Knox College, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Knox College is a four-year coeducation
al private liberal arts college
located in Galesburg, Illinois
. Knox is classified as a more selective institution by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
and is ranked 75th among liberal arts college
s by the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges in U.S. News & World Report. It is one of 40 schools featured in Loren Pope
's Colleges That Change Lives
.
social reformers, led by George Washington Gale
. Many of the founders, including the Rev. Samuel Wright, actively supported the Underground Railroad
. The original name for the school was Knox Manual Labor College, but it has been known by its present name since 1857.
The college's name came about through a compromise among its founders. Though founded by a colony of Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the county in which the college is located was already named Knox County
, after Henry Knox
, the first United States Secretary of War
. Arguments have been made that the college was named for Calvinist leader John Knox
, but it is not certain for which Knox it was named (if not both). George Candee Gale, a (great-)great-grandson of two of the founders, explains that "contrary to general belief, Knox was not named for either General Knox or the Scottish Presbyterian Knox, according to my father ... Some wanted the college named for one Knox, some for the other; so they compromised on KNOX. Certainly most of them were pious enough to want the churchman and fighters enough to want the soldier as well."
Knox was the site of the fifth debate
between Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen A. Douglas
in 1858. The Old Main building is the only site from the debates that still exists today. Two years after the debates, and during his presidential campaign, Lincoln received the first honorary doctorate ever conferred by Knox College—a Doctor of Laws degree, announced at the commencement exercises of 5 July 1860.
s by the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges in U.S. News & World Report. In August 2010, Knox was listed as one of the "Best-Kept Secrets: 10 Colleges You Should Know About" by the Huffington Post, based on a Unigo
survey completed by over 30,000 students. In the August 11, 2010 issue of Forbes magazine, Knox was ranked among the Top 100 liberal arts
colleges listed and over 600 evaluated; In the 2009 rankings, Knox was 111th of 600 listed.
The Princeton Review consistently cites Knox on its "Best of" lists, most recently in 2010 as one of the Best 371 Schools, and one of the Best Midwestern Colleges. The Kiplinger
private colleges rankings for 2010 placed Knox 47th on its list of 50 best values in liberal arts, measuring academic quality and affordability. And in 2010 Washington Monthly named Knox among the Top 50 best liberal arts colleges, calling their list "a guide not just to what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country." Knox College is also one of 40 schools featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives
by former New York Times Education Editor Loren Pope
. In the 2009–2010 academic year, The Chronicle of Higher Education
noted Knox as one of 9 bachelor-level institutions to produce 2 or more Fulbright Awards for U.S. Scholars. In 2009, a Knox study of itself found that the college ranks in the top 3% of colleges by based on graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D.
No matter what course of study students decide to pursue, education at Knox contains common elements, including an educational plan that students design.
Knox College introduced the school's honor code in 1951. All students are held responsible for the integrity of their own work, and students are required to abide by the code. Because of this policy, tests are not proctored, and in many cases students may take their exams in any open, public place within the same building. Any cases of students caught disobeying the system are evaluated by their peers through the Honor Board, a committee
consisting of three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and three faculty members.
With the implementation of Renewed Knox, the 2002 curriculum overhaul, the school expanded its academic offerings to meet the needs of a liberal arts education in the 21st century. In 2003, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
awarded the school a $1 million grant to create a new major in neuroscience
; in 2005, it signed agreements with The George Washington University to create an early admission program into the university's medical school, and with the University of Rochester
to create a direct admissions program into the university's Simon School of Business's MBA program; in 2007 the Peace Corps
launched a new program at Knox, establishing the Peace Corps Preparatory Program, the first of its kind in the country; Chinese language instruction, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, and Film Studies were all added; and new abroad studies programs have been created: the Japan Term, and Knox in New York.
Knox is also known for its Green Oaks term, an interdisciplinary program at the 700 acre (2.8 km²; 1.1 sq mi) Green Oaks Biological Field Station, during which students and faculty spend an entire term conducting research and creative projects and participating in courses in biology, anthropology-sociology, and English, as well as workshops in outdoor skills, first aid, and photography.
Knox also promotes top-notch undergraduate research, annually awarding students more than $250,000 in grants to support research and creative projects. Among the programs are the Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, which funds the scientific, scholarly, and creative projects of 20 students each year, and the summer research program at Knox's Lincoln Studies Center. More than 10 percent of Knox students receive support for independent research and study from the Richter Memorial Foundation Program and the Pew Research Fellowships, which offers Knox students support for off-campus research in science and mathematics. In addition, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports student research in ecology and environmental studies and the AAAS/Merck Grant funds interdisciplinary scientific research.
Knox has many distinctive academic programs. The Honors Program is a year-long, in-depth independent research program in which one in seven seniors participates. It culminates in a major thesis or creative portfolio that is presented to and defended before an honors committee that includes Knox faculty and a specialist from outside the college. In 2007, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
awarded Knox a $228,750 grant to create a new Center for Research and Advanced Studies, which "will coordinate Knox's numerous existing programs that support advanced work in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and creative and performing arts."
Almost 50 percent of Knox students take advantage of the opportunities for off-campus learning, studying theatre in London
, history in Barcelona, French
immersion in Besançon, mathematics in Hungary
, social development in Tanzania
, language and culture in Japan
, political science in Washington, D.C.
