A word from our student body president: the challenge to elevate
In the middle of the challenges and the difficulties, we continue undeterred: The King’s College celebrates its 75th anniversary later this year. Those who know about the college’s history will recognize this as a remarkable accomplishment. Such an important occasion ought to give us pause, not only to reflect on the story of King’s but also to give thanks. This past semester alone, we weathered a storm of historic proportion, changes in leadership, and a move from one of the most iconic buildings in the world to one of the most recognizable streets.
This, however, was not our only relocation. From our original site in Belmar, New Jersey, the college moved five times. King’s even closed at one point because of financial difficulty. Rather than voting to close the college completely, the Board of Trustees suspended operations and waited for an opportunity to begin anew. Thus was born The King’s College in New York City.
Hearing stories from our alumni always remind me of the incredible work the Lord has done and is doing here. What we have accomplished in the last 74 years is nothing short of incredible. Our founding president, Dr. Percy Crawford, pioneered the first coast-to-coast Christian television broadcast in the United States. The college also helped found the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) in the late 1960s.
Today, our interns work at prestigious organizations like Oppenheimer, NBC and the UN. Through the International Ventures program we have interacted with Communist Party officials, branding experts in the Turkish government, and economic development enterprises in Africa. Few institutions can boast of such results.
Nevertheless, not many know of The King’s College or of its history. The college is, in the words of a parent, “a well-kept secret.”
Let’s change that. Let’s make people aware. Let the 75th year of The King’s College be the year it is known. How do we accomplish this task? We elevate.
Elevation requires an extra intentional effort to produce. Like great chefs who elevate their chosen ingredient, we seek to cross the chasm from ordinary to extraordinary. We see glimpses of what we can do in events like Interregnum, but we have not leveraged our potential to the fullest extent.
To be sure, all this is easy to say and difficult to do. That is precisely why we work together as a community – students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Together, we honor the past and carry on a tradition of excellence.
What does this mean practically? Two things immediately come to mind. First, we ought to elevate what we already do. If you wrote an outstanding paper for a class, see if you can publish it. Ask professors if they will help you refine the paper. If you found an interesting event, invite a few friends to attend. Meet a few new people and tell them about the college. We need not create new opportunities. We simply ought to take the ones we have and use them.
Second, we ought to celebrate what we already do. What is elevation without celebration? Students at King’s hold incredible internships, attend outstanding events and write insightful articles, yet so few people know about these accomplishments. If you or someone you know has an accomplishment worth celebrating, share it. Celebrating success not only recognizes what we have done, but it inspires others in their pursuits.
Elevation represents the King’s education at its best, as it introduces our thoughts to the marketplace of ideas and our voices into the Great Conversation. The 75th anniversary reminds us that we are not without context or history. We are but heirs to a legacy of great thinkers and leaders at the college.
As we add our stories to the narrative of The King’s College, let us not forget the King and what He is doing either. I am firmly convinced that this institution survives solely on prayer, and it is only prayer that sees us through. I pray that the next 75 years will mark the college as one faithful with what is given.
Sam Tran is a junior PPE major and president of the King's student body.