theknoxparent

Welcome Class of 2010!

Knox legacies from the Class of 2010 with their parents and siblings, all Knox alumni.

Knox College welcomed one of its largest entering classes in recent history when student residences opened on Saturday, September 2. Of the 438 new students, 33 were legacy students, or students who followed a relative to Knox.

“The word has gotten out that Knox is a college that changes lives, a great place to get a great liberal arts education,” says President Roger L. Taylor ’63.

As he has for several years, Taylor helped new students move into their residences on September 2. “There’s a lot of lifting and carrying,” Taylor said, comparing it to baling hay on his farm in Fulton County.

New and upper class students, plus the entire campus community, participated in Knox’s traditional “Pumphandle” all-campus greeting on Wednesday, September 6.

Pumphandle is a distinctive, long-standing tradition that marks the start of the academic year. With Taylor and his wife Anne, both Knox graduates, at the head of the line, each student, faculty, and staff member who arrives at the event shakes hands with those already in line.

As the line grows, it stretches between several buildings on campus, and the route often varies from year to year. It’s followed by an all-campus picnic. In case of rain—which has happened only twice in the past 20 years—the event is held in Fleming Fieldhouse. The event dates back to the early 1900s, acquiring the name Pumphandle in the 1920s.

See pictures from this year’s Pumphandle...

A Greeting from Jennifer Gallas

Greetings from Knox! It was wonderful to meet so many of you during the various orientation sessions this fall. I hope your student is settled in and enjoying life at Knox. I’ve noticed a few sleepy students wandering by my office window, so there is no doubt that midterms are happening and some serious studying is taking place. I’m sure they find time for some rest and relaxation as well!

Next on the agenda for this fall—Family & Friends Weekend at Knox, October 27-29, 2006. You should have received your copy of Family Knox in your home mailbox, as it was mailed two weeks ago. The schedule is also posted online. We are excited about some new events at Family & Friends Weekend, such as Sunday’s Panel and Slide Show, featuring some of the students who have been volunteering with clean up efforts in New Orleans. Be sure to check out the Tailgate Party prior to the football game and afternoon activities!

Finally, we would like to hear from you. As I indicated in the last issue, we will be going through a Web page redesign—and we are creating a resource section for parents on the new Parents page. See the article below to assist in creating the resource section.

I hope to meet many of you at upcoming events and at Family & Friends Weekend!

Take care,

Jennifer Gallas

A Note from Xavier Romano

It was only last week when I found myself in Burlington, Vermont, marveling at the infamous change of seasons that brought travelers from all over New England to the Maple state. The radiant foliage in bursts of red, orange, and yellow are nothing short of stunning. A few flights later, I find myself on a campus that may be even more impressive in this annual change of seasons than words are able to describe; however, if you have not spent any time on the Knox College campus during the fall, let me only say that you are missing one of the more spectacular campus images that can be found anywhere in the Midwest . . . or New England for that matter!

As we pass the halfway point in the term, our students find themselves registering for classes for winter term, dealing with the stress of midterm examinations, and, for the most part, beginning that transition from summer to fall with heavier jackets making their first appearances. The campus mailroom dealing with the steady stream of boxes from L.L.Bean, Lands End, and other clothing providers on a daily basis.

Knox students are also beginning to map out their activities for that large break that we enjoy at the end of the fall term. Many students will venture to foreign countries, taking advantage of various immersion programs, while another 50 prepare to return to New Orleans and volunteer their time in the 9th Ward engaging in everything from gutting homes to helping teachers. Still others will return to homes around the country and around the world to spend time with friends and family while holding down an array of jobs and internships.

You know already that this has been a remarkable term with our enrollment topping 1,300 and a wonderful first year class, coupled with record retention of first to second year students of 90.4 percent. Just the other day, I was heartened and surprised to learn that our recent retention rate of students moving from their sophomore to junior standing was 95 percent . . . a figure that had all of us smiling from ear to ear in Old Main.

Unlike many of our peer group institutions that have their peak enrollments in the fall term, Knox’s—strangely enough—will take place this winter term, as students who are studying abroad on various Knox and non-Knox international programs return to campus. To accommodate our record number of students on campus, we are taking on a number of exciting room development projects in Raub-Sellew Hall and Post Hall. We have also purchased an exciting new facility on Academy Street that is already being renovated to take in its first residents in January. All together, we will be able to comfortably accommodate our community members without “overloading” our facilities (that is putting three individuals in a room designed for two and so on).

These are exciting times at Knox College. Our community has settled in for that academic marathon that is the academic year . . . returning students are all the wiser and those once “new” members of our community are now thinking themselves “seasoned.” As I mark my ninth fall on this extraordinary campus, I can say without hesitation that this continues to be one of America’s distinctive collegiate communities and with good reason . . . our students are like no others!

I look forward to welcoming you on campus!

Most faithfully,

Xavier E. Romano
Vice President for Student Development
Dean of Students

Student News

Belize Trip Makes the Grade

Junior Amada Smith researched the effects of global warming in Belize.

It has been said, “All roads lead to Knox.”

Off the coast of Belize, on a small island known as Tobacco Caye, a group of Knox College students spent two weeks in June conducting underwater research on the fate of fire coral and the fire sponge. It is about as far away from Galesburg, Illinois, as anyone can get. But this long road runs straight through Knox College and for Amanda Smith, a junior, it is a road she would travel again, if given the opportunity.

Smith, a Knox College biology major, along with five other Knox students, participated in a field research trip, part of the spring Marine Biology—Field Research on the Belizean Barrier Reef class. “We spent a good portion of the day in the water researching little microscopic creatures in the ocean,” Smith said.

Read more about the Belize study trip . . .

Campus News

Knox Sees Strong Retention Rates

Knox College has achieved a retention rate of 90.4 percent for sophomores returning from last year. The College has seen retention rates climb steadily over the past several years, but this year saw a significant jump.

“Retention is an indicator of the strength of the educational program,” notes President Roger Taylor ’63. “Students recognize the value of our new curriculum and the rich educational opportunities that Knox offers.”

This fall 1,350 students enrolled in courses. “You would have to look back to the 1960’s to find numbers like this,” notes Taylor.

Among the 325 first-year students who enrolled last fall, a total of 294 are still enrolled this fall. This is a first-year retention rate of 90.4 percent—more than one percentage point higher than the average of U.S. News & World Report’s top 100 national liberal arts colleges. For the past several years, Knox’s retention rate has averaged 87 percent.

Read more . . .

Coolest School, Hottest President

What’s the bigger honor: being named one of the nation’s coolest colleges, or having one of the nation’s hottest college presidents?

Knox College is one of just 100 small colleges in the nation listed in the new guidebook, Treasure Schools: College Gems, while President Roger Taylor is tabbed by the new edition of The Insider's Guide to the Colleges as one of the nation’s 10 “Most Attractive College Presidents.”

“My wife, Anne, has forbidden me from saying anything about the Insider's Guide!" Taylor said, after learning of his selection. “On the other hand, I am not at all surprised to find Knox ranked in Treasure Schools as one of the 100 coolest colleges in the country.”

Under the heading “Why It’s Cool,” the Treasure Schools guidebook cites Knox’s First-Year Preceptorial, broad curriculum, in-depth options such as Repertory Theatre Term, and an Educational Plan that emphasizes student initiative in selecting courses and programs.

Within the Treasure Schools book, Knox is noted for having one of the “Coolest Academic Calendars,” “Most Popular Campus Radio Stations,” “Most Diverse Campuses,” and “Most Politically Active Campuses.”