Welcome to a New Year

Welcome to the 2013-2014 academic year! We’ve spent the past three months preparing for your return.

The campus teems with life and energy again. It’s great to have you back. It’s a new year—and with the new year come new developments. Notably, when you departed for the summer, Andy Mills was the President of the College. As we start this new year, Dr. Gregory Thornbury is President. His influence on the institution is already visible; he’s the man to lead us toward a bright future.

Here are a few other developments:

• King’s Liturgy: For the first time since our re-founding in 1999, our community will follow a liturgical calendar. The King’s Liturgy will define our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines rhythms that we celebrate with the Church-at-large: select Scripture readings, Sabbath, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.

• Fall Retreat: Yes, it’s back—and it’s next weekend (Feb. 6-8). You won’t want to miss it or this year’s Drama Contest, which takes place the Saturday of the retreat.

• Library Expansion: You’ll notice changes to the library—namely, it’s larger and has more seating. This is a work in progress, with the main goal of creating more quiet study space.

• Housing: Ludlow is no more. King’s men—the Houses of Churchill, Lewis, and Bonhoeffer—now occupy the Herald Towers. Two Houses—Thatcher and Truth—share Clark Street. The same is true of the Vogue—QE1 and Barton. Three Houses reside in our two new buildings in the Financial District—Reagan, SBA, and ten Boom.

• Staffing: You’ll see new faces on the Student Development team. There are also additions among the faculty.

• Incoming Students: We welcome 150 new Kingsians. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of them over the past several days. They’re a sharp bunch and will add much to our community. Tonight at Convocation (8:00 PM at Trinity Church), they will formally mark their entry into our community by signing the Honor Code. (Because seating is limited, Convocation will be video-taped and made available for your viewing pleasure later.)

This is going to be a GREAT year. While last year was marked by transition and turbulence, this will be a year of stabilizing, of going deeper into the things that define who we are, and of enriching the experience for all.

Welcome back!