Knox College Commencement 2009

Prosecuting organized criminals and international terrorists "was hard work, but it wasn't sacrifice," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in his Commencement address to the Knox College Class of 2009. Fitzgerald urged Knox graduates not to look down on public service as "a great thing -- for somebody else to do." During the ceremony, Knox awarded honorary degrees to Fitzgerald, renowned cultural historian Garry Wills, and noted geneticist and Knox professor Billy Geer.

• Video, Audio, and Transcripts of Commencement Address by Patrick Fitzgerald and Other Commencement Speakers
• Video of the preparations, celebrations, and heartfelt farewells of the class of 2009
• More from Knox College Commencement 2009 on Facebook

Among the 266 graduates was Senior Class Speaker Sean Bullock, who received a standing ovation for his words of advice for his classmates: "My Knox degree will hang from my wall as a statement that I have spent years -- four to be precise -- reading, thinking, and questioning how and why the world works. It means that I am aware of my responsibilities, as a citizen and a human being, to be a force for change, for the better. There will always be a temptation to go the easy way, but it is my hope that we will resist it. We leave here today with ideas, with hopes for the future, and dare I say it: we have dreams. Now, Class of '09, let's go out there and make them happen." Watch or read Bullock's speech.

Knox Joins Statewide Environmental Sustainability Initiative

Knox has joined the state-wide environmental sustainability initiative for institutions of higher education. Last month, President Roger Taylor '63 signed the Sustainable University Compact developed by the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council. The document pledges Knox to accomplish nine goals by the end of 2010, including objectives such as implementing green building practices, developing sustainable transportation options, improving water conservation, and incorporating sustainable dining practices. Read more about the initiative's goals and Knox's accomplishments.

 
Campus News 

Vote for Stephen Colbert!
Stephen Colbert's 2006 Commencement Address at Knox College is among the "Ten Best Commencement Speeches" selected by the Huffington Post, which is asking readers to vote for their favorite. Knox alumni and friends are encouraged to vote for Colbert at the Huffington Post Web page, Ten Best Commencement Speeches.

Rise to the Challenge -- Build Your Own Old Main
Anyone who can cut, fold, and glue paper can now make an accurate scale model of one of the state's most historic buildings -- Knox College's Old Main. It is the latest in the series "Build Your Own Lincoln Sites," offered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. To encourage the exploration of the intricacies of Old Main's architecture, Knox is sponsoring a "Build Your Own Old Main" Challenge. Learn more about the model and challenge.

Lieberman Photo Displayed in Ingersoll House
A photo by Archie Lieberman, renowned photographer and guest lecturer at Knox over the last two decades, has been donated to the College and is now displayed at the Ingersoll House, residence of President Roger '63 and Anne Zweifel Taylor '63. The photo was presented by Lieberman's widow, Esther, and son, Eric. Lieberman was a photojournalist for many magazines, including Time, Life, and Fortune, and wrote or photographed more than 20 books. He also fulfilled assignments for advertising agencies and corporations, including Lands' End, which sponsored an exhibit of his work at Knox that included the photo that was donated to the College. Read more about Archie Lieberman.

More campus news and features.

Student News

Knox Honors Program Prepares Students for Next Step
Many Knox College students visit family and friends during winter break. Stephen Herzog visited Europe, where he met with a special envoy for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, discussing  the need, or lack thereof, for American nuclear weapons in Europe. "To have the opportunity to speak to such a high level of a person is unbelievable," said Herzog, one of 26 Knox College seniors who undertook an honors project this year in lieu of two classes. As part of the program, he received a grant that paid for much of his travel through Europe during break, interviewing government officials and pouring over primary documents. Learn more about the Honors program and Hertzog's research in The Register-Mail.

Students, Professors To Conduct Archeological Research in Jordan
This summer, four students will accompany Danielle Fatkin, visiting assistant professor of history, and Katherine Adelsberger, assistant professor of environmental studies, to the Dhiban Excavation and Development Project in Jordan to participate in the site's field school and to receive training in archaeological and geological methods of collection and analysis. Annie Ford '09, Abigail Harms '10, Sara Patterson '09, and Courtney Tichler '11 will spend nearly two months in Jordan digging trenches, excavating sites, sifting dust, washing and analyzing pottery, and traveling to archaeological sites throughout the country. They will be documenting their experience in the Dhiban Exavation and Development Project Blog.

Prairie Fire Athletes Host Field Day
This past school year, Prairie Fire student-athletes have been traveling to Hedding Grade School in Abingdon, about seven miles south of Galesburg, to read to early elementary school children. In May, the athletes welcomed the students they had been working with -- more than 150 of them -- onto the Knox campus for a field day. The young students got a chance to run around the purple track with the track and cross country athletes, dribble a basketball through cones with the basketball team, have a throwing accuracy contest with volleyball, tennis, and swimming team members, kick a soccer ball into a goal with the soccer players, have relay races with the golf team, and more. See more photos from field day.

