Education Week celebrates its 100th anniversary by bringing thousands of attendees to the BYU campus each summer to learn about a variety of topics. The conference runs from his August 15th to 19th and offers just under 900 classes.

Education Week, originally called Leadership Week, began in January 1922 as a program focused on training and teaching people on Church matters and other subjects.

In 1963, BYU decided to turn the leadership program into a conference open to all who wanted to participate.

When asked about the anniversary of the conference, Education Week program administrator Bruce Payne said, “Our main focus is delivering classes, so no big celebrations or plans.” “I put pictures in the booklet to give people a sense of history, but there are no big parties or celebrations. Classes are what people come here for,” he said.

Payne explained how preparations for Education Week typically begin in September after the conference is over, when all program organizers have received feedback on the latest sessions. After a thorough evaluation, decide which presenters you want to bring in and what topics to cover in your next meeting.

“We monitor attendance and see if classes are starting to shrink in certain areas,” says Payne. “However, there are always classes on specific topics such as temple or family history or finance.”

BYU professor and children’s author Lori Steadman is one of this year’s Education Week presenters.

Steadman explained how he applied to teach at Education Week and how he prepared for a series of lectures on understanding the power of finding, writing, and sharing family stories.

“I applied three years ago, and it’s actually been a long process,” says Steadman. “I had to give a very detailed outline, which had to be approved and not only had to comply with church policy, but had to be useful to those who attended the meeting. ”

Stedman also described how he prepared to give the lecture series by going to the building where he planned to give the presentation, practicing out loud, and talking to people who were familiar with the topic.

“Each class is 55 minutes long. This is more of a lecture than a class with a lot of interaction, so be careful,” says Steadman. “We don’t have a lot of audience participation, so we have to ensure the right timing.”

One of the novelties of this conference is the first class offered in a language other than English. A lecture by her BYU Professor Mara L. Garcia on the importance of education for Latter-day Saint women and their families.

“Last year, we reached out to a few presenters who were able to offer classes in different languages, but it didn’t work out,” says Payne. “We were very excited when Sister Garcia informed us that she was interested in presenting in Spanish because we want to reach out to as many people as possible. .”

Payne also expressed the Education Week committee’s desire to expand the classes offered to other languages, but that remains a future plan.

Attendance at Education Week is open to adults and youth ages 14 and up, with ticket prices ranging from $22 to $87.

Conference parking is only available in designated parking lots on campus. Parking can be found on the following map.

A variety of dining options are available for Education Week attendees. Some of the most popular options are Canon Center, Creamery on Ninth, and Cougarette at Wilkinson Student Center.