Pres. D'Souza Proposes Offering King's Degrees Online

Empire State Building, NEW YORK– President D’Souza unveiled a strategy Jan. 18 to advance the King’s mission – offering a King’s degree online. “I’d like to present you with a new idea ... in the idea factory stage,” D’Souza announced to the more than 50 students gathered in the student lounge for a Q&A breakfast at 8:15 am. “Is it possible to take The King’s College curriculum and The King’s College vision and offer it with superstar faculty on a global scale?”

According to D’Souza, offering the King’s curriculum online would increase the college’s prestige and allow greater opportunity to shape today’s culture.

D’Souza compared King’s to Ivy Leagues founded with Christian ideals in a Christian culture. King’s represents “a vision that’s been dormant,” he said, referring to the idea of a “first rate” and “elite” Christian college in New York City.

“But the Ivy Leagues were swimming with the tide … in a Christian world,” D’Souza said. “We’re swimming against the tide … and against the culture.”

D’Souza conceded that online education has not offered higher education obvious advantages – at least, not yet. That’s why he wants King’s to “create something totally new” in the online education market.

He proposes a hybrid approach to learning; recorded video lectures coupled with real-time discussion. King’s would recruit nationally recognized scholars to lecture for the online classes, similar to the current President Scholars program. The series has featured philosopher Alvin Plantinga, theologian Wayne Grudem and journalist John Stossel. Lecturers may include King’s Logic professor Peter Kreeft, literary theorist Stanley Fish and best-selling author and Socrates in the City founder Eric Metaxes.

“In most colleges, the teaching is mediocre,” D’Souza said, qualifying that this is not necessarily the case at King’s. “The role of the professor is better spent in engagement, discussion. It's about capitalizing on the strengths of a new approach.”

Other possibilities include required trips to New York and placing online students in Houses.

The non-virtual King’s, however, would see little change.

"Whatever we do, I want our on-campus students to have the best experience," Vice President of Student Development Eric Bennett said. "The New York City campus will always be the gold standard."