Julia Jensen: Welcome back to Demise Of The Crown, a story about a college in crisis, how confounding factors contributed towards its downfall, and how an imperfect institution dealt with its last days.

Colby McCaskill: We are making four stops today on our train of journalism. We are going to go to the point when it seemed like an answer was coming soon. After that, a big change shakes up King’s. Perhaps, just saving it from extinction, perhaps incurring that fate even sooner. Then, the student body gets an X-ray scan of the King’s financial situation, or are at least invited to attend the operation. And finally, a moment of finality becomes one of peace? That’s all coming up. 

Julia Jensen: But of course, we need to tell you once again that all this reporting we have done, and we have done so much, is actually not able to tell the entire story. We would have liked so much for you to experience this past semester alongside us. But, in lieu of that, you can find the sources we used both in the show description and linked in the transcript. 

Colby McCaskill: Oh! And one more thing. The narrative story of this podcast ends really where King’s did. In mid July. There are updates, of course, that the Board of Trustees have put out. But here’s the thing. There is still more we can talk about in the aftermath of the closure. And we would like to touch on that in our finale. If you are a student, faculty, or staff member who was a part of King’s during its descent in 2023, we want to hear from you. If you would be willing, please email us a two-ish minute voice memo answering this question: What has this post-closure time been like for you? Also, if you can include your first name, that would be greatly appreciated. We can’t guarantee you will get on the podcast. But we still would like to hear from you. You can email those memos to demiseofthecrownpodcast@gmail.com. Again, that is a two-minute voice memo telling us your name, and what this post-closure time has been like for you. And send those to demiseofthecrownpodcast@gmail.com. That’s D E M I S E O F T H E C R O W N P O D C A S T @gmail.com. Just two minutes! I know you can do it! Thanks in advance. 

Julia Jensen: And now, stand clear of the closing doors please. Enjoy episode six: Possibilities.

Colby McCaskill: From the Empire State Tribune, and the Broadway & Exchange podcast, I’m Colby McCaskill.

Julia Jensen: I’m Julia Jensen. And this is Demise Of The Crown.

Colby McCaskill: When we left off on the story of the Spring Semester last time, we were talking about Parker and Richard, remember? How they both had different ideas about the right way to go about recruiting at this time. Those interviews were recorded in the last weeks of March. Directly after that, King’s took a much needed break from classes and did one of its most extravagant events, Interregnum.

Julia Jensen: Now, Interregnum is a little infamous in the King’s circle as being amusingly difficult to explain to people that haven’t experienced it. Here is Jackson Fordyce, King’s alum and renowned Interregnum vlogger, to explain.

Jackson: So at my school right now we have this thing called interregnum. Interregnum is this week-long academic competition full of speeches, debates, performing arts. All classes stop and all faculty, staff are involved. So here are some of the highlights of interregnum week.

Colby McCaskill: During Jackson’s time, as Alexa puts it:

Alexa: No, his class went feral. That was just a different era. I mean, even then I’ve experienced. 

Colby McCaskill: But, in this era of uncertainty and potential finality, Interregnum wasn’t the greatest it had ever been. When EST covered the event, we ran a story that pretty accurately portrayed the internal exasperation of the students, but also ran those quotes alongside some of the most conflicting images I can imagine. 

Julia Jensen: Beneath one group picture of my house of Corrie ten Boom, all with big smiles, is a quote from a student that says, quote, “With me probably not graduating from this school, I don’t see it as anything I need. I don’t see how the school is even mandating something like that,”

Colby McCaskill: Another student, a junior, was quoted saying: “I truly hope it doesn't affect the way in which what I've taken so far at this school transfers over. For me personally, I put my energy into dealing with my own personal and familial problems as well as finding somewhere else for me to hopefully transfer seamlessly into.”

Julia Jensen: One student said “I feel like, especially with the school going this way and all of the students having to find other colleges and working on applications and scholarships, it’s just a waste of our time in some way or another. I get that the House Cup is a big deal, but we’re not going to have a House next year.” At the bottom of the page was a photo of at around 15 students visually excited, clapping, laughing, their house had just won.

Colby McCaskill: The final quote came from one of the Seniors in charge of the event. Her name is Kaylee, and she said “This is such an integral part of the King’s community that if this is our last chance, why would we not go all out?”

Julia Jensen: Clearly, the desire for an answer was weighing on these students, and like many teachers, it became easier to decide to leave regardless of the outcome, rather than ride this emotional rollercoaster.

Colby McCaskill: One of the bigger ascents and subsequent drops on this ride came from a speech David Leedy gave before the final debate. You know David, he’s the dean of students. You heard from him in Episode 1 about the budget cuts. He gave a little presentation to kick off the final event. It was held in a church near union square, so the audio is a little echoey. Actually it’s so echoey, I cannot tell you what his opening joke was, but it did not impress.

David: [inaudible]

Matthew: Oh! Geez. That was horrible.

Colby McCaskill: Terrible Opener.

Colby McCaskill: Quick sidebar. Absolutely no hate on David Leedy for that most likely god-awful joke. I think that sometimes David’s inner father comes out when he opens these things. He is just trying to mess with us. He also garnered a similar reaction when he opened the April 24th Community Update, which you’ll hear later on.

