The King’s College announced that it will not hold classes for the Fall 2023 semester and is pausing operations until further notice as of Monday, July 17. As a result of ongoing financial turmoil and having its accreditation revoked, the college decided to temporarily close while in search of a “strategic alliance.” The college began publicly looking for a partner in Jan. 2023, and ended its former partnership with Primacorp in April.
Read MoreThe perilous state of Documents and interviews with insiders offer a more complete picture of key economic, strategic and circumstantial factors leading to the dramatic turn of events that left students, staff, faculty and families in limbo for months. in New York City developed over decades, hit turbulence in the past two years, then turned into a stunning death spiral in the Spring 2023 semester.
Read MoreThe King’s College’s academic accreditors conducted another meeting notifying the institution of their investigation findings last Friday, April 28. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) clarified that the conclusions presented are not final, nor do they constitute any definitive verdict on King’s accreditation status going forward. The findings presented, according to MSCHE procedures, “represent only the first step in a multi-level decision-making process.”
Read MoreThe King’s College officially ended its partnership with Primacorp Ventures and switched out members of the Board of Trustees, according to an email announcement from Chairman Henry Morriello sent on the evening of Friday, April 21. “The King’s College and Primacorp Ventures, Inc. have mutually and amicably agreed to end our collaboration agreements,” Morriello said, “including with respect to board representation and involvement in operations.”
Read MoreThe student body elected Mattilyn Winburn as Student Body President for The King’s College’s 2022-23 school year on Feb. 24, 2022. Winburn, a senior in the House of Clara Barton, spoke with Colby McCaskill, City Editor at the Empire State Tribune, during Interregnum XVIII about her time as the student body president during a season of financial woes and continued ambiguity about the King’s future.
Read MoreThe Middle States Commission on Higher Education, The King’s College’s academic accreditors, conducted an informational meeting notifying the student body of King’s recent failure to satisfy MSCHE accreditation standards on Monday, April 3. According to MSCHE representatives, King’s accreditation status is not to be revoked before, if at all, June 2023.
Read MoreThe King’s College hosted its nineteenth – and possibly last – Spring Interregnum from March 29 to 31. The winners of the Interregnum Cup and the annual House Cup were the House of Sojourner Truth and the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, respectively. This year’s Interregnum theme was Flourishing, an adjective that might appear difficult to embody under the current circumstances at King’s. Some students at the college chose to skip Spring Interregnum because of the school’s situation.
Read More(OPINION) A recent New York Times article depicted The King’s College as a conservative, predominately white and Protestant institution. In doing so, they directly ignored the minority voices that are poignantly shaping King’s. The Times emphasized the white presence at King’s by quoting only white students; only one out of the four was a woman. At least three students of color were interviewed, but the Times didn’t include their side of the story.
Read More(OPINION) Last February, my world was folding in on top of me. That was the day the Russian army invaded the eastern Ukrainian city where my grandparents lived. Living with the notion that the people I love are in constant danger of being attacked while trying to keep up with college schoolwork was far from easy and still is sometimes. But this article isn’t about me, Ukraine or any national-level catastrophe. Instead, it's about the unrest happening at The King’s College right now and how we should respond.
Read MoreOn-campus residents at Albee recently received letters from ConEdison requiring The King’s College to pay its outstanding balance, or else face a utility shut-off tomorrow, March 21. A ConEdison employee with knowledge of the situation informed the Empire State Tribune that the letter is simply a first warning and that King’s students are not in danger of losing utilities in the next few months.
Read More(OPINION) There is another context in which I view these things. King's is a "strategic institution," however overused that phrasing became. It is a point of gathering and departure for many ambitious, capable Christians willing to subject themselves to a formative education. Running a private Christian liberal arts school in NYC is obviously a tall order. But when I was there we had 500+ students, and it seemed only to be getting bigger. Profs would complain about how many sections they had to teach and how many students they had to juggle. What went wrong?
Read More(OPINION) Many students at The King’s College are aware of the multiple overdue rent notices and the service of an eviction threat from a debt collector to student residents. However, many do not know about the actual debt collector Kucker Marino Winarsky & Bittens. The multi-million dollar firm describes itself as “a highly respected Manhattan law firm” focusing on real estate and corporate law. Still, I can’t help but wonder: How respected can Kucker be when the New York Attorney General investigated them two separate times?
Read MoreThe King’s College will be able to finish the spring 2023 semester thanks to a $2 million loan from Peter Chung, although the future of the college remains uncertain. In an email on Friday, March 3, King’s confirmed that “we received bridge financing that will provide us with funds to ensure that we can fulfill our financial obligations to faculty and staff through the end of the semester.” The $2 million loan does not cover the overdue rent for the Albee on-campus housing.
Read MoreKing’s discussed transfer options, current fundraising updates and the TKC Letters Project at the Community Update meeting on Monday, Feb. 27. “We've had a number of people… working on different transfer agreements with a bunch of schools,” said Dr. Kimberly Reeve, Dean of Academic Affairs. “This is to give you options.” Reeve then named seven schools actively building transfer agreements with King’s, noting that King’s has legal permission from each institution to disclose their identity to the public.
Read More(OPINION) I won’t lie – it’s hard being at King’s these days. As a senior, The King’s College has become home. I’ve been here through the COVID lockdowns, the tension of the 2020 election cycle and the general insecurity of a post-pandemic city. The Community Update on Feb. 13 felt like the breaking point. But I’ve kept coming back to this question that my dad would always ask: Who are we, and who are we becoming? Regardless of our circumstances, we are always being molded and shaped toward something. So who will we choose to be in the midst of uncertainty?
Read MoreStudents living in the Albee on-campus housing have continued to receive statements concerning The King’s College’s overdue rent, with many citing a 14-day deadline. On-campus residents received letters in the mail from Kucker Marino Winiarsky & Bittens, a debt collector on behalf of the Albee residences concerning the overdue rent on Thursday, Feb. 23. Students then received notices from Spencer Albee Equities, the building management, on Friday, Feb. 24. These stated that the leaseholder (King’s) has 14 days from Feb. 21 to pay their rent.
Read More(OPINION) So far, most of the coverage by mainstream news outlets of The King’s College’s financial woes has oddly focused on King’s donors such as Bill Hwang, the DeVos family and interim president Stockwell Day. It would be smart for reporters to dig more into Canadian businessman Peter Chung and his involvement with King’s in the past two years as well as his other business ventures through Primacorp Ventures Inc. and the Emanata Group. Could it be true that Chung was a philanthropist and a savior for King’s during a time of crisis of the Covid-19 Pandemic? Or could it be true that Chung's failed vision and turbulent strategy for King’s has contributed to King’s weak financial position and potential for closure?
Read More(OPINION) My heart, as it has been for the past few weeks, is keenly attuned to The King’s College and its dire situation. To be honest, there is little I can tangibly do to help this situation. It is easy to get wrapped up in feelings of dread and defeat as the future remains uncertain for King’s in New York City. But worry, as we all know, never solves our deeper problems.
Read MoreAfter four weeks of fried famine, free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches will once again be provided to attendees of The King’s College’s weekly Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) starting Monday, Feb. 20. “The money is coming from a Bonhoeffer alumnus who is generously funding the food for PRS,” said Director of Spiritual Life Rafael Oliveira in a press release. “He is committed to funding Chick-Fil-A for every PRS until the end of the semester.”
Read MoreThe Community Update on Monday, Feb. 13 addressed the college’s current debt, efforts in fundraising, continued partnership discussions and transfer arrangements in the event that the school should close. The event began with Interim President Stockwell Day assuring the student body that the meeting would provide as much information as possible.
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