When his tenure at Kellogg ended with his retirement in 1983, Kinsinger returned to California to follow a few of his other passions, including hot air ballooning (he's flown all over the world!), and taking on occasional projects that played to his strengths and interests in education. Meantime, what was now Regents College had matured into an important leader in nontraditional higher education. By the time the College passed its 15-year anniversary, the New York State Board of Regents had come to realize the limits on its ability to provide oversight as a board of governors. The decision was made to address the situation by putting together a Board of Overseers to act as intermediaries between the Board of Regents and the College.

Kinsinger was the unanimous first choice to serve as chair of this new Board of Overseers. During the decade in which he served, he helped to guide the College in ways that went well beyond expectations for a body that was navigating uncharted waters. The group, while having no fiduciary responsibility, functioned as an advisory and de facto board of governors. They received reports from the College, asked pertinent questions, and made recommendations to the Board of Regents that were almost always accepted.

By the mid-1990s, Regents College had further evolved.And it was becoming increasingly apparent that it would need to gain independent status in order to grow and thrive. Shaping a new institution and becoming independent of the Board of Regents was not an easy task. In New York State, a group of individuals must become the incorporators, taking responsibility for creating the new organization. Although Kinsinger was no longer chair of the Board of Overseers, he was still in a leadership position. In 1998, he joined with the new chair, Lt. General Arthur J. Gregg (U.S. Army Ret.), Dr. Joshua Smith, Jean M. Smith, and Wanda Borges to move Regents College to a position of independence and form its first dedicated Board of Trustees.

Through the years and transitions, Kinsinger's continued service as a trustee has given him a front-row seat as the College has grown, doubling its enrollment and tripling its budget. He proudly reflects that today, with online courses and services, noncredit programs, and additional student resources, the founders of the Regents External Degree Program would hardly recognize the reality that their dream has become. Even so, at its core, Excelsior College remains true to its original mission -- providing access to degree completion for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

by Cathy S. Kushner, Vice President for Institutional Advancement

The College thanks Dr. Kinsinger for sharing his recollections.

=========Advertisement============

THIS YEAR, WE COULD
BE CELEBRATING THE 40TH
ANNIVERSARY OF:

*The invention of the microprocessor
*The first pocket calculator
*The opening of Walt Disney World
*The Apollo 14 moon landing
*The debut of All In the Family
* The intro of the Nasdaq stock index

But few milestones have impacted us more directly than
THE FOUNDING OF THIS COLLEGE.

Join the celebration! Help us reach
our goal of 4,000 gifts this year and
raise the average gift to $100.

Give now and become one of the
4,000 supporters who've had a direct
impact on Excelsior College.

Please go to www.excelsior.edu/giving, or call toll free
888-647-2388, ext. 145, or mail your gift to
40th Anniversary Campaign, Excelsior College,
7 Columbia Circle, Albany, NY 12203.

Live & Learn 40th Anniversary Edition | 9