Julia Jensen: Anyway. With not much else to address, he begins to talk about King’s and the finances, and where we’re heading and all that. And then, around 5 minutes in, he says this.

David: We are in earnest and serious conversation with another [inaudible]. If that comes to fruition, we should know soon. In 7 to 10 days, we should know.

Colby McCaskill: If you didn’t catch that, that’s okay. I told you it was echoey didn’t I? He said, quote “We are in earnest and serious conversation with another”—and I think I hear the word institution, but I also hear some other ones that I can’t exactly make out. “If that comes to fruition,” I’m quoting him again, “we should know soon. In 7 to 10 days, we should know.” 

Julia Jensen: Actually, here, just play the recording from the college’s YouTube video of this event. 

David: We are in earnest and serious conversation with another institution. If that comes to fruition, we should know soon. In 7 to 10 days, we should know.

Julia Jensen: There you go, isn’t that way easier to hear?

Colby McCaskill: Wait hold on, sorry, that was huge news, but I just realized that we can go back and hear his joke.

David: Hey you guys clean up  pretty good. Let me just take a picture of you, just in case I never see you again.

[Uproar]

…

Colby McCaskill: [Chuckling] Okay…sorry David, that was a little funny.

Julia Jensen: Colby, can we get on with the show? 

Colby McCaskill: Yes! So Sorry.

David: We are in earnest and serious conversation with another institution. If that comes to fruition, we should know soon. In 7 to 10 days, we should know.

Colby McCaskill: Finally! A deadline! What wonderful news! 

Julia Jensen: Truly, this was really incredible to hear. It felt like the weight of ambiguity had been lifted just enough for us to breathe. So seven to ten days from March 31st. That’s April seventh at the earliest, and April tenth at the latest. And we would know what the future holds. After long months of worry, finally, we could either grieve, or rejoice. 

Colby McCaskill: Sitting in the pews that night, I felt a fresh wave of relief, a feeling I hadn’t felt in months. We were going to get an answer! My heart could see the light. A few days after that announcement, Middle States actually came to King’s —

Julia Jensen: Not to college?

Colby McCaskill: — To inform students of the accreditation situation. 

Julia Jensen: Remember that accreditation action they took in late march that we covered in Episode 4? They had asked for a supplemental information report, but when they got it, it wasn’t reassuring. So they rejected it. This meeting, in early April, was to meet with the student body and inform it of the procedure. King’s, was officially on a quote unquote “show cause” status. Colby and I were the ones who wrote the EST article about this particular visit. I remember that the woman who spoke, turned out to be filling in for King’s official Middle States liaison. We didn’t have the representative who knew the most about our case, so a lot of specific questions were met with vague answers.

Colby McCaskill: Regardless, she did let us know that King’s wasn’t going to all of a sudden be unaccredited in the middle of the semester. If they decided to begin withdrawing accreditation, we could be certain that any credit or degree earned in this semester was safely accredited.

Julia Jensen: That was…reassuring. In that meeting Middle States also told us that King’s had another chance to submit some official paperwork, and then they would be returning for a visit in late April. A follow up visit on the 27th, and 28th. Years away, it felt like.

Colby McCaskill: And that was basically it. They said that King’s has still not proven it’s fo’ sho aight, let us know some important dates, and then dipped after some questions. I don’t know about you Julia, but this meeting didn’t hit me as hard as that Interregnum announcement did. After this meeting, on the 3rd of April, I was just waiting it out for that sweet sweet announcement of certainty. 

Julia Jensen: And, in perhaps a really great coincidence of timing, or simply David’s intention with the announcements, April 10th was also a scheduled address by the Student Body President candidate. So the day by which David said they would know, was the day that the administration had also advertised a school meeting.

Colby McCaskill: In this next clip, which is a tape I recorded of the meeting, you can kind of hear my friend Avi and I talking about the speech David gave that night during the final interregnum speech. I quote David directly, but my man Avian tried to prepare me for the possibility that they might not give an answer to the future of the college. A possibility that was frankly ridiculous.

Mattilyn: Hi guys, can you all hear me? Can I get your attention, very quickly. Hello. Okay, so very quickly, I just wanted to explain how the voting process is going to go over the next two days. This is a bit of a unique situation. Very different from the past few years. We only have one candidate rather than multiple this year, so it's going to look differently. So you guys are still going to get an email with a link to vote today, I think the email is scheduled to go out around 1pm. But yeah, you'll get the email today, and that is where you will be able to cast your vote…

Julia Jensen: This is Mattilyn, the current Student Body President, announcing how the voting system would work for the election of Shayley. You’ve also heard from her in a past episode. Mattilyn is explaining how, since only Shayley is running, that it’ll be a vote of confidence, not choosing between her and another candidate. Then, she invites Shayley up to give a little address. 

Shayley: Hello, everybody. Is this good? Okay. So I'm Shayley, and I'm running for Student Body President. And I wanted to use this time to explain a little bit about myself and why I'm running. And I want to expand on my platform…

Julia Jensen: And it’s, you know, kinda sweet. Shayley is a personable speaker and tells the students gathered why she decided to run when everything is crumbling. She reads from her favorite book: Oh The Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss. 

