Rick Kennedy joined the Point Loma Nazarene University faculty as part of the history department in 1995, when the institution was still known as Point Loma Nazarene College. During his three decades at PLNU, Kennedy published six books and dozens of scholarly articles, served a term as department chair and was a member of the faculty council.
Beyond his academic work, he was known for investing deeply in his students — taking them on sailing and camping field trips and regularly hosting dinners in his home.
The Point sat down with Kennedy to reflect on his time at PLNU as he prepares to retire following the spring semester.
The Point: Do you have a favorite memory or most impactful moment from your time on the faculty?
Rick Kennedy: I have funny memories. I have poignant memories. I have inspirational memories. But my favorite times teaching were when, for about 15 years, I taught California history every May on a sailboat. And it was just fun. I cleaned toilets. I taught classes. I drove the boat and taught them how to sail. We sailed up to Santa Barbara and through the islands, and that seemed to me like the whole package. We were completely involved with each other. I love that sort of thing, like we’re all out here together.
TP: What legacy do you hope to leave behind at PLNU?
RK: What I hope is … according to the mission statement of the school [to provide higher education in a vital Christian community], I tried to uphold it to the highest values. Our faculty, what we sign on to, is the belief in the Christian tradition, the Christian creeds. And I think that if you believe that — the resurrection, Jesus, the Bible says he walked on water, all that sort of stuff — if you believe that, then that affects our way of understanding the world and how, especially universities, work. And so therefore, to me, Christian education is dang fun and interesting. So that’s my legacy here: a very distinctive, interesting Christian way of thinking.
TP: What will you miss the most about being a professor?
RK: I very much enjoy sitting in a small group and reading a book together. I actually worry about that, like, when I don’t have people to sit around, I’m gonna have to start creating book groups or book clubs with students or with friends. My life has always been sitting around with a book, and I enjoy that. So that’ll be what I miss most.
TP: If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
RK: Of course, there’s a million things I’d like to fix — like where I screwed up in my classes, my relationships, my life. But on the other hand, do I regret any major directional aspect of my life? No. I stuck with the church, stuck with a good family, stuck with a good job. This has been a good job.
TP: What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
RK: Not having to show up on Sept. 1. The schedule … Canvas, I hate it. I really don’t like the way the computers run education now, and so I don’t feel tied to that. I want to be able to go see my daughter … and they live in New York. So I won’t have to be back here and follow the schedule of classes.
Ava Bailey-Klugh 
Sydney Brammer