A National Leader in Public Service

Knox College is getting high marks in a newly released national ranking that evaluates colleges and universities based on their "contribution to the public good."

Knox is ranked 11th in the nation among liberal arts colleges by Washington Monthly magazine, and Knox is the highest ranked among all liberal arts colleges in Illinois. Washington Monthly magazine focuses on what schools are doing to benefit the nation and their own communities.

The most recent rankings are in magazine's annual College Guide issue, published in September, and on the Washington Monthly website.

"With this ranking, Washington Monthly is issuing a challenge to colleges and universities: What are you doing to make the world a better place? Are you helping individuals achieve social and economic mobility? Are you sending students to serve their country in positions such as the Peace Corps, Americorps or the Armed Services?' At Knox we have been dedicated to that mission since 1837, long before there were any rankings," said Knox College President Teresa Amott.

Among 248 liberal arts colleges, Knox ranked especially high in two areas -- third nationally in the proportion of alumni who join the Peace Corps, and fourth in the nation in the proportion of student work-study funding dedicated to service projects in the community. Knox also is in the top 10 small colleges nationally for 2015 in the number of alumni who joined Teach for America, which recruits outstanding recent college graduates to teach in high-need schools.

"I think the founders of our College and community would be proud that we are working to make the world a better place, every day, with opportunities for every student," Amott said.

Spearheaded by the Kleine Center for Community Service, Knox students are donating more than 58,000 hours of community service annually, and volunteer service has become a promient feature of Knox's annual new student orientation. "Engage Galesburg" on Wednesday, September 9, will send several hundred students into Galesburg for volunteer projects at non-profit organizations.

In 2014, Knox won recognition as one of the top 20 colleges in the country on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.Washington Monthly rankings evaluate schools on how well they recruit low-income students and help them succeed at college, how they support advanced research and prepare students for careers in research-oriented fields, and and how they encourage students to "give something back to their country."

Other top 20 liberal arts colleges include Bryn Mawr College, Carleton College, Berea College, Swarthmore College, Harvey Mudd College, Reed College, Pomona College, Bates College, Haverford College, Macalester College, New College of Florida, Wesleyan University, Grinnell College, Oberlin College, Wellesley College, Amherst College, Smith College and Williams College.

Washington Monthly also rated Knox as a "Best Bang for the Buck" among Midwest colleges and universities for "helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices."

Top of page: Students volunteering for Christmas in Action and the Galesburg Civic Art Center; below, opportunities for all kinds of service, from cleaning to educational programs.

• In pictures: Knox students serving in the community
• Civic engagement at Knox