, and a host of other subjects in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States
, Middle East expert Robert Seibert
, Evolutionary Psychologist Frank McAndrew, noted expert on 20th century American art and director of The National Center for Midwest Art and Design
Gregory Gilbert, former Supreme Court Fellow Lane Sunderland, educational psychologist/gifted education & literacy specialist Stephen T. Schroth, heterodox economist Steven Cohn and co-chairs of the Knox-based Lincoln Studies Center: Rodney Davis and Douglas L. Wilson
. In the 2009–2010 academic year, The Chronicle of Higher Education
ranked Knox as one of the top producers of Fullbright scholar Awards for U.S. Scholars: with two recipients, Knox tied for second among bachelor degree level institutions.
, who serve as joint co-chairs. The center deals with issues relating to the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln
by fostering new research, publishing monographs, hosting annual lectures and occasional symposia. Students are often employed as assistants in the various projects conducted at the center. In August 2009, Knox was awarded an $850,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
"We the People" initiative, "a grant that will provide the base of a permanent endowment for the Center."
, Knox is considered to be a more selective institution, with a lower rate of transfer-in students. For the school year commencing in 2008, more than 2,800 students applied, 1,800 were admitted and 400 chose to enroll. Of the class commencing in September 2009, 37 percent of students were in the top tenth of their class, 67 percent in the top quarter. The ACT composite Mid-50 percent Range was 26–31, the SAT Mid-50 percent Range 1160–1420.
The comprehensive cost (tuition, room, board and fees) of an academic year at Knox was $40,365 in 2010–2011. Knox is one of a select group of American colleges which have a need-blind admission
policy for domestic students. U.S. citizens are eligible for a wide array of need- and merit-based scholarships, as well as various federal and private loan programs. There are numerous avenues for on-campus employment during the academic year. Knox College offers scholarships to qualified international students who wish to take full advantage of what the American liberal arts mode of education has to offer. International students are also eligible for on-campus jobs.
, Delta Delta Delta
, Kappa Kappa Gamma
, and Pi Beta Phi
) conduct a formal recruitment process during the winter term. Groups belonging to the fraternity's Interfraternity Council (Beta Theta Pi
, Phi Gamma Delta
, Gentlemen of Quality, Sigma Chi
, Sigma Nu
and Tau Kappa Epsilon
) conduct a formal intake process during the winter term. Formal recruitment is conducted during winter term to ensure first-year students have a chance to adjust to college life and classes before joining a Greek organization.
Flunk Day is an annual spring carnival that allows students, staff, and faculty to mingle and have fun. Classes are canceled for the day as the student body turns its attention to a joke issue of the student newspaper, live music, inflatable bounce rooms, petting zoos, a mud pit, a paint fight, and a seniors vs faculty softball game. The date of Flunk Day changes every year and is a secret until the entire student body is woken up at around 5am the day of. Flunk Day is of particular significance due to the fact that Knox College does not close for reasons other than Winter Break and Spring Break. This one day, Flunk Day, is a time that students, staff, and faculty can all come together.
Knox's radio station
is WVKC
. It is located on the fourth floor of George Davis Hall, a former science building that now houses the social science and language departments. Its frequency in Galesburg is 90.7. It is ranked #7 in the nation for "great college radio station" by the Princeton Review in their 2011 Best 368 Colleges rankings.
. It was a derogatory term used by European traders to refer to the local people. The term Old Siwash was popularized by George Helgesen Fitch (Knox Class of 1897) in his book At Good Old Siwash, and was soon adopted as the school's mascot. However, in 1992 a college publication urged the school to reconsider the name given its pejorative and derogatory implications. The Prairie Fire refers to the annual spring burning of the prairie lands at Green Oaks. First conducted in the 1950s by Knox professor Paul Shepard, the burn protects prairie grasses from intrusions of woodland scrub and competition with "exotic" species that have been introduced to Illinois from other regions or countries—to the detriment of organisms that have evolved over millions of years in delicate balance with the environment and each other.
Knox is a member of the Midwest Conference
of the NCAA
at the Division III level. The school offers 21 men's and women's varsity sports, as well as club sports in such things as water polo, fencing, and ultimate frisbee. Recent athletic highlights would include the 2008 Conference Champion baseball team that participated in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and Jaran Rutledge, a two-time All-American wrestler who placed in the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2007(3rd) and 2008(8th).
Knox College is part of the sixth-longest college football rivalry in the United States with Monmouth College
. The Bronze Turkey trophy, awarded annually to the victor of the football game, was created in 1928 and is the brainchild of Knox football alumnus Bill Collins. The Bronze Turkey was named the fifth "most bizarre college football rivalry trophy" by ESPN.
mass spectrometer
, a Celestron
telescope, access to the Inter University Consortium for Political & Social Research, the Strong Collection of 18th and 19th century maps and photographs, the Hughes Collection of manuscripts and first editions from Hemingway
and his “Lost Generation” contemporaries, and a 700 acres (2.8 km²) natural prairie reserve, the Green Oaks Field Station. In 2006, the new E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center was dedicated. The 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²), $2.4-million facility features state-of-the-art equipment, and is significantly larger than the former fitness center, Memorial Gymnasium.
The centerpiece of the Knox campus is Old Main. Old Main is "the oldest building on its campus, and is the best preserved site of one of the 1858 senatorial debates between Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen Douglas." A National Historic Landmark
and part of the National Register of Historic Places
.