Shayley: Every time I'm feeling down, I'll sit down with my roommates. And we'll read it aloud. 

Julia Jensen: Having been one of Shayley’s roommates last year, I can personally attest to this.

Shayley: And I need to let you guys know, the last time that happened was last night. There's a part of this book that talks about this place called The Waiting Place. The Waiting Place is where people just wait. A few lines in the book say people are waiting around for a yes or no. People are waiting for a better break. People are waiting for another chance. When reading these lines last night, that place felt really familiar. We're all just waiting. But I want to say we don't have to be. All I know is that we are waiting for definite answers. But we have to keep moving forward within our lives where we are at in the waiting.

Julia Jensen: She gives an encouraging word to continue forward with our lives, and that she is doing that by running for Student Body President. But then, when she ends her speech and steps down, Mattilyn doesn’t invite another speaker up. She doesn’t give a speech about finances, or about the supposed partnership talks. Nothing. She just…kind of…stops the meeting.

Mattilyn: Thank you, Shayley. You're dismissed. I don't have anything…

Colby McCaskill: Hey Avian. Umm, you were right bro. 

Julia Jensen: I guess they didn’t need to update us. 

Colby McCaskill: No, I guess not. In all honesty, though, this kind of pissed me off. Because for the past few months, all dates for announcements about the future of the college had been through rumors. So when a final announcement was assigned a date by the dean of students, in front of the whole school, that felt too public to simply skip past. I reached out to David via email for clarification. “To answer your question” He said, “The potential partnership conversations are ongoing. We had hoped to have clarity by now, but it is taking longer than expected for these conversations to unfold. We will keep the community posted as soon as we have more definitive information to announce.” So no. In the 7-10 days after that original interregnum speech was made, King’s did not make an announcement of a merger. “We should know in 7-10 days” was actually more like we’ll tell you when we have something definitive. The question is though, if no partner ever materializes, will we ever get something definitive?

Julia Jensen: One of the biggest obstacles, it seemed from the ground, to King’s actually getting a school partnership, or really any kind of major donor to keep it afloat, was The Board of Trustees. We haven’t really touched on the Board of Trustees. Stockwell Day was brought on by an invitation from Primacorp. He then became the replacement for the previous President, Tim Gibson. Tim was replaced because he pushed back against Primacorp’s lax attitude toward their contractual obligations. The story of The Board of Trustees of The King’s College actually has a bit more behind it than simply Stockwell’s appointment, rise to chair, and subsequent promotion to interim President.

Colby McCaskill: When King’s signed the official partnership agreement with Primacorp, they brought on five new Board members. Stockwell day was one of those. But the others were Jim Cunningham. He is Peter Chung’s family friend. According to that old video profile on the Eminata Group. Rodney Bergen, who hosted an interview with Peter Chung for the Christian Embassy of Canada, and served on the Quest University Board of Governors. Marvin Kehler, a former President of Campus Crusade for Christ Canada. And Reverend Dr. Soon Chung, Peter Chung’s own brother. 

Julia Jensen: Yes. Calling these members of the board quote unquote “Primacorp Board members” is inaccurate. None of them were officially employed by Primacorp, the connections between them display ties to Primacorp that range from professional acquaintance, friends, to blood relations. This was a welcoming of not five new untethered independent thinkers and business men. This was an induction of five seats of known associates of the partnering company. Men that not only knew of Peter Chung, but have worked alongside him, for him, and even shared a childhood home with him.

Colby McCaskill: Warren Cole Smith, you’ve heard from him before, was a consultant for King's, now is the President of ministrywatch.com, a Christian accountability journalism outlet. He explained how the job of a Board of Trustees is heavily affected by its make-up in an interview with EST.

Warren Cole Smith:…What I would call, independence issues. Are the board members truly independent? Boards legally have what is known as fiduciary responsibility over the organization. In other words, they are the legal authority within the organization. They're ultimately responsible, that the organization is operating within the bounds of the law. That it is following rules and regulations. That it is managed in an appropriate professional manner. And if the board is dependent upon the organization, either through familial relationships, or salaries, or whatever, it compromises their fiduciary responsibility. And so we look for board members not only to be sort of—the right boards to not only be to the right size, and from our point of view, that number is 7-11. 

But also that the board be largely independent. We would say that you should have no more than two non-independent board members on a board of 7-11 people and or no more than 1 in 5 board members that are dependent, that are not independent. The problem with The King's College right now, it appears to me, and I haven't looked at the board structure lately so I would encourage you to strongly fact check this, is that there seem to be a number of people on the board who are related to Primacorp. Or have some sort of—achieve some sort of financial benefit from Primacorp. And so that, or let me say it a different way. I haven't looked at the board lately, so I'm not sure about that. But that would be the thing that I would look for. If I'm looking at the board, I would want to say: Do…you’ve got a good number of board members? So would you say 10 board members right now? I mean, that's kind of not a bad number. But are they truly independent board members? And are they willing to make the tough decisions that are necessary?

…

But let me just try to be succinct here. I think one of the biggest obstacles to The King's College raising money right now is a lack of confidence in the board. I believe that there are wealthy Evangelical donors out there that certainly have the resources to see The King's College through this current crisis and put them on a sound footing for the future. The question I think these donors are rightly asking is: What's going to happen to the money if I give it to The King's College based on—given the current structure of the board? I think that's probably the biggest issue right now. Because as we talked about earlier, when we were looking at the numbers at Abilene Christian, that this is not about a lack of resources. This is about lack of confidence.