Student Published in Middle East Times
Daniel Hoffman '09 has penned three op-eds for the Middle East Times, an independent news and analysis weekly, which looks at the politics, culture, and religion of the Middle East. A political science major with minors in both French and economics, Hoffman's op-eds are excerpts from his senior Honors project, "The Shifting Face of Iraq: The New Politics of the Shi'a Majority," which examines the changing role of Islam and politics, and how it affects American foreign policy. Read more about Hoffman and his research.

Student Honored for New Education Award
Christopher Johnson '09 has, in the words of educational studies faculty member Stephen Schroth, "always gone above and beyond to make our teacher preparation program successful." Johnson is the inaugural recipient of a new award named in his honor. The award will be given annually to an outstanding student in the educational studies program. Read more about Chris and the award.

Journalism Class Launches News Blog
Mark Ridolfi's interactive journalism class has launched a news blog featuring stories and images from Galesburg's downtown. Talking to local business owners, customers, and officials, the students created a forum for Knox County residents to express their thoughts and opinions. Read the blog.

Knox Student Accepted into Summer Fellowship Program
Margaret Spiegel '10, has been accepted into the prestigious Historical Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program in Massachusetts. She is one of only seven undergraduates in the country to be accepted. Participants research early American history and material culture, drawing on extensive archives and comprehensive collections of artifacts displayed in the museum's 10 period houses and state-of-the-art exhibition facility, the Flynt Center for Early New England Life, and serve as museum guides to develop skills in historical interpretation.

More student news and features.


Alumni News

101-Year-Old Grad Returns for Commencement
David "Jeff" Walton, '29 is believed to be the oldest Knox graduate ever to return to the campus for a Reunion. While a student, he played on the baseball and football teams, receiving his varsity letter in both sports. He also met Virginia Lacey, who later became his wife. He sat in the front row at the Commencement ceremony and Knox President Roger Taylor '63 came down from the podium to shake Walton's hand. Walton stood up and basked in the warm applause of the hundreds gathered on the south lawn near Old Main for the ceremony.

• Read more in The Register-Mail.
• Listen to an interview with Walton on Tri-States Public Radio.
  

Nominate a Classmate for the Alumni Achievement Award
July 15 is the deadline to nominate a classmate for the Alumni Achievement Award. The award recognizes individuals for meritorious achievement and/or outstanding service to the nation, society, or community. Learn more about past winners.  A Young Alumni Achievement Award is also given annually to an alumnus/a under 35 years of age. Nominate a classmate for the award.

Alumni Notes

The Illinois Broadcasters Association has presented Jack Larson '44 with a Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award. Larson has worked in broadcasting since 1947, and his Music with Memories program can be heard daily on WAIK Radio in Monmouth. Watch a program about Larson's broadcasting career on WQAD .

Daniel Wulbert '63, mathematics professor at the University of California, San Diego, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and lecture in southwest India during the 2009-2010 academic year. He will assist in developing a research and doctoral program in analysis at Mangalore University. Read more about his award.

Gary McCool '65 received the Award for Excellence in Faculty Service from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, where he has been a library faculty member since 1978. Read a profile on Gary.

Henry Randolph '65 won gold medals in the 100m and 200m sprints at the So Cal Striders Masters Meet of Champions at Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, California in May. He's an avid sprinter, having started up in 2005 where he left off as a letterwinner at Knox. He'll compete at the National Senior Olympic Games at Stanford University in August.

The professional papers of noted historian Arnold M. Shankman '68 are available for public research and use through Dacus Library's Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University, where Shankman was a history professor. The collection features more than 50,000 items, including articles and papers, photographs, research and lecture notes, and Shankman's research into 19th- and 20th-century Southern history. For more information about the collection, visit the archives and special collections Web site.

Joel Pierson '89's second novel, Don't Kill the Messenger, was published this month by iUniverse.  The novel received the publisher's Editor's Choice and Rising Star designations. The first chapter was featured in the Summer 2009 issue of the literary magazine fiore.

Michael Walsh '97 received the Miller Williams Poetry Prize from the University of Arkansas Press for his book of poetry.

Will Boast '01, Stegner Fellow in Fiction at Stanford University, is one of 14 writers included in Best New American Voices 2009: Fresh Fiction from the Top Writing Programs. His short story, "Weather Enough," was chosen for inclusion in the anthology by the book's editor, acclaimed novelist and short-story writer Mary Gaitskill. "These ambitious stories reflect the imaginations of a generation and are a sneak preview of coming attractions in fiction," said the Chicago Tribune of the book. Boast's fiction has also been published in journals and magazines across the country, including The Southern Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Ninth Letter. 

Joel Christensen '06 is entering his third and final year of law school at Washington University in St. Louis, and was recently named Editor-in-Chief of the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, a law review that is read and cited in legal communities nationwide.

