Jeffrey R. Holland

Jeffrey Roy Holland (born December 3, 1940) is an American educator and religious leader.

He served as the ninth President of Brigham Young University (BYU) and is the acting president 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 church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.

Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.

Holland was born and raised in St. George, Utah.

After graduating from high school, his college education began at Dixie College and he also served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Great Britain.

After returning from his mission, he transferred to BYU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.

He later earned a master's degree in Religious Education at BYU.

Holland received a second master's degree and later a PhD in American Studies at Yale University.

Holland graduated from Dixie High School in 1959.

He helped the Flyers capture state high school championships in football and basketball.

He began his college education at Dixie College before his mission.

After returning from his mission, he served as co-captain of the Dixie basketball team.

He did graduate study in religious education, receiving a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in 1966 with a thesis on selected changes to the text of the Book of Mormon, while also teaching religion classes part-time.

After earning his master's degree, Holland became an Institute of Religion teacher in Hayward, California.

He later worked as an institute director in Seattle, Washington.

Holland then studied American studies at Yale University, where he received a second M.A. and a PhD in 1972.

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.

He was an instructor at the LDS Church's institute in Hartford while he was a student at Yale.

While studying at Yale, Holland served as a counselor in the presidency of the LDS Church's Hartford Connecticut Stake.

Holland served as an institute director in Salt Lake City after earning his PhD. He also served as director of the Melchizedek Priesthood MIA and as chair of the Young Adult Committee for the LDS Church.

In 1974, Holland was appointed BYU's Dean of Religious Education, then two years later he was appointed as the eleventh commissioner of the Church Educational System (CES), replacing Neal A. Maxwell.

In 1974, at age 33, Holland was appointed Dean of Religious Education at BYU.

As dean, Holland founded BYU’s Religious Studies Center and became its first director.

From 1976 to 1980, he served as the eleventh commissioner of CES, replacing Neal A. Maxwell, who was called to the First Council of the Seventy.

During this time, Holland also served on the board of directors of both LDS Hospital and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

In 1980, Holland became BYU's ninth president, replacing Dallin H. Oaks.

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.

As a youth, he worked as a newspaper carrier, a grocery bagger, and a service station attendant.

As a young man, Holland served in what was then known as the British Mission.

His mission president was Marion D. Hanks, a church general authority.

He and Quentin L. Cook were missionary companions.

In 1980, Holland was appointed to succeed Dallin H. Oaks as BYU's president.

After a search committee was formed, as a favorite candidate of N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency, and the protégé of the chair of the executive committee of the BYU Board of Trustees, Gordon B. Hinckley, Holland was appointed less than two days later.

As the church's Commissioner of Education at the time Oaks was released, Holland was supposed to compile a list of candidates to be the next BYU president.

Instead, he was unexpectedly notified of the First Presidency's intention to make him president.

In 2011, the school broke ground for the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building, a building to honor both Holland and the school's 2011 centennial.

The completed building was dedicated in September 2012.

Holland transferred to BYU, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.