President Thomas S. Monson Delivers Commencement Address At Dixie State College On Its 100th Anniversary; Attitude, Integrity, And Service

Dixie State College in St. George, Utah had a special guest on May 6th, 2011 -- the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thomas S. Monson, who was accompanied by his daughter, Sister Ann Monson Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, showed up to help the school commemorate its 100th anniversary by delivering the commencement address. President Monson also received an honorary doctorate in humanities. KSL news video below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The Deseret News published a lengthier story, and Dixie State published their own report. President Monson's presence was particularly appropriate since Dixie State was founded by the LDS Church 100 years ago. In his address, President Monson spoke of three bridges that would help the 1,500 Dixie graduates in attendance safely navigate the chasms of life; the bridge of attitude, the bridge of integrity, and the bridge of service.

In summary, President Monson noted that attitude can make all the difference in our lives. He also noted that nothing requires more strength of character than swimming against the tide -- the ultimate test of integrity. And finally, he said that the ultimate in service is actually personal service -- face to face human interaction which goes beyond merely pulling out a checkbook. President Monson said the bridge theme was inspired by a sculpture in his Salt Lake City office inscribed with a poem titled "The Bridge Builder", originally written by Will Allen Dromgoole.

LDS Newsroom makes the complete text of President Monson's speech available HERE.

While students who spoke to the media afterwards were pleased withe President Monson's appearance, there were some who expressed opposition when the announcement was first made on March 29th, 2011. One student said he specifically chose Dixie State over BYU so he wouldn't have to listen to General Authorities speak on campus. Another student claimed that President Monson's appearance would "ruin" his graduation experience. But there were no overt signs of disagreement at the commencement itself.