Built in 1928, the Seymour Library is was ranked 3rd "Best Library" in the nation by the Princeton Review in 2001. Inside its leaded glass windows and oak paneled reading rooms, the library houses 350,000 books and subscribes to more than 14,000 periodicals. Its special collections include the Finley Collection of Midwest History, the Strong Collection of 18th- and 19th-century maps and photographs, the Hughes Collection of manuscripts and first editions from Faulkner, Hemingway and his “Lost Generation” contemporaries, and an original Diderot Encyclopédie
.
Famous professor and newspaperman Christopher Morley
delivered a three-week-long series of lectures on "Literature as Companionship" at Knox in March and April 1938. In one of these lectures, entitled "Lonely Fun", he describes the Standish Alcove in the library as modeled after a "gentleman's library," and praised the opportunities the library offered for solitary leisure. In addition, Knox offers the Kresge Science & Math Library, which houses the scientific and technical collections of the college, and the Center for the Fine Arts Music Library (CFA), which has collections of compact discs, vinyl record albums, printed music scores, and a core reference collection.
Four public computer
laboratories are accessible to students, with several more departmental labs available and a dedicated language laboratory. The largest, Founders Laboratory (a converted smoking lounge from many years ago), which is located in Seymour Hall (the student union
), is open 24 hours a day throughout the school year. Scanning (including film-scanning and optical character recognition
) is available freely to student users, and printing and copy services are available for a fee. In a move to become more environmentally friendly beginning fall of 2005 recycled-content paper
was phased in for use in all college printers, addressing the issues of paper waste.
In 2002, a major curriculum revision entitled "Renewed Knox" was launched. With this revision came the creation of six new academic centers: The Center for Research and Advanced Studies, The Center for Global Studies, The Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development, The Center for Community Service, The Center for Teaching and Learning, and The Center for Intercultural Life.
Students established the Knox College Community Garden in 2007 as an independent study project. It continues to be tended by student volunteers, and produces a variety of annual and perennial vegetables and flowers.
, Stephen Colbert
, Bill Clinton
, Madeleine Albright
, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, Christina Tchen
, and Majora Carter
.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al private liberal arts college
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
located in Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
. Knox is classified as a more selective institution by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
and is ranked 75th among liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
s by the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges in U.S. News & World Report. It is one of 40 schools featured in Loren Pope
Loren Pope
Loren Brooks Pope was an American writer and independent college placement counselor.In 1965, Pope, a former newspaperman and education editor of The New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counseling services in the United States...
's Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives is a college educational guide by Loren Pope. It was originally published in 1996, with a second edition in 2000, and a third edition in 2006...
.
History
Knox College was founded in 1837 by anti-slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
social reformers, led by George Washington Gale
George Washington Gale
George Washington Gale was born in Stanford, New York and became a Presbyterian minister in western New York state. A graduate of Union College in 1814, and Princeton Theological Seminary in 1819...
. Many of the founders, including the Rev. Samuel Wright, actively supported the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. The original name for the school was Knox Manual Labor College, but it has been known by its present name since 1857.
The college's name came about through a compromise among its founders. Though founded by a colony of Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the county in which the college is located was already named Knox County
Knox County, Illinois
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,919, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 55,836 in 2000...
, after Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
, the first United States Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
. Arguments have been made that the college was named for Calvinist leader John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, but it is not certain for which Knox it was named (if not both). George Candee Gale, a (great-)great-grandson of two of the founders, explains that "contrary to general belief, Knox was not named for either General Knox or the Scottish Presbyterian Knox, according to my father ... Some wanted the college named for one Knox, some for the other; so they compromised on KNOX. Certainly most of them were pious enough to want the churchman and fighters enough to want the soldier as well."
Knox was the site of the fifth debate
Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858
The Lincoln–Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for Senate in Illinois, and the incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures; thus Lincoln and...
between Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
in 1858. The Old Main building is the only site from the debates that still exists today. Two years after the debates, and during his presidential campaign, Lincoln received the first honorary doctorate ever conferred by Knox College—a Doctor of Laws degree, announced at the commencement exercises of 5 July 1860.
Rankings
Knox College was ranked 75th among liberal arts collegeLiberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
s by the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges in U.S. News & World Report. In August 2010, Knox was listed as one of the "Best-Kept Secrets: 10 Colleges You Should Know About" by the Huffington Post, based on a Unigo
Unigo
Unigo is a free online college resource guide and student platform claiming to cover more than 1,600 colleges and universities in the United States. The Unigo website is used by college students to share photos, videos, documents, and reviews of their school. High school students and parents use...
survey completed by over 30,000 students. In the August 11, 2010 issue of Forbes magazine, Knox was ranked among the Top 100 liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
colleges listed and over 600 evaluated; In the 2009 rankings, Knox was 111th of 600 listed.
