You might have noticed that we’ve had quite a flurry of activity around The King’s College these last few weeks. From the announcement of our new president, to the hiring of great new faculty and staff, and to the enthusiasm of our biggest class yet in Manhattan, we have rarely seen the level of excitement and passion on campus that we are seeing now.

Here’s why: it’s because we’re doing it for a mission. We equip students with a biblical worldview and the necessary education to be the up-and-coming leaders in our society. And the College is modeling that on a day-to-day basis. Every time a faculty member writes an op-ed, our students are having this mission modeled for them. When Distinguished Visitor speaks to our students, our students are seeing a life of faith and calling. It’s why we’re here, and it’s what we’ll keep doing.

We hope you will continue supporting us and the next generation of our society’s leaders.

Best,
Jamey Nordby
Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations

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Homecoming 2010 is in just a few short weeks! Sign up now for this wonderful opportunity to see our campus, to reconnect with old friends, and to see what God is doing in your alma mater. You can register for the event—to be held October 1-2—on our website.

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Shortly after being announced as the fifth president of The King’s College, President D’Souza enjoyed a dessert reception with nearly 60 alumni from the New York City area. The alumni present represented every campus of The King’s College, as well as every decade that King’s has been in existence—from the 1940s until 2010.

President D’Souza shared his passion for The King’s College and its vision, and laid out some of his plans for raising its national profile. You can read more about this in his convocation address to new students during New Student Orientation here.

Matt Kaal ('09) attended the reception and said, “Everything I have heard and read about Dinesh confirms that he understands our vision, and is committed to helping King's grow and mature as a rigorous academic institution where committed Christians of all backgrounds unite in the pursuit of wisdom and by earnestly seeking God's glory in their daily vocations."

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We are pleased to announce that John C. Spier has been named a member of the Executive Committee for The King’s College Alumni Association. Spier, a 1972 graduate of The King’s College and a member of its Board of Trustees, was the founding CEO of FirstService Bank until its successful sale to National Penn BancShares. He is also the former president and CEO of Bucks County Bank and Trust.
 
Spier is currently a founding partner of Greenleaf Financial Group LLC in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is also an active member of his community, having served as a trustee for Grandview Hospital, The Mercer Museum, The Regency Foundation, and the Christian Counseling Center of Bucks County.

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The Alumni Executive Committee holds its third quarter meeting each year at Ocean Grove, on the Jersey Shore.  Over the years, the event has grown into an all weekend affair with families included.  During our formal business meeting on Saturday morning, we select the alumni award winners, approve the slate of officers for the annual election, finalize plans for Homecoming and wrap up any outstanding year-end business.  However, the extended informal sessions that follow give us the opportunity to connect as a small group of peers to discuss best practices, exchange ideas about how to apply these solutions to our most significant challenges, and even worship together on Sunday morning. This exchange of ideas in both a formal and informal setting forges the bonds that enable us to work so well together throughout the year.  In this setting, we are able to have more intimate and in-depth discussions about the direction and well-being of our alumni. This annual retreat has made us better co-workers and the best of friends.

This year’s event was no exception.  We accomplished our scheduled tasks, but we also had a brief address from and conversation with TKC’s new President Dinesh D’Souza.  It is clear to all of us that President D’Souza understands the role and importance of a strong alumni base in an institution like King’s.  Likewise, we are ecstatic to have a person of his caliber leading us into the future.  We are also very glad to have Jamey Nordby working with us.  As I was preparing the agenda for the meeting, reviewing all of my notes and correspondence since our May meeting, it struck me how many things-- great and small—have been accomplished for the Alumni Association since Jamey has been working with us.  I would characterize him as a man of action with a great heart for King’s and its alumni.  In him, we have a very dynamic and effective liaison between the alumni and King’s administration. You can expect to see more and more alumni involvement, support and presence at King’s.

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“In our modern culture,” Victoria Cobb said, “we no longer look at morality and legality as two separate things. We have a culture that says if it is legal, it is therefore moral. And if it’s illegal, it is immoral.”

“That is our only standard of morality.” And that needs to change.

Victoria Cobb is the president of The Family Foundation in Richmond, Virginia. Aiming to strengthen Virginia’s families by applying foundational principles and faith to public policy and culture, she recognizes that “it is critically important that we change hearts and minds.”

Cobb spoke to students at The King’s College on September 9, 2010, as part of the school’s Distinguished Visitors Series. The DVS brings in 20 speakers each semester, providing students an opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s top leaders. 

At The Family Foundation, Cobb focuses on issues that influence families, including school choice, the right to life, and the strength of marriages. She spoke to King’s students about each of these.

Cobb was particularly passionate about the right to life. She said, “When I was younger, I was pro-life by faith. I believe that’s what the Scriptures say about life. As I got older and took biology, I believe by science. And then when I became a mom, I became pro-life by experience. I saw a six-week old child that was mine and that had a heartbeat. When you experience it, it is a miracle of life!”

Because of technology such as ultrasound machines that shows a baby in color, Cobb said, “young people are gravitating toward the life side and will continue to.”

For marriage, Cobb said, “We spend a lot of time and energy at the national level, at the state level, dealing with band-aids, dealing with how we can fix the result of the broken family.” However, she also said that those in favor of traditional marriage need to spend time, money, and energy on keeping families together.

Their organization, for instance, created a marriage commission that focused on ways to increase the strength of marriages, including pre-marital counseling and mentoring with older couples. The reason, she said, is because “we need to elevate the value of marriage in our society.”

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Over 350 students left the hustle of the city for the beauty of the Jersey Shore last weekend for the college’s annual Fall Retreat. The retreat provides a weekend of relaxation, fellowship, and spiritual rejuvenation for our students. For many, it is also an opportunity for the college to unify as it enters a new academic year.

Eric Bennett, Dean of Students, raved about one night on the retreat, where, he said, “the student body broke into spontaneous dance. Those ten minutes of exuberance were a great starting point for our fall semester. In that moment we did not identify ourselves by our differences, rather, we celebrated the joy of being together and being a part of the King’s community.”

Every year, Dean Bennett and the Student Development staff pick a spiritual theme for the weekend and bring in a guest speaker. Students learned how to “Order Their Loves” from Joseph and Nora Clair this year. Nora is a former staff member of The King’s College, working in both the Admissions and Student Development Office. Joseph is pursuing a doctorate in Religion from Princeton University.

Senior Lindsey Stoehr said that the Clair’s teaching over the weekend was a great look at the topic of love, and that the couple made it incredibly relevant to students at King’s. “I thought they did a really good job of merging the head and the heart,” she said. Joseph and Nora explored the classical thinkers Aristotle, Aquinas, and Augustine—who regularly come up in the King’s curriculum—in addition to Scripture.

Apart from Bible study, the Fall Retreat also provides students a chance to blow off some steam. One way this happens is through the second House Competition of the Year—Drama. Each House creates a short (and usually, hilarious) skit that follows the annual Interregnum theme. This year, the House of Thatcher’s take on “Villainy” won by a narrow margin over the House of Reagan. The House of Elizabeth came in third place.

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