Read and post Class Notes in the Knox Online Community.

 
Faculty & Staff News

Schneider Receives Caterpillar Faculty Achievement Award
Dennis Schneider, professor of mathematics, was awarded the Caterpillar Faculty Achievement Award at Commencement. "For his entire 36 years on the faculty, Professor Schneider has maintained high standards of rigor and innovation as he taught and provided leadership for the program in mathematics," said presenter Sid Banwart, vice president, human services division, Caterpillar Inc. Since 1987, Schneider has been involved with national calculus reform with support from the National Science Foundation and has published widely used textbooks in linear algebra and multivariable calculus.

HIV and AIDS Research Grant Awarded to Hoffman
Although it is generally accepted that one of the best ways to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS is to persuade people to change their behavior, there remains a substantial proportion of individuals who fail to respond to such programs. Heather Hoffman, professor of psychology, has received a $200,000 National Institutes of Health grant to investigate compulsive sexual behavior and examine to what degree alcohol may influence their expression and responsiveness to self-regulation. The long-term goal of the research is to contribute to the development of more targeted intervention programs for sexual compulsion and risk taking that will help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Matsuda Receives Grant to Study Japanese Higher Education
In the 1980s, when the Japanese economy was booming, many Americans looked to Japanese education for keys to economic success. But starting in the 1990s, the situation reversed, according to Ryohei Matsuda, associate professor of Asian studies, who has received a research grant to study how Japanese educators are now adapting American ideas to their system of higher education. An expert in comparative and international education, Matsuda received the grant from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Great Lakes Colleges Association, to travel to Japan this summer to study two institutions -- Akita International University and Waseda University -- that are pioneering a liberal arts curriculum in Japanese higher education. Learn more about Matsuda and his research.

Faculty & Staff Notes

Tim Kasser, professor of psychology, had an entry titled "Materialism and relationships" included in the Encyclopedia of Human Relations. He also recently gave an invited talk,  "Materialism, Quality of Life, and Financial Planning," at the 22nd annual Spring Symposium of the Philadelphia Financial Planning Association in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

A short story by Cynthia Kitchen, visiting assistant professor of English, "Every Earth is Fit for Burial," published in Menda City Review in May 2008, has been named a top 10 finalist in the 2009 storySouth Million Writers Award contest, which seeks to recognize the best stories published online each year.

Lynette Lombard, associate professor of art, gave a talk on her work at the New York Studio School in April during a lecture series given by established and emerging artists as a forum for discussion of issues in art. 

Frank McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, presented the paper "The Selfish Hero? A Study of the Individual Benefits of Self-Sacrificial Behavior by Members of Small Groups" at the annual meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society in Fullerton, California.

Bruce Polay, professor of music, traveled to Spain, where he was guest conductor at Orquestra de Cambra de l'Emporda. The program included "Suite de Cancons Populars Catalanes" by Polay, dedicated to Professor Emeritus Jorge Prats. This is Polay's fifth appearance with this renowned ensemble of virtuoso musicians from Spain, England, Taiwan, Mexico, Bulgaria, and France. Later this month, Polay will serve on the Music Panel for Symphonies, Ensembles, and Opera of the Illinois Arts Council for its deliberations in Chicago. 

Jonathan Powers, assistant professor of economics, has been named head coach of the Knox College Prairie Fire Swimming and Diving team. 

"Especially Roosevelt," a short story by Chad Simpson, visiting assistant professor of English, has been reprinted in You Must Be This Tall To Ride: Contemporary Writers Take You Inside the Story, edited by B.J. Hollars '07. Simpson also contributed an essay, "Inside 'Especially Roosevelt': Uncovering Meaning in an Anecdote," and a writing exercise to the anthology.

Alex Varakin, assistant professor of psychology, gave a talk at the Midwestern Psychological Association's annual meeting in Chicago entitled "From where did I see that?" He also presented a poster at the annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society in Naples, Florida, titled "Object appearance is not integrated with scene viewpoint in long-term memory." The talk and poster were co-authored with Lester Loschky of Kansas State University.

"Gifted education in China: A transition toward student-centered instruction," an article written by Stephen Schroth, Jason Helfer,  Diana Beck -- all educational studies --  Kate Latshaw '09, and Zac Bahr '10 was recently published in Gifted Education Press Quarterly. The article is a result of the month-long trip the group took to China in December 2009 as part of the course Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Schroth and Helfer also obtained a Picturing America Award through the National Endowment of the Humanities, which brought significant works of American art to Galesburg elementary and middle schools. A separate set was also obtained for use by educational studies students.

Contact Us
Submissions to The Gizmogram should be made to the editors at gizmogram@knox.edu. Submissions may be edited for space.

Editors
Megan Scott '96  & Cheri Siebken

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