Julia Jensen: Okay. Look. This is a big deal actually. Because what Warren is saying here is not a fringe opinion. This was a worry from both those inside and outside from the start. Remember Sophia? The woman who came back to work for Primacorp and help King’s with their alum relations? Here she is, expressing the same concern you just heard Warren voice.

Sophia: And so I thought: This is great. We're going to have support. And it was a little concerning that Primacorp had so many seats on the board. I was told that they technically didn't have a majority, because Peter Chung’s brother, I forget his name. He wasn't supposed to be a voting member, when it came to Primacorp issues. So, I was told that it wasn't supposed to be a big problem, but it was also very concerning, because they did have a majority. So that was never great.

Colby McCaskill: Dru Johnson, told me about an interactions between the staff and Stockwell Day when the budget cuts and deficit news were announced to them.

Dru: So a lot of us are just thinking like: Okay, how did we get here? So, great, if it continues, we all want it to. We need to make sure not get here again. And that's in every question we asked along those lines. We're definitely stymied. When you ask questions like: Isn't it a conflict of interest for you to be working for this person and also on the board here? Never answered.

Julia Jensen: So staff both and faculty knew that this board was heavily tilted towards Primacorp. But for Warren, this is one of, if not the main issue holding King’s College back from thriving. 

Warren Cole Smith: Parent confidence, student confidence, faculty confidence, has to be restored. And I think that solving the board problem, I don't think any of that can happen without solving the board problem. But once you solve the board problem, I think the board has got to immediately pivot to a meaningful plan to restore that confidence. 

Julia Jensen: As it turns out, those inside King’s felt the same. Just two days after this interview, on April 21, Henry Moriello, one of the only active members of the board that was not connected to Primacorp but very much connected to King’s, sent out an email announcing the termination of the Primacorp Board members. And the arrival of eight new Board members. 

David: Thank you Rafa, How are you guys? End of the semester you guys are in high spirits, which is great. Yeah, dare I remind you the finals are next week. 

Crowd: [Boos]

David: Okay. 

…

Big news. The Primacorp separation is official. To quote the email that was sent out to you to you all: We have mutually and amicably agreed to end our collaboration agreements between King’s and Primacorp.

Crowd: [Cheers] [Applause]

Colby McCaskill: The reaction from the student body came in ways only Gen Z would react to this type of news.

Julia Jensen: The Instagram account, TKC Affirmations, posted an affirmation for students to claim that said “My parents are on the board” 

Colby McCaskill: One comment under the EST article on the Primacorp Partnership Termination said, quote, “Ding Dong Primacorp Gone.”

Julia Jensen: A satirical TKC account on X, called TKCBot, commemorated the day with the sentence “bye bye primacorp” that was followed by no less than five grinning emojis, and was accompanied by a screenshot of the Wizard of Oz song: Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.

Colby McCaskill: Callie, you’ve heard from her before, gave me this totally unforeseen response, when I asked the question that usually gets words of sadness.

Colby McCaskill: But first question. How are you feeling about the whole situation, at this moment in time?

Callie: I'm very happy. 

Colby McCaskill: Yeah? 

Callie: Yes. Especially with our new board members. I think it's going to kind of realign King’s and to be more with the mission. And working with students and less, I guess, businessy and for-profity, and just really focus on King’s and the culture here.

Colby McCaskill: Gotcha. When did that happiness kick in? Has that been through the whole situation? Or is it just this week?

Callie: This week. When we got the email about the change. That was really a sweet moment. Especially, we were on House retreat when we got it. So a lot of joy throughout. Yes.

Julia Jensen: I even posted on my anonymous instagram account that commemorated the major events of the semester with Homeric poetry.

Colby McCaskill: Can…can we get a little taste?

Julia Jensen: Well…

Colby McCaskill: Please?

Julia Jensen: [Sighs] But wait, is there hope from across the bay? The new board is set to meet today. Will we sleep tight with rhythms circadian, now that the leaders are less Canadian? Say goodbye to Primacorp, we do not want you anymore. Dean Leedy speaks in many ways, says we will know in seven days.

Colby McCaskill: According to the internal email, King’s and Primacorp had, quote, “amicably and mutually agreed to end their collaboration agreements.” Endquote.

Julia Jensen: Some…didn’t see it that way. You already heard how Callie reacted to the news.

Callie: I'm very happy.

Colby McCaskill: Ben, a King’s Business alum who only graduated a few years ago, told me this was how he sees it:

Ben: Nobody leaves amicably in this kind of situation. You kick them the F out. Once you realize if it smells like shit, and it looks like shit, and it tastes like shit, it's shit. That's what it was.

Colby McCaskill: In my personal opinion. I have to agree.

Julia Jensen: During that same Community Update, where David had announced the Board change, Dr. Matt Parks had announced a visit from Middle States to do what is called a follow up report. 

