Jeffrey R. Holland, former president of Brigham Young University and a senior leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 85, creating a vacancy that will affect both church governance and the faith’s education enterprise. Holland served as BYU’s ninth president (1980–1989) and later as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; church leadership named him a central figure in its global education system. The church announced his death and noted his decades in education administration; President Dallin H. Oaks and other leaders offered public reflections. Holland’s passing triggers an internal succession process the church will use to fill the Quorum vacancy and may influence appointments related to BYU and affiliated institutions. For higher-education professionals connected to faith-based institutions, the development matters for governance, donor relations and interfaith initiatives that Holland championed during his tenure.