Max Bennett ’29 of Hiseville, physics professor Mark McKinnon are first from Lindsey Wilson to participate in Harlaxton College semester.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (01/28/2026) Lindsey Wilson University student Max Bennett ’29 and physics professor Mark McKinnon are making history while spreading the school’s name overseas.
The two are the first members of the Lindsey Wilson community to participate in the university’s new partnership at Harlaxton College in England.
This spring semester, Bennett is taking a full slate of classes and McKinnon is teaching a trio of courses to students at Harlaxton College — which is housed in a nearly 200-year-old Victorian manor in Grantham, England, that serves as the University of Evansville’s study-abroad center.
It’s Bennett’s first time studying abroad, and he’s off to an adventurous start. After getting settled into his room in a carriage house at the college, Bennett visited London, which is about three hours south of Grantham, and also the city of Nottingham, which is about 25 miles to the west.
“I’ve always wanted to travel, and coming over here you get that experience,” said Bennett, who is a psychophysiology major on the dental school path from Hiseville, Kentucky. “It’s just a great opportunity to see new sites and eat food you’ve never had before while working toward my academic goals.”
Bennett is the only freshman of about 100 students studying this spring at Harlaxton. Although it’s customary for college students to wait a year or two before taking an immersive study abroad experience, Bennett said he took advantage of the opportunity during his freshman year at Lindsey Wilson “because I wanted to make sure I could fit it in my schedule.”
While exploring England’s historic and cultural landmarks, Bennett also sampled Vietnamese and Turkish cuisine, as well as what he described as the best pizza at an Italian-owned restaurant in London.
Nice people, fewer hills
During the week, Bennett takes a full load of classes at Harlaxton, which resembles a setting for a Harry Potter story. One of Bennett’s spring semester courses is a physics class taught by McKinnon.
McKinnon is also teaching a conceptual physics class for non-science and -mathematics majors as well as a class on history and issues of technology.
McKinnon said he’s enjoyed teaching a diverse assortment of students from U.S. schools.
“Having a chance to listen to these students and their ideas has really opened my eyes,” said McKinnon.
McKinnon visited Harlaxton last spring as part of a Lindsey Wilson delegation to learn more about the college.
“One of the biggest things I missed when we visited last May is how nice people are,” said McKinnon. “Everyone is so friendly. The people are wonderful. I really love the atmosphere we have here.”
Both Bennett and McKinnon plan to explore more of Europe this semester, including a trip to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh and a spring break trip to Ireland. Bennett also plans to visit Paris, where he hopes to see the famed soccer club Paris Saint-Germain play.
In addition to having easy access to the rest of Europe, McKinnon said they are also enjoying the pedestrian-friendly East Midlands, a region of England much more flat that Southcentral Kentucky’s hilly terrain.
“It’s kind of nice when we take a walk down to the restaurant that we take a nice, flat walk instead of going up those hills,” said McKinnon.
Lindsey Wilson University physics professor Mark McKinnon, right, and student Max Bennett ’29 present a Lindsey Wilson pennant to Kristen Strandberg, interim executive director and dean of Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. McKinnon is teaching courses this spring at Harlaxton and Bennett is taking classes there.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)