The Princeton Review consistently cites Knox on its "Best of" lists, most recently in 2010 as one of the Best 371 Schools, and one of the Best Midwestern Colleges. The Kiplinger
Kiplinger
Kiplinger is a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice, available in print, online, audio, video and software products ....
private colleges rankings for 2010 placed Knox 47th on its list of 50 best values in liberal arts, measuring academic quality and affordability. And in 2010 Washington Monthly named Knox among the Top 50 best liberal arts colleges, calling their list "a guide not just to what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country." Knox College is also one of 40 schools featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives is a college educational guide by Loren Pope. It was originally published in 1996, with a second edition in 2000, and a third edition in 2006...
by former New York Times Education Editor Loren Pope
Loren Pope
Loren Brooks Pope was an American writer and independent college placement counselor.In 1965, Pope, a former newspaperman and education editor of The New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counseling services in the United States...
. In the 2009–2010 academic year, The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
noted Knox as one of 9 bachelor-level institutions to produce 2 or more Fulbright Awards for U.S. Scholars. In 2009, a Knox study of itself found that the college ranks in the top 3% of colleges by based on graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
Academic program
Knox employs a 3–3 academic calendar rather than a traditional semester-based approach. In each of the three 10-week terms, students take only three courses. Faculty members teach only two courses each term, giving them more time for one-on-one mentoring.No matter what course of study students decide to pursue, education at Knox contains common elements, including an educational plan that students design.
Knox College introduced the school's honor code in 1951. All students are held responsible for the integrity of their own work, and students are required to abide by the code. Because of this policy, tests are not proctored, and in many cases students may take their exams in any open, public place within the same building. Any cases of students caught disobeying the system are evaluated by their peers through the Honor Board, a committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
consisting of three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and three faculty members.
With the implementation of Renewed Knox, the 2002 curriculum overhaul, the school expanded its academic offerings to meet the needs of a liberal arts education in the 21st century. In 2003, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
awarded the school a $1 million grant to create a new major in neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
; in 2005, it signed agreements with The George Washington University to create an early admission program into the university's medical school, and with the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
to create a direct admissions program into the university's Simon School of Business's MBA program; in 2007 the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
launched a new program at Knox, establishing the Peace Corps Preparatory Program, the first of its kind in the country; Chinese language instruction, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, and Film Studies were all added; and new abroad studies programs have been created: the Japan Term, and Knox in New York.
Knox is also known for its Green Oaks term, an interdisciplinary program at the 700 acre (2.8 km²; 1.1 sq mi) Green Oaks Biological Field Station, during which students and faculty spend an entire term conducting research and creative projects and participating in courses in biology, anthropology-sociology, and English, as well as workshops in outdoor skills, first aid, and photography.
Knox also promotes top-notch undergraduate research, annually awarding students more than $250,000 in grants to support research and creative projects. Among the programs are the Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, which funds the scientific, scholarly, and creative projects of 20 students each year, and the summer research program at Knox's Lincoln Studies Center. More than 10 percent of Knox students receive support for independent research and study from the Richter Memorial Foundation Program and the Pew Research Fellowships, which offers Knox students support for off-campus research in science and mathematics. In addition, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports student research in ecology and environmental studies and the AAAS/Merck Grant funds interdisciplinary scientific research.
Knox has many distinctive academic programs. The Honors Program is a year-long, in-depth independent research program in which one in seven seniors participates. It culminates in a major thesis or creative portfolio that is presented to and defended before an honors committee that includes Knox faculty and a specialist from outside the college. In 2007, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City and Princeton, New Jersey in the United States, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, endowed with wealth accumulated by the late Andrew W. Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969...
awarded Knox a $228,750 grant to create a new Center for Research and Advanced Studies, which "will coordinate Knox's numerous existing programs that support advanced work in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and creative and performing arts."
Almost 50 percent of Knox students take advantage of the opportunities for off-campus learning, studying theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, history in Barcelona, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
immersion in Besançon, mathematics in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, social development in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, language and culture in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, political science in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and a host of other subjects in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States
Faculty
The Knox College faculty is made up of 137 professors, 98 percent of whom hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. The student-faculty ratio is 12:1, while the average class size is 18. Prominent faculty members include noted author Robert Hellenga, psychologist of materialistic values Tim KasserTim Kasser
Tim Kasser is an American psychologist and book author known for his work on materialism and well-being.After receiving his Ph.D...
, Middle East expert Robert Seibert
Robert Seibert
Robert Seibert is a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Integrated International Studies Department at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. A 1963 graduate of Knox, Seibert received his Ph.D. from Tulane University in 1969...
, Evolutionary Psychologist Frank McAndrew, noted expert on 20th century American art and director of The National Center for Midwest Art and Design
The National Center for Midwest Art and Design
The National Center for Midwest Art and Design is based at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Founded in 2007, it is an academic institute that promotes the study of art, architecture and design in the Midwestern United States. NCMAD sponsors research, publications, and academic...
Gregory Gilbert, former Supreme Court Fellow Lane Sunderland, educational psychologist/gifted education & literacy specialist Stephen T. Schroth, heterodox economist Steven Cohn and co-chairs of the Knox-based Lincoln Studies Center: Rodney Davis and Douglas L. Wilson
Douglas L. Wilson
Douglas L. Wilson is a professor and co-director of Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College.Wilson is the George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He co-directs the along with his colleague Rodney O...
. In the 2009–2010 academic year, The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
ranked Knox as one of the top producers of Fullbright scholar Awards for U.S. Scholars: with two recipients, Knox tied for second among bachelor degree level institutions.
Lincoln Studies Center
The Lincoln Studies Center was established in 1998 by Rodney Davis and Douglas L. WilsonDouglas L. Wilson
Douglas L. Wilson is a professor and co-director of Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College.Wilson is the George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He co-directs the along with his colleague Rodney O...
