The King's College (also TKC or simply King's) is an accredited, Christian liberal arts college headquartered in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. The predecessor institution was founded in 1938 in Belmar, New Jersey by Percy Crawford.
The King's College draws more than 500 students from 37 states and 15 countries. In 2012, the Young America's Foundation ranked The King's College among its Top 15 Conservative Colleges list.
History
Percy B. Crawford founded The King's College in 1938 in Belmar, New Jersey. The school re-located in 1941 to New Castle, Delaware, and again in 1955 to the former Briarcliff Lodge site in Briarcliff Manor, New York. At Briarcliff, The King's College sponsored the King's Tournament, a sports tournament in which East Coast Christian college athletes competed each year.
In 1962, after Crawford's death in 1960, Robert A. Cook became the college's second president. The college prospered under his leadership, with enrollment growing to a high of 870 students in 1980. After 23 years as president, Cook retired and became the college's chancellor in 1985, a position which he held until his death in 1991. Friedhelm Radandt succeeded Cook to become the college's third president. Nine years later, in December 1994, the college shut down, as a result of years of declining enrollment, financial troubles, and the deterioration of the Briarcliff campus. The college had purchased property for a new campus at Sterling Forest, but was prevented from selling the Briarcliff campus in a timely fashion. The college declared bankruptcy, owing more than $25 million to its creditors, mostly from the mortgage on the new campus.
Reestablishment in New York City
The college charter first granted by the New York Board of Regents in 1955 remained in force. In 1997, the College's charter was amended to make Campus Crusade for Christ the sole member of the corporation. Together with Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright, J. Stanley "Stan" Oakes, then the director of Faculty Commons, a Campus Crusade ministry, began work to pay off the institution's debts and re-establish it in New York City. Instrumental in this process was the acquisition of Northeastern Bible College, which was founded by a friend of Percy Crawford but had experienced a similar decline and closure to that of King's. In 1999 King's leased 45,000 square feet (4,200Â m2) of space on three floors of the Empire State Building in New York City for classrooms, a student recreation center, and administrative offices. Radandt remained president, with Oakes as chairman. In January 2003, Oakes became the fourth president; five years later, Oakes became chancellor and board member Andy Mills served as interim president. Following treatment for brain cancer, Oakes reassumed the presidency on January 1, 2009. In December 2009, the College announced that Oakes would take a year-long sabbatical while Andy Mills again served in an interim role.
On August 23, 2010, the college announced the appointment of conservative writer Dinesh D'Souza as its new president. On October 18, 2012, D'Souza resigned his post at the school shortly after it became known that he was claiming to be engaged, despite the fact that he was still married to his wife. While a search committee was formed to select a permanent president, Andy Mills filled in for a third time.
In 2012, the college relocated from the Empire State Building to a new location in the Wall Street area of New York City. The college also became independent of Campus Crusade in 2012.
On July 11, 2013, the college announced the appointment of Gregory Alan Thornbury, former dean of the School of Theology and Missions at Union University, as the 6th president of the institution.
Academics
The college is authorized by the Board of Regents to grant Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Business degrees in a total of five programs. The college currently offers degrees in "Business Management," "Finance," "Politics, Philosophy, and Economics," "Religious and Theological Studies," "Journalism, Culture and Society," and "Media, Culture and the Arts." Students are able to pursue 11 different minors in: Business Administration, Economics, Culture and the Arts, Journalism, Literature, Media Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Pre-Law, International business, and Theology.
Accreditation
The King's College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Its accreditation was most recently reaffirmed on June 25, 2015. The King's College will complete its next self-study Periodic Review Report with Middle States for accreditation renewal in 2020 and its next full Self-Study Review in 2024-25.
Student life
During the 2016â€"2017 academic year, the school enrolled over 220 new students from 10 countries and 43 states, for a total enrollment of over 600 students. The average ACT score of the 2015 incoming class was 26, and the average SAT score was 1730. The King's College adopted the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as a third admissions option for students in the summer of 2016.
Residence life
King's does not require attendance at church or chapel services, and students are not required to sign a statement of faith (although faculty and staff are). Instead, students sign an honor code pledging not to "lie, steal, cheat, deceive, or turn a blind eye to those who do." This is described by the school as "the minimum standard of ethical behavior that all students have contracted to live by." Students live in groups of two, three, four or six in apartments in high-rise apartment buildings in the Financial District. Students are also housed in a studio apartment building on Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights. During the summer, King's leases these apartments to students in the city for summer internships.
King's has a house system, although the school describes the system as also having similarities to traditional fraternities and sororities. All incoming students are assigned to one of the ten currently established houses, which are named for historic leaders: C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Winston Churchill, and Clara Barton. Students are encouraged to develop strong ties within their houses. During the year, they participate in inter-house competition in events such as "The Great Race," a scavenger hunt throughout the City, the house GPA contest, where each house attempts to achieve the highest average GPA., and the House Basketball Competition, wherein the male and female houses compete against one another in various brackets of basketball. Houses also host periodic events including dinners, dances, and annual events like the Super Bowl Party traditionally hosted by the House of Bonhoeffer, and the annual Red & Green Affair dance, hosted by the houses of Lewis and Thatcher.
As upperclassmen, students are eligible for election by their peers to one of four house leadership positions: President, Scholar, Helmsman, and Chamberlain. Each position has certain spiritual, academic, or residence life responsibilities within the house.
Extracurricular activities
King’s has many student groups, including The King's Debate Society, which was ranked 41st in the United States in a 2012 worldwide ranking by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA); Mock Trial, which puts students in the shoes of courtroom lawyers and witnesses, competing against other colleges at a regional and national level.
REFUGE is a bi-weekly worship service held on campus to meet the ever-present need for community and worship in the Christian journey. Other clubs include The King's Players, resident theater company, who put on plays once a semester, and The King's Dancers, which schedules dance practices, performances, and outings.
Other organizations include The King's Council, the King's student government group, the Empire State Tribune, the King's student newspaper, and The Lewis Review, a strictly unaffiliated student publication run by the House of Lewis. King's students are encouraged to start groups they see a need for at the college.
Athletics
The King's College has a number of athletic teams, competing at various levels. Men's sports include baseball, golf, basketball, rugby, cross country and soccer. Women's sports include basketball, volleyball, cross country and soccer. TKC is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), as well as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), primarily competing in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC). Continuing TKC's policy of encouraging students to start their own programs and take active ownership in student life, most teams at King's are student-started and run ventures. The athletics program at The King's College is designed to serve students' interests in sports and recreational activities, whether they are competitive, recreational, or instructional. Emphasis is placed on student leadership and involvement, as well as on the dedication and commitment of club members.
References
Notes
Further reading
- Briarcliff Lodge/King's College at Xydexx: "Exploring" and "Modern Ruins"
- Briarcliff Lodge and The King's College at Hudson Valley Ruins
External links
- Official website
