Research & Creative Work

Knox has a longstanding (and pioneering) commitment to supporting advanced student research and creative work—intensive, long-term projects that go beyond coursework. They might be independent studies under the mentorship of a professor; they might be collaborative projects between a few students or between students and a professor; they might happen in a lab, on a stage, in a library; they might happen in a neighborhood, on a farm, on a glacier; they might happen in Galesburg or Chicago or on another continent.

Every student has the opportunity to do creative and research work and have a $2,000 Power of Experience grant available. The vast majority of our students—89%—produce research, independent studies, or creative work. Our annual HORIZONS conference allows students to share their work with the Knox community.

A few places to learn more about projects students have done recently: our Honors Program and our independent study program. We also guide students through the process of securing funding through fellowships. Another major source of support: The Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study.

The results: Students publish their work in major journals, win national awards, and present at international conferences. They build a foundation for the work they'll do after they graduate. And they develop skills and practices (independent thinking, critical analysis, project management, creative problem-solving) that make them exactly the kind of effective, productive, adaptable people the world—and today's employers—need right now.