Matthew: My other item is just a bit of a preview of what's coming up this week with Middle States. So you know that last week we had two reports due to them. One, called a show cause report, which was basically our response to their concerns about whether we can meet certain other standards moving forward. And then secondly, a revised teach out plan, which we've talked about before. They will be here Thursday and Friday of this week. Thursday is basically meetings. So there's some meetings with particular groups and individuals, but 12:45 to 1:25, right here, is a student's meeting. So you're all invited, those of you who are students, to come back for that. And then right after that 1:25 to 2:40, here as well, there will be a meeting for faculty and staff. Okay, so those are both open sessions to the various particular groups. And then Friday morning, they will be back here, having written a report, at least to draft a report that night, to read the report. It's a very sort of formal, almost cold process, they stand up here, they read the report, they have their suitcase here, and they walk out the door. Okay. So it's no questions, no comments. What they're gonna do, basically, is give some preliminary judgment as to whether or not they think the college meets the standards they were investigating. That will not include any recommendation, read recommended action. Okay, so it's the beginning of a process. In fact, that gave us very specific language here, we're not to publicize the team's findings, or imply that any particular action will be taken by the Commission, the team's findings represent only the first step in the multi level decision making process. So it'll be over two weeks before that report is finalized. Then there's a hearing in June, June 21, and 22nd, then there's a response for that, there's even an appeal process beyond that, if you want to go down that route. So this, again, as they say, is the beginnings of a process where they will evaluate whether we meet their standards moving forward. 

…

 I think that's it. Thank you. 

Julia Jensen: As you just heard, Matt said that, quote, “we are not to publicize the team’s findings” Endquote. But who exactly is the we in that sentence?

Colby McCaskill: In Middle States’s Follow-up Reports and Visits Procedures, section IV, subsection O, point 3, the expectation is that, quote, “Under no circumstances should the oral exit report be recorded.” And point 5 says that, quote, “the institution shall not publicize the team’s findings,” unquote. Okay. So, everyone, it seems like, is not supposed to record the meeting, and The King’s College shall not publicize the team’s findings. Is that to say that the EST is also prohibited?

Julia Jensen: According to a press relations representative for the college, who was contacted in relation to the EST article about this meeting, “Per Middle States, members of the media were not to be present on Friday (it was intended for the students, staff, and faculty of King's), so anything you publish should not include any of the contents from Friday's meeting.”

Colby McCaskill: Well, Middle States did arrive on campus to conduct a follow-up investigation meeting with students on April 27 and 28th. And EST was in the room, recording, for both of those meetings. 

Middle States Representative: Okay. Good morning everybody. I think I met most of you yesterday, 

…

This exit briefing should not be recorded and members of the public or media should not be present during this meeting. Following this team’s departure, the institution will have an opportunity to correct errors of facts, as well as submit an institutional response to the comments. The institutional response along with the information contained in the Commission’s report is reviewed first by the Commission to Review and then by the full commission. This is the oral report from the Middle States Follow Up Team

…

Cognizant of the college’s continuing financial struggles and publicity around them, in building this fiscal year’s 2024 budget plan, the administration reduced the enrollment projections to 150 students for the fall semester that would generate 2.475 million in tuition revenue; and in accounting for no expenditure reductions the budget projects a deficit of 11.1 million dollars that would need to come from non-tuition revenue sources, probably anticipating a shortfall. The report and interviews reveal no realistic strategy to adequately address the forecasted deficit.

…

The college does not have adequate financial resources to support its educational purpose and programs and to ensure financial stability.

Julia Jensen: This was the first time in the history of my time at King’s, in perhaps the official history of King’s in NYC, where students had been told directly: your school does not have enough money, and they need over 10 million dollars to keep going. It had happened in round about ways before, but never from a podium. And the Administration was pushing hard for the info to not leave the campus as much as it could.

Colby McCaskill: And let me just reiterate. I, expressly and intentionally, went against the wishes of King’s Administrators and MSCHE and recorded this meeting. But, and I don’t know if you’ll actually believe me on this, not out of malice. We talked a lot in the first episode about what makes The King’s College so special. And in my opinion, I do think King’s is special. 

Julia Jensen: And necessary. 

Colby McCaskill: Yeah. And necessary. But…the way this played out, with the truth of the matter—the fact that King’s was way way less financially stable than they let on—that truth, kept hidden, enabled students, teachers, and staff to experience that goodness, but also majorly damaged those same people in its demise. In the last class of my intro to journalism course, the class of which I had to skip a little bit in order to report on the follow-up report, when I came back, our professor, Clemente, gave us all old books of his about journalism. It was a touching moment, because it felt like a parting gift. The book I got was “The Elements of Journalism” by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. Its goal is to provide “people with the information they need to be free and self governing.” 1) journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. 2) Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3) Its essence is a discipline of verification. 4) Its practitioners must maintain independence from those they cover. 5) It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

Julia Jensen: To be loyal to the truth? even when the truth means that King’s, from the beginning, has never been entirely financially stable? If the purpose of our job here is to provide our readers with the information they need to be free and self governing, then by gate-keeping this information, we are interrupting the student’s ability to self- determine their own future paths.

