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 This month, I have some great announcements to make! As you’ll see below, King’s is expanding at a very exciting pace, and we are so blessed to partner with you on this journey.
Particularly, I want to point out the plan for our Presidential Scholars Program next year. You can see the formal announcement later in this newsletter, but I want to take a second to explain why we’re launching this program so aggressively. One of my main passions for The King’s College is to raise our profile around the nation. The way I see it, there are several important steps to doing this.
First, we are going to continue encouraging our students to pursue jobs and internships at some of the top companies here and abroad. Already, we’re seeing successes at places like CBS News, Boston University School of Law, the National Hockey League, Teach for America, and many others. These students carry the name of King’s with them, raising our profile.
Second, we constantly encourage our faculty to dedicate part of their time to engaging crucial issues in the public square. They are publishing articles in national publications, appearing on radio and television programs, and delivering lectures around the nation. These professors also carry the name of King’s with them, raising our profile.
Finally, our Presidential Scholars will leverage our New York City location with its access to the top media and publishing houses in the world. As they engage in crucial issues, they will carry the name of King’s with them, again raising our profile.
I expect that this plan excites you like it excites me. If it does, I would encourage you to consider supporting us in our endeavors. The Presidential Scholars program will come at a cost. But so does providing scholarships to top students and recruiting great faculty members. Your support will help us continue all three strategies of our “profile elevation plan.” Can you help us today? If so, please click here.
 Cordially,
Dinesh D'Souza
President, The King's College
Presidential Scholar Program Expands for 2011-2012
 The King’s College is pleased to announce that it will expand the Presidential Scholars Program in the 2011-2012 academic year. Eight renowned philosophers, theologians, economists, and journalists will spend time at The King’s College delving into formational questions for our society, with an emphasis on defending the ideas of God, limited government, and free markets.
The first three of our eight presidential scholars for the upcoming year are:
Dr. Alvin Plantinga, Philosopher – Visiting King’s September 19 to 23, 2011
Dr. Plantinga is a world-renowned professor who has taught at a number of first-rate universities. He is credited for giving intellectual breathing room to religious belief. His writings and lectures focus on the philosophy of religion and Christian apologetics. Some of his most well-known books include Faith and Rationality: Theology (1991), Warranted Christian Belief (2000), Knowledge of God (Great Debates in Philosophy) (2008).
Dr. Wayne Grudem, Theologian – Visiting King’s October 24 to 28, 2011
Dr. Grudem is a heavy-weight in the world of Christian theology. He is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. His books such as Bible Doctrine: Essential Teaching of the Christian Faith, Business for the Glory of God, and Politics – According to the Bible have been read by millions and have brought biblical doctrine to bear on every day issues.
Dr. Daniel Robinson, Philosopher – Visiting King’s November 7 to 11, 2011
Dr. Robinson is a member of the Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University, where he has taught since 1991. His works cover a wide range of disciplines, including the brain sciences, philosophy and history of science, moral philosophy, philosophy of law, and intellectual history. Author of more than eighteen books, Robinson’s works include Praise and Blame: Moral Realism and Its Applications (2002) and Consciousness and Mental Life (2008, Columbia University Press).
Presidential Scholars will address and answer questions such as: Has science refuted religion?; Does the existence of evil compromise God's benevolence or God's power?; Do the laws of science point to a Creator?; What is the relationship between evolution and morality?; Can we be good without God?
Presidential Scholars will actively engage these questions in the public square using The King’s College’s location in New York City as its foundation. Through broadcast, print, and public speaking, the Scholars will bring thoughtful answers to these important questions to academics and the general public.
“The Scholars,” President D’Souza said, “will both critique the assumptions of atheism and secularism and propose alternatives to these failed systems as they seek to defend God, limited government, and free markets.”
Additionally, Scholars will serve as mentors to the College’s students and faculty. An education at The King’s College is grounded in politics, philosophy, history, economics, and theology. These disciplines expose students to the ideas upon which nations rise and fall, and prepare them to be citizen leaders in such fields as government, media, business, and law. Moreover, they are prepared to defend political, economic, and spiritual freedom. These three freedoms advance liberty, prosperity, and salvation for the world while simultaneously rejecting oppression, poverty, and evil.
The Presidential Scholars will help to defend the three freedoms in the public square, while simultaneously raising the profile of The King’s College nationwide. A full list of the 2011-2012 scholars will be posted in the coming weeks.
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President D'Souza Defends the Sanctity of Life
 President Dinesh D’Souza debated minister-turned-atheist Dan Barker at the Cleveland Right to Life’s annual symposium on pro-life issues on March 12. The debate followed the gala dinner and served as the keynote address for the second day of the conference.
The pair met to debate God, morality, and human dignity. Due to the nature of the symposium, the debate was framed in terms of the morality of abortion.
Barker attempted to make the argument that morality is simply a matter of weighing the harm of two competing decisions and then choosing the least harmful option. “The path that results in the least amount of harm is the path that we should pick,” he said. For a woman pregnant with a child that she knows she will not be able to support, he contended, this principle of least harm would support her decision to have an abortion.
