A Message from our President (Interim)

Welcome to the spring 2025 issue of the King’s Herald. From the moment I joined the King’s community, first as a student and then as an alumnus (Class of 1993), faculty member, and now in the capacity of President (Interim), I have always enjoyed reading the stories presented in these pages. Each issue offers something familiar and something inspiring.

There’s a joy in recognizing a name and reliving a shared memory, a sense of pride when a former classmate overcomes obstacles and reaches a remarkable achievement. Sometimes, there’s sadness, too, as we remember those we’ve lost — classmates, colleagues, or faculty who helped shape us.

What ties it all together is the ongoing impact of our King’s community. Each story in this magazine is a testament to the difference our alumni, students, faculty, and staff make in the world, inspired by the education, experience, mentorship, and friendships they found here.

Over the past few months, the achievements of our alumni have been celebrated. King’s alumnae Zahra Khawaja, BA'22, and Kinga Lamphier, BA'16, have led a campaign to tackle hate and discrimination in London. Isaiah Johns, BA'20, became a coaching assistant for the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks. Melissa Page Nichols, BA'00, BSW'02, MSW'07, Personal & Accessibility Counsellor at King’s, has worked with Heart-Links (Lazos De Corazon), a small London-based, nongovernmental organization working to advance community development in northern Peru.

We stand at a point in history that is a time of great change. One only needs to watch or read the news to understand that the norms and constants that were seemingly set in place are no longer there. King’s has not been immune to that time of change. However, change is not always something to be feared. Often, change is an opportunity, a chance to look at things differently, try new things, discover new directions, and achieve new successes.

In January, we welcomed back Karen Thomson as our new Chief Operating Officer, and in March, Carri Rodgers-Rowley joined us as Director of Institutional Planning & Finance. Their leadership and ideas will help shape King’s as we look ahead to a new chapter.

And while some changes are celebrated, others are bittersweet. A number of our faculty are retiring, including Claudia Clausius, Associate Professor of English; Rick Csiernik, Professor in the School of Social Work; Darcy Harris, Professor of Thanatology, and Paul Werstine, Distinguished University Professor of English. We will miss their collaborations and camaraderie, but wish them well in their future endeavours.

No matter what path we take, we will continue to work towards the best version of King’s in the way we always have, by recognizing the accomplishments of our alumni, faculty and staff, and students. At the same time, we will all work together to provide the support needed for our community members to succeed in their fields while enhancing the world around them.

We can all look forward to reading about those accomplishments and achievements in future issues of the King’s Herald.

Robert A. Ventresca, PhD President (interim) & Professor