Colby McCaskill: I’ve been eaten up with fear these past months about telling this story, this part in particular. And the reason is because this is a lot. It’s a place that has meant so very much to so many people. But it’s also a place that has held a nasty secret for a really long time. There was anxiety about reporting that story then. And much of that has not gone away, because we don’t want to be responsible for the death of King’s. In the interview Warren did with our EST staff, he put out an invitation.

Warren Cole Smith: And so I'm really excited for you guys. I think there's real opportunities and I think that Christian journalism, or likely said a different way, Christians involved in journalism of all kinds, is a particularly important vocation these days. I wrote an essay called: Can journalism save Evangelicalism? It's a speech that I gave to the Evangelical Press Association last year.

…

So I really recommend that to you. Because I think that, among other things, I hope, and I intended this speech to be an encouragement to Christians involved in journalism.

Colby McCaskill: That speech, I think, is quite apt for this situation. Here’s what he said.

Warren Cole Smith: If Christian journalists are going to be more than propagandists for Christian institutions, several things need to happen.  Here are a few of my suggestions.  We need to get over our fear of bad news.  In fact, we need to understand that bad news can be good news.  The reason the Gospel is good news is because it makes us feel good.  It is because it offers the truest, most authentic story of the world.  And it is never more true than when it compels us to look at the brokenness of the world.  The grace of God is cheapened by a sentimental, inauthentic, whitewashed, sanitized account of that brokenness.We need to remember that people, and the truth, matter more than institutions.  In virtually every investigative story I’ve ever covered, when the scandal finally broke into the open, we discovered that it had been known but covered up for years, in some cases even decades.  That was the situation at Kanakuk, at Willow Creek, at Mars Hill, at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.  The logic was this:  To deal with this scandal publicly would be to destroy the institution and the work it is doing.  Transparency and accountability are the instruments of truth-seeking and truth-telling.  Transparency and accountability are the two essential, non-negotiable ingredients when it comes to the restoration of the credibility of the evangelical church.  

Colby McCaskill: Honestly, I fully agree with this argument.

Julia Jensen: We weren’t getting the fully unaltered truth from the college. It’s really sad to say. The truth was that the barriers to continuing into the next year, not just this semester, was not 2.6 million dollars. It was well over 10 million. And in addition to that, King’s had lost its major donors, and just separated ties with its most recent source of funding. And in its own strength, the work of which was very admirable, raised just over a million dollars. 

Colby McCaskill: In retrospect now, the reasoning behind The King’s College Board of Trustees not announcing closure anytime before then during the spring semester is understandable. The Board was populated by business men that had explicit ties to Primacorp, and it would not have been in their best interest to close the college before their associate had fully severed ties. And maybe at that point, when the new TKC-affiliated Board took the conference table it was clear as well: The college, relying on its own strength, cannot continue into the fall 2023 semester. But maybe, because of their faith, and the history of the college, it was worth a few more months of enduring to see if a miracle was truly on the horizon.

Julia Jensen: Kimberly Thornbury reccounted this propensity during her time at King’s of experiencing miraculous fundraising. This was an interview we had with her after the end of the spring semester.

Kimberly Thornbury: …We kept saying, Lord, You've saved King’s over and over and over again, near death. And so what keeps you hopeful is that the Lord had done it before. So maybe…

Julia Jensen: So I get it. It’s no one elses’ except The King’s. And if it’s his, he can keep it around.

Colby McCaskill: I understand it too. I don’t agree with either of those Board’s decisions. I feel lied to, and cheated. We were given a space to grow, learn, develop, and it got tugged out from under us by the same place that sold it. Maybe if this truth is shared, the truth that King’s has never really had a history of financial viability, it will force King’s to confront its broken system that continues to keep the community waiting for an answer that seems to have already been decided. 

Julia Jensen: I think The King’s College is a wonderful, fantastic idea, and I truly want to see it thrive, I believe…

Colby McCaskill: And I do as well…

Julia Jensen:…that for it to truly succeed, it must fix its broken business model.

Colby McCaskill: A week after that follow up meeting, King’s held its 75th commencement ceremony at St. George’s Episcopal Church near the East Village. Julia, you and I were there.

Julia Jensen: Yeah, like almost all of this series. 

Colby McCaskill: Point taken. For me sitting there, it felt like a momentous occasion. King’s, in the midst of its public financial crisis, was able to have half of its student body graduate. It was great news.

Evan: We all I mean, it was the elephant in the room. We all knew that it was entirely possible the college would not exist by the next year. But it felt amazing. Yeah, I really enjoyed our graduation ceremony.

Joseph Griffith: Yeah, commencements may 2023. made me proud to be a professor at The King's College. The three valedictorian speeches, every one of them, brought me to tears. Then just seeing the 112 or so students, I'm not sure that's the exact right number. But the 100-120 students walked down the aisle and received their diploma after such a career crazy semester, it made me so proud of them. And then knowing that some of these students at least, you know, came to King’s the COVID year and all the turmoil that they have persevered through. Yeah. So it was like, it was like a sort of—James speaks about the testing of your faith producing perseverance, perseverance character, character hope. I felt so hopeful for the students who graduated at commencement in May 2023. It was amazing. It was an amazing experience to watch because of course, the professors are sitting up in the wing and we get to see everything and that was beautiful. 