, who serve as joint co-chairs. The center deals with issues relating to the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
by fostering new research, publishing monographs, hosting annual lectures and occasional symposia. Students are often employed as assistants in the various projects conducted at the center. In August 2009, Knox was awarded an $850,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
"We the People" initiative, "a grant that will provide the base of a permanent endowment for the Center."
Admission
According to The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
, Knox is considered to be a more selective institution, with a lower rate of transfer-in students. For the school year commencing in 2008, more than 2,800 students applied, 1,800 were admitted and 400 chose to enroll. Of the class commencing in September 2009, 37 percent of students were in the top tenth of their class, 67 percent in the top quarter. The ACT composite Mid-50 percent Range was 26–31, the SAT Mid-50 percent Range 1160–1420.
Student body
1,407 students were enrolled at Knox in March 2010. These students come from 45 states and territories and 48 countries. Eighteen percent of students are students of color (7 percent African American, 5 percent Asian American, 5 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Native American), and 7 percent are international students. Women make up 60 percent of the student body, men 40 percent.Financial aid
Knox says it is "committed to ensuring cost is not a barrier to [an] education". Over the past seven years, the annual increase in the comprehensive fee has ranged from 3.3 to 4.9%. A variety of merit-based scholarships and need-based financial aid packages are offered. As recently as 2010, the Princeton Review named Knox a "Top 50 Best Value Private College."The comprehensive cost (tuition, room, board and fees) of an academic year at Knox was $40,365 in 2010–2011. Knox is one of a select group of American colleges which have a need-blind admission
Need-blind admission
Need-blind admission is a term in the United States denoting a college admission policy in which the admitting institution does not consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission...
policy for domestic students. U.S. citizens are eligible for a wide array of need- and merit-based scholarships, as well as various federal and private loan programs. There are numerous avenues for on-campus employment during the academic year. Knox College offers scholarships to qualified international students who wish to take full advantage of what the American liberal arts mode of education has to offer. International students are also eligible for on-campus jobs.
Fraternities and sororities
Knox College groups belonging to the sorority's Panhellenic Council (Alpha Sigma AlphaAlpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha is a US national sorority founded on November 15, 1901 at the Virginia State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia...
, Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
, Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
, and Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
) conduct a formal recruitment process during the winter term. Groups belonging to the fraternity's Interfraternity Council (Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
, Gentlemen of Quality, Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
and Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
) conduct a formal intake process during the winter term. Formal recruitment is conducted during winter term to ensure first-year students have a chance to adjust to college life and classes before joining a Greek organization.
Traditions
Pumphandle is an annual tradition dating back to 1885 during which new members of the community are welcomed to Knox. On the afternoon before the start of the academic year, all members of the Knox community gather on the south lawn outside Old Main. The President of the college “leads the welcoming line, shaking each person's hand in turn. Everyone shakes the hands of those who have gone before, and the line grows, snaking around the campus.”Flunk Day is an annual spring carnival that allows students, staff, and faculty to mingle and have fun. Classes are canceled for the day as the student body turns its attention to a joke issue of the student newspaper, live music, inflatable bounce rooms, petting zoos, a mud pit, a paint fight, and a seniors vs faculty softball game. The date of Flunk Day changes every year and is a secret until the entire student body is woken up at around 5am the day of. Flunk Day is of particular significance due to the fact that Knox College does not close for reasons other than Winter Break and Spring Break. This one day, Flunk Day, is a time that students, staff, and faculty can all come together.
Student media
- The Knox Student — a weekly student newspaper
- Catch — a Pacemaker-winning literary magazine
- Cellar Door — a literary magazine
- The Common Room — online journal of literary criticism
- Quiver — a genre literature webzine collective
Knox's radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
is WVKC
WVKC
WVKC is a 1,000-watt radio station in Galesburg, Illinois, in west-central Illinois. Knox College is the station licensee, authorized by the Federal Communications Commission....
. It is located on the fourth floor of George Davis Hall, a former science building that now houses the social science and language departments. Its frequency in Galesburg is 90.7. It is ranked #7 in the nation for "great college radio station" by the Princeton Review in their 2011 Best 368 Colleges rankings.
Athletics
The current Knox College mascot is the Prairie Fire, a name it adopted in 1993 due to controversy surrounding the former mascot, the Old Siwash. The word Siwash is rooted in the language of the Chinook Indians of the Pacific Coast of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was a derogatory term used by European traders to refer to the local people. The term Old Siwash was popularized by George Helgesen Fitch (Knox Class of 1897) in his book At Good Old Siwash, and was soon adopted as the school's mascot. However, in 1992 a college publication urged the school to reconsider the name given its pejorative and derogatory implications. The Prairie Fire refers to the annual spring burning of the prairie lands at Green Oaks. First conducted in the 1950s by Knox professor Paul Shepard, the burn protects prairie grasses from intrusions of woodland scrub and competition with "exotic" species that have been introduced to Illinois from other regions or countries—to the detriment of organisms that have evolved over millions of years in delicate balance with the environment and each other.
