Faculty Chair Initiative

"A college can be better than its buildings and physical facilities. A college can be better than the administrative team that leads it. But a college can NEVER be better than its faculty."
-- Dr. Harold Kolenbrander, President Emeritus, Mount Union College

Faculty provide the foundation of a Knox education. From professors William Brady and Howard Wilson, to Bob Seibert and Heather Hoffmann, individual faculty members have an impact on generations of Knox students. For Doug Bayer '66, it was physics professor Wayne Green. "He exhibited compassion and generosity towards his students that I will never forget."

In honor of his professor and to have a positive influence on future Knox students, Bayer and his wife, Maria, recently endowed a new faculty chair in earth science.

Knox’s Greatest Resource
At Knox, 95% of our faculty have the highest degree in their area of study and our student-faculty ratio (12:1) means smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.

But Knox professors are much more than numbers and percentages. Knox professors are committed to encouraging the critical exchange of ideas and challenging their students with high expectations within a supportive and encouraging environment.

Knox professors are the College's most precious -- and most costly -- resource. One of Knox's highest priorities is recruiting and retaining a faculty of dedicated professors.

Support Knox Faculty
Through the Faculty Chair Initiative, the College has received commitments totalling $10.4 million for the establishment of endowed chairs across the curriculum, against a goal of $12 million. The eight newly created chairs will provide perpetual support for the base salary of the professor and funding for teaching and research.

Knox seeks one additional endowed chair of $1.5 million to support faculty in an existing or emerging field to take a Knox education to new levels.

An endowed chair is the highest honor Knox can bestow upon a faculty member. The prestige of an endowed chair adds national recognition to the program in which it is housed. For the environmental studies program, the Douglas and Maria Bayer Faculty Chair in Earth Sciences will greatly aid in the recruitment of exemplary faculty far into the future.

"The professor who fills this position will have the potential to help address one of the most relevant world-wide problems, global environmental deterioration, while also having a positive influence on future Knox students,” says Bayer, “much as Professor Green influenced me."