D’Souza countered Barker by saying that his argument revealed a disturbing trend in the West. “Until quite recently,” he said, “there was a shared belief in American society in a universal, external moral code. A moral code that is not part of us—it is external to us, and makes claims on us. It is our job to live up to the dictates of this moral code.” For Christians, this code comes from the Bible, which contains many references to the sanctity of life, the principle which motivates the pro-life movement.
Barker in turn claimed the Scriptures do not contain any such commands about abortion, and that since Jesus never said anything about abortions, Christians today should not either. D’Souza ably responded that Barker viewed the Bible too literally, even if the word “abortion” is never used.
“Remember,” D’Souza said, “even the letters of Paul were written to specific communities. We have to apply them in a very different context. Dan has lost his whole sense of the historicity of the Bible: that it was written to different groups of people in different times.” The answers to modern-day predicaments need to be found through the truths of the Scriptures. If the literal answer is not found in the words of Jesus, Paul or others, then we attempt to derive the answer from the principles they taught.
In his concluding remarks, D’Souza wanted to explore why humans are inherently equal. His answer: “Because we were created that way. It was the act of creation, the act of being subordinate to a higher power, the act of being subject to an external moral reality—that is what confers human dignity.”
Because of this, he said, our duty as Christians is “not only to protect life, but also [to protect] the infrastructure of morality and transcendence that gives life its value.”
Attendees at the event were absolutely thrilled with the debate. Teresa Tomeo, a radio broadcaster and the moderator for the debate, said she appreciated how D’Souza gave an argument with intellectual backing. “He talked about history, where the Bible came from, and how long it took,” she said. “We had Christianity long before we had the Bible. And it seemed like for someone who should have known Christianity as an evangelical pastor, [Barker] had no idea that the bible wasn’t around for several hundred years and that it took several councils to form the canon of Scripture.”
President D’Souza speaks around the country on a range of issues relating to God, limited government, and free enterprise.
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Housing Option Added in Brooklyn
 The King’s College is pleased to announce the expansion of its student housing options for the 2011-2012 academic year. With the addition of an apartment building in Brooklyn that will be solely occupied by The King’s College, we are now able to offer student housing in four different locations.
“After months of intense searching all over New York City, we are happy to find this fantastic building in an equally fantastic neighborhood,” said Duanne Moeller, Chief Administrative Officer. “The studio apartments will allow the House system to remain intact, and will allow us to continue offering excellent living environments to our students.”
The new apartment building is located on Clark Street in the gorgeous neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. Recently named “one of the five best Brooklyn blocks to live on” by L Magazine, the studio apartments will allow up to 60 students the chance to live in one of New York’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. The building is located just two blocks from a subway, so students will have a safe and easy twenty-five minute commute to the Empire State Building.
Each apartment in the building is a studio, with a full kitchen. The College will offer free wireless internet and cable, and will provide 24 hour security for the students living there. The building’s amenities also include a community room, a rooftop lounge, and a laundry room. Located walking distance from Hillside Park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge Park, the building will provide students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the growing cultural center of the borough.
The announcement made by Dean Eric Bennett was met with great enthusiasm by the students. Student Body President Pam Dodge said, “The building was fantastic. I was impressed by the size of the studio apartments and the great common spaces in the basement and on the roof.” Other students were also happy about the possibility of living in Brooklyn, with cheaper groceries and more of a neighborhood feel.
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School of Business to Host Distinguished Guest Speakers
 The School of Business at The King’s College and Dean Leigh Anne Walker cordially invite you to attend upcoming events with leading business professionals.
Peter Freissle will speak at the Spring Business Dinner on April 12. Mr. Freissle is the CEO of Polydeck Screen Corporation, a company that provides screening solutions for the aggregate, coal, and mining industries.
In 2006, Mr. Freissle began to implement Christian principles into everyday operations at Polydeck. He brought a corporate chaplain on staff and created a “Caring Committee” with funds to help employees in need. The company began hosting monthly birthday and anniversary celebrations, recognizing caring acts of employees, and incentivizing employees to serve their community. These and other measures caused a dramatic shift in the culture of Polydeck. Employee satisfaction and loyalty increased and employee turnover fell from 35% to just 3%.
The lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. in Classroom 1 in our Empire State Building campus. Please RSVP to advancement@tkc.edu to attend.
On April 18 at noon, the School of Business will host Dr. George Vergis, independent biotechnology professional and CEO of the former Neose Techonologies, Inc. Dr. Vergis will be speaking on Humility & Strength.
Dr. Vergis joined Neose Technologies, Inc. in 2001 as VP of Business and Commercial Development. He served as President and COO beginning in 2005 and as CEO from 2006 on. Before joining Neose, Dr. Vergis was a VP in new product development for Knoll Pharmaceutical Company, a division of BASF Pharma, and held a variety of other clinical and medical marketing positions.
This event will also be held in Classroom 1. Please RSVP to advancement@tkc.edu if you would like to attend.
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