Knox is a member of the Midwest Conference
Midwest Conference
The Midwest Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin...
of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
at the Division III level. The school offers 21 men's and women's varsity sports, as well as club sports in such things as water polo, fencing, and ultimate frisbee. Recent athletic highlights would include the 2008 Conference Champion baseball team that participated in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and Jaran Rutledge, a two-time All-American wrestler who placed in the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2007(3rd) and 2008(8th).
Knox College is part of the sixth-longest college football rivalry in the United States with Monmouth College
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
. The Bronze Turkey trophy, awarded annually to the victor of the football game, was created in 1928 and is the brainchild of Knox football alumnus Bill Collins. The Bronze Turkey was named the fifth "most bizarre college football rivalry trophy" by ESPN.
Campus
Knox College has 45 academic and residential buildings on its 82 acres (331,842.5 m²) campus. Knox boasts electron microscopes, a gas chromatographGas-liquid chromatography
Gas chromatography , is a common type of chromatography used in analytical chemistry for separating and analysing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Typical uses of GC include testing the purity of a particular substance, or separating the different components of a mixture...
mass spectrometer
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
, a Celestron
Celestron
Celestron is a company that manufactures and imports telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, and accessories for their products.-Origins and History:...
telescope, access to the Inter University Consortium for Political & Social Research, the Strong Collection of 18th and 19th century maps and photographs, the Hughes Collection of manuscripts and first editions from Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and his “Lost Generation” contemporaries, and a 700 acres (2.8 km²) natural prairie reserve, the Green Oaks Field Station. In 2006, the new E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center was dedicated. The 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²), $2.4-million facility features state-of-the-art equipment, and is significantly larger than the former fitness center, Memorial Gymnasium.
The centerpiece of the Knox campus is Old Main. Old Main is "the oldest building on its campus, and is the best preserved site of one of the 1858 senatorial debates between Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Stephen Douglas." A National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and part of the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Built in 1928, the Seymour Library is was ranked 3rd "Best Library" in the nation by the Princeton Review in 2001. Inside its leaded glass windows and oak paneled reading rooms, the library houses 350,000 books and subscribes to more than 14,000 periodicals. Its special collections include the Finley Collection of Midwest History, the Strong Collection of 18th- and 19th-century maps and photographs, the Hughes Collection of manuscripts and first editions from Faulkner, Hemingway and his “Lost Generation” contemporaries, and an original Diderot Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
.
Famous professor and newspaperman Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet. He also produced stage productions for a few years and gave college lectures.-Biography:Christopher Morley was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania...
delivered a three-week-long series of lectures on "Literature as Companionship" at Knox in March and April 1938. In one of these lectures, entitled "Lonely Fun", he describes the Standish Alcove in the library as modeled after a "gentleman's library," and praised the opportunities the library offered for solitary leisure. In addition, Knox offers the Kresge Science & Math Library, which houses the scientific and technical collections of the college, and the Center for the Fine Arts Music Library (CFA), which has collections of compact discs, vinyl record albums, printed music scores, and a core reference collection.
Four public computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
laboratories are accessible to students, with several more departmental labs available and a dedicated language laboratory. The largest, Founders Laboratory (a converted smoking lounge from many years ago), which is located in Seymour Hall (the student union
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...
), is open 24 hours a day throughout the school year. Scanning (including film-scanning and optical character recognition
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
) is available freely to student users, and printing and copy services are available for a fee. In a move to become more environmentally friendly beginning fall of 2005 recycled-content paper
Paper recycling
Paper recycling is the process of recovering waste paper and remaking it into new paper products. There are three categories of paper that can be used as feedstocks for making recycled paper: mill broke, pre-consumer waste, and post-consumer waste. Mill broke is paper trimmings and other paper...
was phased in for use in all college printers, addressing the issues of paper waste.
In 2002, a major curriculum revision entitled "Renewed Knox" was launched. With this revision came the creation of six new academic centers: The Center for Research and Advanced Studies, The Center for Global Studies, The Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development, The Center for Community Service, The Center for Teaching and Learning, and The Center for Intercultural Life.
Students established the Knox College Community Garden in 2007 as an independent study project. It continues to be tended by student volunteers, and produces a variety of annual and perennial vegetables and flowers.
Recent commencement speakers
Each year since 2005, Knox has had several well-known commencement speakers, including (in chronological order) Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, Christina Tchen
Christina Tchen
Christina M. "Tina" Tchen is an American lawyer. She serves as Assistant to President Barack Obama; Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama; and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls...
, and Majora Carter
Majora Carter
Majora Carter is an economic consultant, public radio host, and environmental justice advocate from the South Bronx area of New York City. Carter founded the non-profit environmental justice solutions corporation Sustainable South Bronx before entering the private sector.-Early life:Carter...
.
Alumni
Knox College has over 15,000 living alumni on all seven continents. The alumni giving rate was equal to 36.4% (the highest rate among liberal arts colleges in Illinois) in the 2008–2009 giving year, with more than 5,500 individuals contributing to the college. According to the 2009 Institutional Self-Study, Knox prepares its graduates well for life after graduation. 80 percent of those wishing to attend medical school were accepted (the national average was 50 percent), while 90 prercent of students who worked with the pre-law advisor were admitted to one or more law schools. Knox is also in the top 3 percent of schools whose graduates attain a Ph.D. In the decade ending in 2009, 15 Knox alumni have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for foreign study.Notable alumni
- Barry BearakBarry BearakBarry Leon Bearak is a Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist and professor of journalism who has worked as a reporter and correspondent for The Miami Herald, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. He also taught journalism as a visiting professor at the Columbia University Graduate...
