Dear friends of John Jay,
Nearly a decade ago, I knelt in the chapel at Cairn University with seven other John Jay Fellows, robed in black, as we received a charge from Greg Schaller and Pastor Ken Cook. The words spoken that day were more than human. This was, in a very real sense, a commission from God. Greg read it aloud from the diploma: “To find work that only a knight can do… where perhaps there are dragons left to be slain.”
The gravity and sanctity of that moment have remained emblazoned on my memory ever since.
I packed my bags and moved to Washington, D.C., not fully knowing what lay ahead, but determined to build on the foundation I’d been given.
In the years since, I’ve seen what faithful leadership can look like: John Jay alumni serving in Congress, the White House, classrooms, courtrooms, and churches. I’ve seen quiet acts of mentorship on park benches and boisterous acts of hospitality around crowded dinner tables. I’ve seen fellows hold fast to truth in public and in private, in the spotlight and in the shadows.
I’m honored to return now as the third president of the John Jay Institute—a special place that has not only shaped my own life, but also helped shape a generation of Christian leaders for public and private service. The Institute is strong, its mission steady, and its roots deep. Thanks to the stewardship of my predecessors, the generosity of our supporters, and the daily labors of staff, alumni, and friends, we are poised to write an exciting new chapter of an old and wonderful story.
Our republic faces no shortage of challenges. But whatever the epoch, whatever the crisis, whatever the dragon to be slain, this Institute remains fixed as ever on forming humans—deliberately, deeply, and with an eye toward eternity. We are called to raise up men and women of wisdom, ready to serve courageously in such a time as this.
On that evening of my JJI commissioning, Greg closed the reading of the diploma with this profound charge: “This commission is to continue in force for the duration of the member’s life and under the provisions of holy Writ relating to Christian service and self-sacrifice.”
That commission is ongoing. I’m honored to take it up again alongside all of you.
With deep gratitude,
Ross A. Hougham
President, John Jay Institute