Follow The Prophet – The Words & Deeds of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson has agreed to give the address at the commencement exercises of Dixie State College in St. George on May 6th, 2011, at 2:00 pm at the Avenna Center Burns Arena. He will also receive an honorary doctorate of Humanities degree from the college. Dixie State College President Dr. Stephen D. Nadauld notes the historical significance of the occasion:

Given that Dixie State College was originally founded by the LDS Church a century ago, it seems appropriate to acknowledge our roots as we prepare to enter our next 100 years…  Accordingly, we will be honored to welcome President Thomas S. Monson to our campus as our Centennial Commencement speaker. This will be a great opportunity for our graduates to receive counsel and encouragement as they prepare to enter into the next phase of their lives.

President Monson also spoke at Dixie State College’s 1975 Commencement Ceremony.

Read more about the announcement at the link below:

Dixie State College News – LDS President Thomas S. Monson to Deliver 2011 Dixie State College Centennial Commencement Address

Whenever a religious figure is asked to speak at a secular or civil event, it is bound to generate questions.  Weber State’s newspaper The Signpost published an article about how President Monson was chosen to be the speaker at the 135th commencement at the university in Ogden, Utah, on April 23rd.

The article also discusses why a honorary degree is bestowed upon the speaker, in this case it will be a doctorate of humanities.  What many people might not be aware of is that President Monson has served the community well, outside of religious circles:

He has served as a member of the National Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America since 1969 and was awarded international scouting’s highest award, the Bronze Wolf, in 1993. In 1981, Monson was appointed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan to serve on the President’s Task Force for Private Sector Initiatives. He made a career in publishing and printing and worked as an executive in the Deseret News advertising division and also held a position as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents. Monson has served many years in the community as a board member of many large businesses. Currently he serves as a trustee for Brigham Young University and the Church Board of Education…

“No matter what religious persuasion, no matter what ideals somebody has, no matter what their goals are in life,” Walker said, “if you look across that list of honorary degree recipients you see world-class wonderful people who are just wonderful examples, that you can emulate in your own personal life.”

See the full article at The Signpost:
LDS Church president to encourage graduates

President Monson at 2008 Christmas Devotional

President Thomas S. Monson and his counselors, President Eyring and President Uchtdorf, of the First Presidency of the Church, will give their annual Christmas Devotional this coming Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 6:00pm MST, from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from our prophet and inspired leaders about the true meaning of Christmas during this holiday season.  The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square will also provide beautiful music.

Tickets are required to gain entrance to the Conference Center for this event.  See the Church’s event details page for more details.

A live video broadcast of the event will be available online at the Church’s Broadcast website, on BYU Television, as well as an audio broadcast on radio.lds.org at 6:00pm MST.  A rebroadcast will be available at 8:00pm MST on KBYU-TV.

Read more about this upcoming event at the links below:

Deseret News – “First Presidency Christmas Devotional will be Sunday, Dec. 6″
Church’s Event Details Page – First Presidency Christmas Devotional