught both, she said, "I do firmly believe that seminary and institute provide our youth with principles and values that will help them with all the goals in their lives, whether temporal or eternal."

For Jerome Fogle of the Columbia University (Student Single) Branch, West Columbia South Carolina Stake, the institute program turned his life around. He accepted an invitation from missionaries to attend institute, and was baptized a few months later.

"As I began to attend the institute class, I felt a spirit of love and acceptance I had never felt before," he said. "All my life, I was told that I would never be anything important, that I was born lower class and would never be allowed out of it. I was working two jobs in different fast food places and thought that I would be doing this the rest of my life. In institute and as a member of the Church, I learned who I really am. I learned that as a child of God, I had the potential to become like Him and nothing is impossible."

Working with a CES senior missionary couple, he put together a resume and is now a loan officer in a bank and improving his education.

"I also met a young woman at an institute activity and we are planning on getting married in the near future," he said. "I love the gospel, I love being a member of Christ's true Church. I am so grateful for the Institute program."

Michael W. Shurtleff, CES coordinator in Columbia, S.C., said that Jerome has been instrumental in bringing other members of his family into the Church, and doing family history has submitted more than 100 names of relatives to for temple work and has performed many of the ordinances for them."

Brother Shurtleff also related a story about a seminary class from his time as CES coordinator in northern Florida. He said some years ago all 21 youth of the Apalachicola Ward, Panama City Florida Stake, eligible for seminary enrolled in the class taught by Farrell Wahlquist. They developed a close relationship, Brother Shurtleff said, that was valuable when one of their classmates had to have back surgery at a hospital in Tallahassee, more than 50 miles away.

"They made arrangements to have someone from the seminary class visit him each day he was out and teach him the lesson so that he could keep up with the class," Brother Shurtleff said. "This required a lot of time and travel, but they kept it up until he was able to return to class."

E-mail to: ghill@desnews.com