7.2 Role of Service Missionaries

PathwayConnect relies heavily on service missionaries to assist with the on-site affairs of the program. While priesthood leaders and institute directors support the program, the missionaries do the bulk of the work to ensure PathwayConnect is successful and that students have a meaningful experience. Service missionaries are primarily asked to:

• Organize efforts for informing prospective students about PathwayConnect
• Build strong relationships with local ecclesiastical leaders and institute directors
• Provide ongoing support and care for enrolled PathwayConnect students
• Facilitate weekly PathwayConnect gatherings, including training lead students (see 5.4 Facilitating the Gathering)
• Dedicate 5–20 hours of service per week
• Provide PathwayConnect administration and the agent stake president with regular updates and feedback

PathwayConnect primarily reaches out to young-adult Church members who are not currently attending college, feel unprepared or reserved about pursuing higher education, or do not have viable local options. However, admission is open to all adult Church members. Identifying such individuals and encouraging them to give higher education a try requires a concerted effort on the part of all parties involved — especially service missionaries.

Service missionaries lead the effort to identify potential students, but priesthood and auxiliary leaders help support the missionaries in their efforts. Continual efforts to promote PathwayConnect and find potential students ensure a successful launch and continual success.

Existing U.S. & Canada PathwayConnect sites primarily find potential students once per year for the fall semester (September). Missionaries in the U.S. & Canada should consult with their PathwayConnect manager before starting winter (January) or spring (April) semester groups. PathwayConnect sites outside the U.S & Canada may start groups for all three semesters (fall, winter, and spring) based on demand.

On rare occasions, service missionaries may be asked to:

• Teach local institute classes. (Local institute directors make these assignments.)
• Serve as a testing proctor for online degree-seeking BYU-Idaho students. This is not a requirement. Service missionaries who are asked to be a testing proctor may choose to assist, or they can direct students to other potential proctors. Missionaries with questions should visit https://www.byui.edu/testing-center/proctor-request