Julia Jensen: Beautiful is a very true word. Though, for me at least, it was, in one moment, beautiful, and devastating. It felt like a dream where everything was going exactly as planned except this begging dread would not leave my mind. Almost all the professors were there, it was celebratory, and the church was crowded with friends and family. But there was a drowning sense of finality and tragedy. I remember sitting in the pews there as pomp and circumstance played, crying. I thought that song would eventually welcome me to that stage. But at that moment it became all too real. And that hope came crashing down.

Julia Jensen: One of the more notable speeches from this ceremony, at least in my opinion, was an address from Henry Moriello, of the Board of Trustees. Not just the new one, but the old one, and the one even before Primacorp. It's fair to say he’s been around the block for a while.

Henry Moriello: Truly today, we gather under some unusual circumstances, the King's College faces some financial challenges which are real, which makes our future uncertain. The Board of Trustees has selected meeting on May 31 as the date by which we need to raise sufficient funds through exploring numerous other strategic alliances and fundraising opportunities in order for us to continue operations in ‘23-’24. 

And yet, despite this uncertainty, I'm reminded today that no matter the future of the college, what it may be, its legacy and mission will live on through you, the Class of 2023 and all current students and alumni. As you use your gifts and education to influence the communities with the truth of the gospel. Applying the lessons you've learned from our faculty and staff, in your home, your workplace, your church and your community. 

I do want to take a couple of minutes to talk to you from my heart. I am hopeful that I'll get through without becoming tearful. If I do it, if I do become tearful, I'll blame it on my heritage. I'm Italian and I'm emotional. But I just want to say I am an alum of the college. It is so near and dear to my heart. And I would like to say that since I've been serving in the role of Chairman, I could not have been more impressed with the outpouring of love and support for this amazing organization that I have seen from the board, the faculty, the staff, the parents of Students, and — most of all the students. 

I also want to make a personal pledge to you. And every board member who is here today may I'm sure joins me in this pledge. We will withhold nothing in our own human effort to save this wonderful institution and to see it thrive in the days ahead. I do want to say to you, always remember that our Lord is in control. It is never too late with our Lord. He brings about his plan in his timing, and I remain confident that the King's College is part of the future of New York City, the United States of America and the world.

Colby McCaskill: To me, this is a sweet sentiment. It's a good feeling kind of message: We don’t know what comes next, but we’re hopeful. But. Also. It continues to push a narrative that we’ve heard from the beginning about God’s plan for the college. It's…what I’ve come, in recent times, to call Kingsianistic. It’s a sense of pride, and unifying comradery, around the mission of The King’s College. Kingsianism argues that The King’s College is going to survive because God wants it to. It’s Kingsian to a degree of idolization. You can hear it in the background of many of Henry’s words, “amazing organization” “Wonderful Institution.” And his comment at the end about King’s being a part of God’s plan for the future of the world, it’s very definitive on the value of the institution: high. And on the chance that it survives: high. And look, I’m not trying to argue that King’s isn’t an amazing organization, or that it doesn’t have wonderful aspects, or that you ought to even admit it’s faults during a public address to the student body, and their families. But Kingsianism also has its destructive elements. While it acknowledges the positive aspects of King’s, it fails to recognize the failures of the college. This could be a me thing, but this part of the speech, and actually much of this ceremony failed to adequately address the torment and hurt that accompanied being a student these past few months. This was perhaps the last possible time to say some really meaningful words in person, from the administration to the graduating class, but there was no remorse, no apologies, just vague prayers about trials, and hymns about triumph.

Julia Jensen: I guess we have the same opportunity that Christopher Scalia had when he approached the microphone on that sunny day in May. He told us about his college commencement address, and how, 

Christopher Scalia: Unfortunately, the main reason I remember that commencement address is that I didn't really like it, it was a little bit of a disappointment. So in a way it has inspired me to compose and deliver an address that will at worst, be good enough to be forgotten, and short enough to be appreciated.

Colby McCaskill: Julia, how about you go first? What would you have said, given an opportunity to speak to the college, knowing all you know now?

Julia Jensen: I would probably say something like this.

Students, family, friends. Too often do we manipulate scripture to suit our desires and circumstances. Instead of reciting some overly uplifting passage that emphasizes optimism and trust, let me tell you this. The writer of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to search and a time to give up. A time to keep and a time to throw away.

Today is a day to celebrate. But this time is one of confusion and mourning for many. Lost jobs for our staff, disconnected friendships for students, and ruined plans for all are not meant to be forcibly rejoiced over. In the words of Billy Graham, “Our grief isn’t a sign of weak faith, but of great love.” The failures and circumstances enveloping King’s are all a part of a time to mourn. But even amidst this era of misfortune, there is still much to celebrate. 

Ask any student here. This isn’t a normal school. We pride ourselves in not just learning what to think but how to think. We celebrate our differences while simultaneously being united under certain unbreakable values and principles. Don’t forget what you have loved about this college. And do be afraid to grieve for it. Instead, cherish what joys God has provided you with and remember them always. Look back on them with love and thanksgiving, knowing that more joy lies ahead. Each of you has been equipped to lead, and has already exemplified the King’s mission in your own way. Continue to do so- in a way that is truly good, brave, and ready. The future is never certain, and is always changing. But we can choose to hope and be grateful for the times we have had here at this incredible institution. Thank you for your patience, grace, and forgiveness. 

