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The Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center is presently being built and is intended to serve many needed and useful purposes including a welcoming "front gate" to the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU has chosen to name the building after the Church's 15th President, Gordon B. Hinckley. It is intended as a tribute to him in honor of his lifelong dedication and service as an ambassador to both the Church and university, worldwide. The center will also be a home on campus for the university's alumni as well as an informative and inviting place to get to know the BYU experience, "Spirit of the Y." Construction began on the Alumni and Visitors Center in June 2006 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2007.

Front Gate to the Campus
The significant increase in international reputation and interest in the university, especially since the 2002 Olympics, bring thousands of visitors to the campus yearly. Among them are government leaders, international dignitaries, media, scholars, alumni, new students, prospective faculty, as well as their nearly 8,000 graduates each year. Due to the expanding needs and notariaty of the historic university, the Alumni and Visitors Center offer an inviting, welcoming, informative, and practical entrance.

Tribute in Honor of President Gordon B. Hinckley
The center's namesake, Gordon B. Hinckley, age 96, is the oldest living President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which owns and operates Brigham Young University. The Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center is a tribute and will serve as a remembrance in honor of his lifetime efforts and extraordinary success toward education worldwide, international unity, friendship, service, and love. The purposes of this center are synonymous with his name and legacy.

For a decade President Hinckley has served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has a 70 year history of dedicated service. He has been one of the greatest ambassadors to the Church and Brigham Young University in many capacities, including:

Executive Secretary of the Radio, Publicity and Missionary Literature Committee, Sunday School General Board, Stake Presidency, General Authority, Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, an Apostle, member and president of the Quorum of the Twelve, first and second counselor in the First Presidency, among others. Presently, he also serves as Chairman of the Church Board of Education and Board of Trustees that govern the Church Educational System.

Campus Home for Alumni
The center will also support the ongoing commitment the university has toward their alumni, providing support services, offering opportunities to aid in the development of current students, and keep their connection to the "Spirit of the Y." It is intended to be a place where BYU Alumni will continue to have a home on campus to participate and also share their resources and expertise.

Place to Feel the BYU Experience
Another intent of the center will be to provide visitors, students, and faculty alike an opportunity to experience "The Spirit of the Y."

Groundbreaking
On President Gordon B. Hinckley's 96th birthday, June 23, 2006; ground was broken for the building to be named after him. President Hinckley was joined by university administrators, BYU President’s Leadership Council, donors, trustees, the five Hinckley children, and a crowd of more than 800, for the ceremony. He opted to use a well-worn shovel chosen from his own garden tools rather than the ceremonial blue and white shovels used by other participants.