BYU

M. Gerald Bradford will be the new Executive Director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University, effective July 1. He will replace Andrew C. Skinner, who is returning to teaching and research. Bradford has served as the Institute's associate executive director for several years.

The Maxwell Institute, previously known as the Institute for Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, includes the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, the Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts and the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, among other projects.

Students study world construction in China

The 2008 Summer Olympics and the booming Chinese economy have created a frantic pace of construction in China, which provided a perfect laboratory for 18 BYU civil engineering students in June to study megastructures -- super-tall skyscrapers, extra-long bridges and giant arenas.

The group visited Olympic facilities and other megastructures throughout the country to supplement their classroom studies on major construction projects.

Family History classes offered on campus

The BYU Family History Library at the Harold B. Lee Library offers free family history classes on the second and fourth Sunday every month. These classes, taught by a professional family history consultant, begin at 3 p.m. and the last class starts at 6 p.m. on these Sundays. Family history resources and consultants are available from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on these days.

Up to 50 classes are offered in categories such as family history basis, organizing, computers, research, U.S. research, international research, temple name submission and training for consultants. Family history consultants will be available to assist patrons with personal family research. Admission and parking are free. For more information and a complete schedule of classes, call (801) 422-6200 or visit www.lib.byu.edu/fslab/.

Study says cleanliness leads to future success

A recent national study of college students by a BYU professor found a correlation between the cleanliness of a school's facilities and students' academic achievement. Titled "Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education," the study was based around five levels of clean identified in the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.

The study was conducted through the Center for Facilities Research at APPA -- a national association promoting leadership in educational facilities -- and co-sponsored by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association.

Of the nearly 1,500 students polled, 88 percent reported that the lack of cleanliness becomes a distraction at APPA's Level 3 (casual inattention) and Level 4 (moderate dinginess). Eighty-four percent reported that they desire APPA Level 1 (orderly spotlessness) or Level 2 (ordinary tidiness) standard of cleanliness to create a good learning environment. Level 5 on APPA's levels of clean is listed as unkempt neglect.

Professor's books donated to University

Books from the collection of a former Brigham Young University professor who spent her life pursuing knowledge and serving those she loved are now extending her legacy to a university a world away from her home.

A library of Portuguese-language books, collected by Myriam Ramsey during an academic career that spanned nearly 50 years, has been donated through the Harold B. Lee Library to One World University in Mozambique.

In 2003, Ramsey passed away after battling cancer. After her death, Ramsey's family questioned what to do with their mother's treasured collection of books, many of which were written in Portuguese. They approached their mother's friend, Mark Grover, because of his position with the Lee Library.

Coming up ...

TODAY

Michael D. Barnes, a Brigham Young University professor of public health education, will speak at a campus devotional at 11:05 a.m. in the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium.

Rocky Mountain

New university director announced

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Dr. H.D. Stearman has been named Director of Institutional Effectiveness. Stearman received his Ph.D. in English from Indiana University, and his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in English from Austin State University in Texas. For the past two years, Stearman earned has served as associate director of institutional planning and effectiveness at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

University adds a nursing degree

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is pleased to announce the approval to offer the RN to MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) degree program by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which is the regional accrediting body for the northwest United States. The program will enable graduates to assess and evaluate nursing and health care practice systems as well as educational methods and research findings in preparation for successful transition to an advanced nurse educator role, both in staff educator and academic educator positions.