For all of us here, how can we best approach the anxiety we now find ourselves entangled in? Let us turn to a Kingsian favorite, Augustine, who says, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Let us do exactly that- let us rest in the truth that God has our best interests in mind and knows exactly what he’s doing. With that being said, go out and make disciples of the nations. Congratulations class of 2023. 

…

Julia Jensen: And now, I would like to introduce your next speaker, Colby McCaskill.

Colby McCaskill: Hello dear students, faculty and staff, and welcome to their families and loved ones. This is a momentous day, because once again, somehow, we have made it another year. The past school year, these past few years actually, have been a testament to the effort you are willing to put in to stay with our little college through thick and thin. We do not deserve your attendance, but we are exceptionally grateful for it. Throughout your time at King’s, you have learned from top rated professors that really had no business all being employed by us. This privilege to learn from some of the most dedicated, critical, and gracious minds in Academia is an honor that we hope you hold with high regard in your next steps away from here. 

But I have one thing to say to you, and it's probably something you don’t want to hear from an institution into which you have invested a lot. Nevertheless, it is true. We have failed you. In more ways than one, and in many circumstances that we cannot recall, we have failed you. I’m not just talking about this nebulous institution called The King’s College. I’m talking about us, your faculty and staff. You know, as we taught you how to shape and eventually lead strategic public and private institutions, of all the things you learned, I hope the one that sticks with you the most is this. Institutions are just people. Broken people. Striving after a vision together. We are imperfect, The King’s College is imperfect, and that truth has shone bright this past year. For too long this institution has had a systematic deficit, and for too long we’ve tried to amend it by patching it with insufficient means. We have gone along with the tides of culture that prescribe certain ideas as Christian when they are in fact not biblical, and we are very sorry. We have wronged you. Individual staff and faculty have failed you, albeit unintentionally. And we are so sorry. 

These past few years, hopefully, have been enlightening in at least two ways. Through our fantastic curriculum and committed faculty and staff, you have learned the discipline of a liberal arts education: critical thinking. And can take that skill with you wherever you go in life. But we also hope that you have realized the finiteness of us, even as academics. We are in need of God’s grace, so, so much. We have often misled you, let you down, and even when genuinely trying to teach you, deceived you with our own biases. But what that means, is that it is all the more obvious that this community that we have right here right now, this collection of young men and women who have completed a full course of study in the liberal arts, is a gift, and entirely unearned. If this is the last class of The King’s College, we are so very sorry for the ways in which we brought that about. If by grace, it isn’t, then we hope to continue in our sanctification and learn from our mistakes here. 

You know, this waiting could all be leading to something, but the truth is, even if it does, we still left you on the edge of your seat for months on end. We hurt you with our waiting, and we are very sorry. A wise friend told me this past semester a phrase he likes to use to remind himself of the truth. “If not, he is still good.” The King’s College has tried to teach you the truths of Christianity, but as imperfect people we have done it imperfectly, actually demonstrating a fundamental truth of the grace of Christianity. Isn’t it funny how that works? 

As you go forward into your next steps, we genuinely hope you look upon your time at King’s with fondness. We have loved educating you. But we also hope that this lesson, that imperfect people make up institutions, goes with you as well. And while you continue to grow in your endeavors and gain more and more responsibility in this world, you can remember that your worth, your love, is not based on your perfection. And that like us, you can admit your faults, apologize, and try to move past them. Because you can try to be perfect and never admit fault and only play up the good aspects of your life and hide the shameful parts, you can try. But if that turns out, over time and circumstance to be incorrect, if you truly do happen to be as broken as us, that doesn’t reflect badly upon your savior. In other words, we hope your time as King’s has taught you at least one thing. You can try to do everything right, but if not, he is still good.

…

Colby McCaskill: After the ceremony, the contents of the church filed out into the midday sunshine, and spent hours laughing, rejoicing, taking photos, and basking in the accomplishment of completing King’s. This was a tender moment, with the possibilities still entertained but pushed out of mind for a moment, we got to celebrate, and bid farewell to the teachers and staff. I only have one picture from all the hullabaloo in the park across from the church, mainly because I ran out of film. It’s a sunny picture of the brick facade of the building, the sky is blue, the brick is a deep brown, and the tree is just blooming green buds. As if even the trees are saying: the winter is gone, joy comes in the mourning. You know that feeling when you ride home from 5th grade on the last day of school and your yearbook is filled with scrawled goodbyes. It felt like that, like good closure, like my heart, no matter what happened next, was willing, finally, to move on. 

Julia Jensen: Of course, no matter how much we want the story to end there, we still have much more to talk about. But that’s next time on Demise Of The Crown.

…

Julia Jensen: Demise Of The Crown is a production of Empire State Tribune and the Broadway & Exchange Podcast.

Colby McCaskill: This show was produced and edited by me, Colby McCaskill.

Julia Jensen: And me, Julia Jensen. Our Executive Editor is Myrian Orea. And Mindy Huspen is our Managing Editor. Thank you so much to Matthew Peterson and Angelina Ispir.

Colby McCaskill: Special thanks to Rob Bruder of Postmillennial Media. As well as all who lended their time and voice to this project.