Knox College Faculty Promotions and Tenure

Knox College has promoted five faculty members to the rank of associate professor with tenure. They are Emily R. Anderson, associate professor of English; Monica Berlin, associate professor of English; Gina Franco, associate professor of English; Jason Helfer, associate professor of educational studies; and Jennifer Leigh Smith, associate professor of dance.

"These promotions are based upon the recommendations of the Faculty Personnel Committee and Dean of the College Lawrence Breitborde, as well as my own examination of each faculty member's accomplishments," said Knox College President Roger Taylor. "The Knox College faculty handbook states that the awarding of tenure requires a high degree of enthusiasm for the candidate's qualifications, and that the decision should not be merely reasonable, but should be compelling beyond a reasonable doubt. These outstanding faculty have met those requirements."

Emily R. Andersonjoined the Knox English faculty in 2003. Her research centers on theories and histories of the 18th and 19th century novel and on the study of narrative in film and literature. She teaches English literature, literary theory and film studies, and in 2007 she and colleage Gina Franco won Knox's highest award for teaching, the Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching. A graduate of Willamette University, Anderson earned an M.A. at Mills College and Ph.D. at the University of California - Berkeley.

Monica Berlin has been a member of the Knox English faculty since 1997. She has published poetry, as well as critical essays about the teaching of creative writing. Berlin's poetry has won several Pushcart nominations and she was awarded the 2003 Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching and the 2007 Young Alumni Achievement Award from Knox. Berlin has served as faculty advisor for "Catch," Knox's award-winning student literary journal -- a publication that she helped edit when she was a student at Knox. A 1995 graduate of Knox College, Berlin earned an M.A. degree from Western Illinois University and an M.F.A from Vermont College.

Gina Franco has taught English at Knox since 2003. She teaches the writing of poetry and prose, as well as literature based on her research in nineteenth-century British Romanticism. Franco's widely published poetry includes the collection "The Keepsake Storm," and her poem "The Earth Without" won a special mention in the 2005 Pushcart Prize competition. She was a finalist for the 2007 Richard Snyder Prize and the 2000 Colorado Prize, and a semi-finalist for several other prestigious poetry awards. Franco and colleague Emily Anderson were co-winners of the 2007 Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching. Franco is a graduate of Smith College and earned M.A. and M.F.A. degrees at Cornell University.

Jason Helferjoined the Knox faculty in educational studies in 2006. He also serves as co-chair of the educational studies department. His teaching areas include philosophy of education, ethnography and the development of teaching identity. Among his publications is "Identifying Gifted Students: Educator Beliefs Regarding Various Policies, Processes, and Procedures," co-authored with Stephen Schroth, assistant professor of educational studies at Knox, and published recently in "Journal for the Education of the Gifted." A graduate of Millikin University, Helfer earned M.Mus. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jennifer Leigh Smithdirects the dance program at Knox College, where she has taught since 1997. She teaches dance history, theory and improvisation and won Knox's 2003 Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Award for Distinguished Teaching. Smith has choreographed and performed extensively in Chicago and at the American College Dance Festival, the Dancemakers Concert in Milwaukee, and the Festival Off in Avignon, France. She earned B.A. and M.A. degrees at Columbia College, and an M.F.A at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's 'Old Main' is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Faculty Biographies:

Emily R. Anderson

Monica Berlin

Gina Franco

Jason Helfer

Jennifer Leigh Smith