Thornbury Inaugurated as Sixth President of The King’s College
Last night, Dr. Gregory Alan Thornbury was inaugurated as the sixth President of The King's College in a ceremony held at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
NEW YORK — April 4, 2014 — Last night, Dr. Gregory Alan Thornbury was inaugurated as the sixth President of The King’s College in a ceremony held at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. In addition to full attendance by King’s faculty, staff, and students, countless friends and supporters showed up to mark both a return to the College’s roots and the start of a new era.
Click to read President Thornbury’s Inaugural Address
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Andrew Mills thanked the tireless work of past presidents Friedhelm Radandt and J. Stanley Oakes, as well as Bill Bright, for their work to reestablish the College in 1999 in Manhattan.
A number of notable speakers from within higher education offered their congratulations to President Thornbury, the Board of Trustees, and the College as whole for standing firm as an unapologetically Christian institution in the heart of New York City.
Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University; Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Dr. Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University; and others charged Thornbury and the College to advance the gospel, maintain its academic integrity, and to educate young people to live their lives for Christ.
Before the delivery of the inaugural address, Chairman Mills formally installed Dr. Thornbury as the sixth president of The King’s College.
CLICK TO TWEET ABOUT PRESIDENT THORNBURY
In his address, President Thornbury drew inspiration from the College’s venerable history, leaders, and current location in New York City. The College’s location in Lower Manhattan strategically places students within reach of some of America’s most important historical events, included the signing of the Bill of Rights and George Washington’s inauguration. Today, the area serves as the center of global finance and many of the world’s most influential companies and organizations.
“We’ve gathered here tonight to celebrate a college whose mission is one with which we have concord,” said President Thornbury. “And whose history has seen both the sling of arrows and of outrageous fortune and the remarkable providences of God. It is our privilege to watch Him work wonders in this City, which Pope John Paul II once called the ‘Capital of the World.’”
Having served nearly eight months as president, Thornbury has had the opportunity to invest time in students, faculty, and staff to strengthen the College’s academic foundation. In recent weeks, he announced Eric Metaxas as Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Large and Dr. Mark Hijleh as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. He said of the faculty, “I stand before you this evening to tell you that I can say without any prevarication that my colleagues are the right people to deliver on the promises [of the College’s mission and vision].”
With a complete President’s Cabinet and the backing of the Board of Trustees, the College is on firm footing as it looks to grow in size, prestige, and reach in New York City and America.
“We clearly see that the way of Jesus is one of sacrifice, dedication, and discipleship. It is a high privilege to be installed as the president of The King’s College, and as this institution’s leader, I covenant with you to be neither cruel nor cowardly, to never give up, and to never give in,” said President Thornbury.
“I will leave you with these final interrogatives: If not us, who? If not here, where? If not now, when? May the peace and mercy of Christ be upon us all.”Watch the highlights from the ceremony here:
(To skip directly to President Thornbury’s address click here)
Earlier in the day, The King’s College hosted events for faculty, staff, and students to formally congratulate and welcome the Thornburys to The King’s College community.
Eric Metaxas and Dr. Albert Mohler could not be in attendance but sent congratulatory videos to Dr. Thornbury:
In the heart of New York City, The King’s College is an accredited, Christian liberal arts college. Through the truths of Christianity and great works in politics, philosophy, and economics, we are educating the next generation of principled leaders for America.