Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Law

There are ample opportunities to enhance your studies in law through independent research, off-campus study, and internships. These programs are integral to a Knox education, teaching you how to apply your skills in real world situations.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting undergraduate research.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner.

Off-Campus Programs
Knox offers more than 30 U.S. and overseas programs that may complement and augment your studies. One program popular with pre-law students is the Washington Semester, where your can observe government in action in the nation's capital. In seminars, you meet with public officials, political figures, lobbyists, and others active in the federal government. Participants complete research projects often based on an internship in a governmental agency.

In addition, there are several summer institutes offered that are valuable for students considering careers in the law. Among these are the Summer Institutes in Public Policy, convening at New York University, and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), sponsored by the American Bar Association, held each summer on a law school campus and designed to introduce students to skills essential to the study of law.

Internships
As a student of law at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education -- to get that valuable "real world" experience you hear so much about -- by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests. Law-related internships are highly recommended, and Knox has helped many students get law-related, political and public policy internships. Recent examples include:

• Office of U.S Senator, Barack Obama (D-IL), Amanda Wallen, '07.
• U.S. Supreme Court, Joel Christensen, '06, Megan Rehberg, '06, Jamie Mitchell, '04.
• New York law firm Skadden Arps. Sahar Zaidi, '02.
• Knox County Court-Appointed Special Advocate. Brooks Goedeker, '01.
• Knox County Public Defender's Office. Daniel Coombe '00; Renni Linder '01; Brynna Barnhart '03, Glenna Frank, '01.
• Galesburg law office of Sherry Sanchez. Jamie Morrell, '03, Adam Barnes, '04.
• Galesburg law firm Barash & Everett. Sahar Zaidi, '02.
• Galesburg City Manager's Office. Michael Arrett, '03.
• Galesburg law firm Stoerzbach & Morrison. Pam Hernandez, '02.
• Knox County State's Attorney's Office. Mike Kraycinovich, '03; Kevin McKinney, '01; Brian Kelly, '01; Kelly Marlin, '01. Nicole DeHart, '02.
• Galesburg Women's Shelter. Maureen O'Connell, '02.
• Local, State, and Congressional Campaigns. Krista Miller, '01; Brian Barnacle, '01; Nicholas Bunnell, '01; Brian Kelley, '02; Elizabeth Wilhelm, '02; Karl Hunsiker, '01; Melissa Oberle, '01; Adam Cox, '02; Michael Lane, '02.