1971 — New York Times journalist and visiting professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismColumbia University Graduate School of JournalismThe Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for International Reporting - George Stuart BensonGeorge S. BensonGeorge Stuart Benson was a missionary to China, 1925–36; founder and principal, Canton Bible School, 1933–1936; president, Harding College, 1936–1965; chancellor, Oklahoma Christian University, 1956-1967.- Education :Graduated in first class of Harper College, 1923; B.A., Harding College, 1925;...
1948 — missionary to China, president of Harding CollegeHarding UniversityHarding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A...
, analyst of Oriental cultures - Earnest Elmo CalkinsEarnest Elmo CalkinsEarnest Elmo Calkins was an American advertising executive who co-founded the Calkins and Holden advertising agency. He pioneered the use of art in advertising, of fictional characters, the soft sell, and the idea of "consumer engineering"...
, founder of the first modern advertising agency. - Amy CarlsonAmy CarlsonAmy Lynn Carlson is an American actress best known for playing Josie Watts on Another World and Alex Taylor on Third Watch. More recently, she played Kelly Gaffney on the short-lived NBC courtroom drama, Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She currently plays Linda Reagan on the CBS drama Blue Bloods...
1990 — Actress, known for her work on the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Third WatchThird WatchThird Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
, and Law & Order: Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation... - Job Adams CooperJob Adams CooperJob Adams Cooper was a U.S. Republican Party politician. He served as the sixth Governor of the State of Colorado from 1889 to 1891.-Early life:...
1867 — Sixth governor of ColoradoGovernor of ColoradoThe Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the... - Vir DasVir Das- Personal life :Vir Saran Das was born in Dehradun and has lived in Africa and studied in Indian Language School in Lagos, Nigeria, Shimla and Delhi. He obtained a Bachelor's degree from Knox College, Illinois in Economics & Theatre with a concentration in performance...
2004 — Bollywood actor - Charles EastmanCharles EastmanCharles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry...
DNG — Native American physician, Native American activist, and Boy Scout official - Ethyl EichelbergerEthyl EichelbergerEthyl Eichelberger was an American drag performer, playwright, and actor. He became an influential figure in experimental theater and writing, and performed nearly forty plays...
DNG — Born James Roy Eichelberger, a famous drag queenDrag queenA drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, playwright and actor, for whom a prize was founded by the downtown Manhattan theatre institution P.S. 122 - Fred EwingFred EwingFred E. "Buck" Ewing was an American football coach and physician. He coached the University of Oklahoma during the 1904 season and amassed a 4–3–1 record. He was the first Oklahoma football coach to require players to be academically eligible...
1913, sixth head football coach of the University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and first to require academically eligible players - Eugene FieldEugene FieldEugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays.-Biography:...
DNG — Poet, journalist, and author - John Huston FinleyJohn Huston FinleyJohn Huston Finley was Professor of Polities at Princeton University from 1900 to 1903, and President of the City College of New York from 1903 until 1913, when he was appointed Commissioner of Education of the State of New York...
1887 — Author, former editor of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... - Jack FinneyJack FinneyJack Finney was an American author. His best-known works are science fiction and thrillers, including The Body Snatchers and Time and Again. The former was the basis for the 1956 movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers and its remakes.-Biography:Finney was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and given the...
1934 — Science fiction author. Works include The Body SnatchersThe Body SnatchersThe Body Snatchers is a 1955 science fiction novel by Jack Finney, originally serialized in Colliers Magazine in 1954, which describes the fictional town of Santa Mira, California being invaded by seeds that have drifted to Earth from space...
and Time and AgainTime and Again (novel)Time and Again is a 1970 illustrated novel by Jack Finney. The many illustrations in the book are real, though, as explained in an endnote, not all are from the 1882 period in which the actions of the book take place. It had long been rumored that Robert Redford would convert the book into a movie... - George Helgesen Fitch 1897 — Author, journalist, and humorist
- David P. FridovichDavid P. FridovichDavid P. Fridovich is a Lieutenant General and Green Beret in the United States Army and Deputy Commander of the U.S. military's United States Special Operations Command that directs special operations campaigns....
1974 — Lt. General in the United States Army, current director of the Center for Special Operations within the U.S. military's Special Operations Command that directs anti-terrorism campaigns. - Hobart R. GayHobart R. GayLieutenant General Hobart Raymond Gay , nicknamed "Hap", was a United States Army general.-Early military career:...
1917 — U.S. Army general, served under General George S. PattonGeorge S. PattonGeorge Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from... - Robert HanssenRobert HanssenRobert Philip Hanssen is a former American FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for 22 years from 1979 to 2001...
1966 — Former Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 2001, and is the subject of the film BreachBreach (film)Breach is a 2007 American historical drama directed by Billy Ray. The screenplay by Ray, Adam Mazer, and William Rotko is based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia for more than two decades, and Eric O'Neill, who worked as his...
(2007) - Otto HarbachOtto HarbachOtto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach was an American lyricist and librettist of about 50 musical comedies...
1895 — Songwriter for whom Knox's Harbach Theater is named - Bob JamiesonBob JamiesonRobert John Jamieson, known as Bob Jamieson, was a television news correspondent for ABC News until January 2008. After getting his start in local news in St. Louis and Chicago, he joined NBC's national news bureau in 1971. There he reported on a variety of national and international news,...
