Difference between revisions of "Eric B. Shumway"

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Eric B. Shumway (born 1939) was the president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU-H) from 1994 to 2007. After his term of service as president of the university, he was called as president of the Nuku alofa Tonga Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Shumway was born in Holbrook, Arizona.^[1]

From 1960 to 1962 Shumway served as a missionary for the Church in Tonga. After his mission Shumway married Carolyn Merrill, and they became the parents of seven children.

Shumway received bachelors and masters degrees in English from Brigham Young University in 1964 and 1966 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia in 1973. Shumway began his association with BYU-H in 1966 as an instructor in the English Department.^[2]

In 1968, Shumway became the first Bishop of the Hauula 2nd Ward of the Church. From 1973 to 1977 he served on the High council of the Laie Hawaii Stake.^[3] In 1977 when the fist student stake at BYU-Hawaii was organized, Shumway was made Stake President.^[4] Shumway served as Academic Vice President at BYU-H immediately prior to his appointment as president of the university.^[5] Shumway had also served on the board of directors of the Polynesian Cultural Center.^[6]

From 1986 to 1989 Shumway served as president of the Tonga Nukuʻalofa Mission.^[7]

During Shumway's tenure as president of BYU-H, the school sought to increase the percentage of students from outside the United States. Among other programs, there were scholarships granted where officials of foreign governments were allowed to help determine who received the scholarship. Thailand was among the countries that such an agreement was negotiated with.^[8]

From 2004 to 2007, while serving as president of BYU-H, Shumway also served as an area seventy in the North America West Area of the Church, which led to assignments in both Hawaii and California.^[9]

Shumway edited a book entitled Tongan Saints: Legacy of Faith, a collection of the experiences of various Latter-day Saints in Tonga that was published as part of the celebration of the centennial of the Church in Tonga.^[10]

References