King's College London newsletter
College Visitor comes to K-ng's The College's official Visitor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, spent the afternoon of Thursday 13 February at King's. It was Dr Carey's first attendance at King's as Visitor, but he is no stranger to the College, having graduated here as a Bachelor of Divinity in 1962. Or and Mrs Carey spent nearly four hours in King's: meeting staff, participating in a service in the Chapel and attending a reception in the Great Hall, before seeing various aspects of the work of the College. The Chapel was packed to hear Dr Carey's addre s. Hi main theme was the role of a univer ity as 'one of the means by which society tran cends itself', and this role was fulfilled, he said, firstly by extending the boundaries of what we know.' ew knowledge is often greeted by fear... Universities should be an irritant, the grit in the oyster that may become a pearl.' Secondly, a university is concerned with educating the next generation, and thirdly: 'it analyses the past afresh: revising its judge ments, changing its mind, discerning what has ceased to have the claim of truth and recognising blind alleys for what they
The Archbishop is greeted by the Principal on his arrival
Or Carey signing the Chapel Register ofServices with College Chaplain Philip Chester
Dr and Mrs Carey with John Annan, the producer of 'Guys and Dolls' which opens on 25 March and runs until 29 March. (Contact the Students' Union for details 836 7132.)
Dr Vanessa Davies shows the Archbishop the equipment in the Language and Communication Centre
lectures as 'that mysterious proces whereby the notes of the professor are transmitted to the notebook of the student without going through the minds of either': a situation that, he knew, was not the case at King's.
during the reception that followed they were introduced to representatives of all Schools of the College. After lunch they visited the Theology Department before going to the clson Mandela Hall to meet Student Union officers and see a rehearsal of the student production of Guys and Dolls. The final part of their visit was to the Language and Communication Centre.
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The e roles had a parallel, Or Carey said, in the life of the Church. He had always seen his own task as 'not only conveying the doctrines, history and traditions of Chri tianity but also kindling that freedom of thought and spirit of enquiry which may lead to true knowledge and conviction.' He advised students to take advantage of the opportuni ies King's offered to study the ethical or theological dimensions of almost any subject; and he ended by referring to a whimsical description of
Before the service the Archbishop and Mrs Carey had met senior staff of the College, the Dean and the College Chaplain. and