DNG — ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
news correspondent - Frank J. Jirka, Jr.Frank J. Jirka, Jr.Frank Joseph Jirka, Jr. was elected as the President of the American Medical Association in 1983, before which served as the President of the Illinois State Medical Society, President of the Chicago Medical Society and of the Douglas Park Branch of the Chicago Medical Society. Dr. Jirka served as...
1944 — Former president of the American Medical AssociationAmerican Medical AssociationThe American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:... - Whitcomb Judson DNG — inventor of the zipper.
- James M. KiltsJames M. KiltsJames M. Kilts was a chief executive officer of The Gillette Company. He negotiated the sale of the company to Procter & Gamble for US$57 billion. Press investigators estimate that he stood to gain more than $165 million personally in the purchase...
1970 — Former CEO of Gillette - Ismat Kittani 1951 — Former Iraqi Ambassador to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and President of the United Nations General AssemblyPresident of the United Nations General AssemblyThe President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
. Also helped start Knox's Honor System. - Alex Kuo 1961 — Author, winner of the American Book AwardAmerican Book AwardThe American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
- Thomas Eugene KurtzThomas Eugene KurtzThomas Eugene Kurtz is an American computer scientist who co-developed the BASIC programming language during 1963 to 1964, together with John G. Kemeny....
1950 — Co-inventor of BASICBASICBASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
computer language - Charles Wesley LeffingwellCharles Wesley LeffingwellCharles Wesley Leffingwell was an author, educator, and Episcopal priest born in Ellington, Connecticut. He was a descendant of Thomas Leffingwell, known as one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut....
, 1862, editor of The Living ChurchThe Living ChurchThe Living Church is a biweekly magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin providing commentary and news information on the Episcopal Church in the United States...
magazine - Don MarquisDon MarquisDonald Robert Perry Marquis was a humorist, journalist, and author. He was variously a novelist, poet, newspaper columnist, and playwright. He is remembered best for creating the characters "Archy" and "Mehitabel", supposed authors of humorous verse.-Life:...
DNG — Author and journalist - Edgar Lee MastersEdgar Lee MastersEdgar Lee Masters was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist...
DNG — American poet and novelist, best known as the author of Spoon River AnthologySpoon River AnthologySpoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
(1915) - S. S. McClureS. S. McClureSamuel Sidney McClure was a key figure in muckraking journalism.-Biography:He was born in County Antrim, Ireland, and emigrated with his widowed mother to Indiana when he was nine years old. He grew up nearly impoverished on a farm and graduated from Valparaiso High School in 1875...
1882 — Muckraking journalism pioneer, founder of McClure's Magazine - Todd Monken 1988 - American Football Coach, Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State University
- Ander MonsonAnder Monson-Life:He was raised in Houghton, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. His mother's death when he was seven years old is reflected in the themes of his later fiction. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois...
1997 — novelist and poet, author of the novel Other Electricities, and Vacationland, a collection of poems - John PodestaJohn PodestaJohn David Podesta was the fourth and final White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, from 1998 until 2001. He is the president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., and is also a Visiting Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law...
1971 — Chief of StaffWhite House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
for President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... - Rose PolenzaniRose PolenzaniRose Polenzani is an independent folk musician. She was raised in the Chicago area and attended Knox College before leaving to pursue a singing career. She is currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. Her singing style is distinctive and emotionally charged. At least one free download is always...
DNG — Independent folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician - Gene RayburnGene RayburnGene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades....
— Announcer for the Tonight Show; host of The Match Game and other game shows - Hiram Revels — First black U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
- Barnabas RootBarnabas RootBarnabas Root was one of the first Black men to receive a college degree in Illinois. He completed a bachelor's degree at Knox College in 1870. He is Knox's first "international" student and first Black male graduate...
1870 — One of the first black men to receive a college degree in IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... - Ezekiel S. SampsonEzekiel S. SampsonEzekiel Silas Sampson was a lawyer, prosecutor, Civil War officer, judge, and two-term Republican Congressman from Iowa's 6th congressional district....
— U.S. Representative and lawyer from IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... - Ellen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
1859 — Newspaper magnate, philanthropist, namesake of Scripps CollegeScripps CollegeScripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for... - Robert SeibertRobert SeibertRobert Seibert is a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Integrated International Studies Department at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. A 1963 graduate of Knox, Seibert received his Ph.D. from Tulane University in 1969...
1963 — Professor at Knox College and author of Politics and Change in the Middle East - Joseph J. SiscoJoseph J. SiscoJoseph John Sisco , was a diplomat who played a major role in then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East and whose career in the State Department spanned five presidential administrations and numerous foreign-policy crises.-Early life:A Chicago native, Dr. Sisco...
1941 — Former diplomat under Henry KissingerHenry KissingerHeinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and... - Dorothea TanningDorothea TanningDorothea Tanning is an American painter, printmaker, sculptor and writer. She has also designed sets and costumes for ballet and theatre.-Biography:...
1932 — Surrealist painter and wife of surrealist painter Max ErnstMax ErnstMax Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
Sources
External links
- Official website
- The Wiki Fire, the unofficial, free encyclopedia of Knox College
- Campus map