Since the founding of Knox College and the City of Galesburg in 1837, the two have been bound together, sharing a history of collaboration and cooperation. Galesburg residents work or enroll at Knox, attend events hosted by the College, and support the school. Knox students, faculty, and staff are involved in the community, working in schools, volunteering in the community, even serving in city government.

That history of working together continued as Galesburg and Knox strengthen their investment in each other.

Venturing Boldly

Knox College and Galesburg city leaders gathered for a public dialogue on the future of community and College relations at the Galesburg Public Library on May 2. The conversation was part of Knox’s Venture Boldly Galesburg event. Moderated by Peter Schwartzman, Galesburg mayor and Knox professor, Vice Presidents Bradley Nolden and Heather Bumps were joined by Galesburg City Manager Eric Hansen and City Clerk Kelli Bennewitz to share their visions for a better partnership between Knox and Galesburg.

Increased communication and interaction between the two communities were the focus of the dialogue. Community members also wanted to see the return of programs that presented opportunities for students to pursue internships, relationships, and partnerships with local businesses and community members, which led to the announcement of the return of KnoxCorps, a program that connects Knox students with local nonprofit  organizations to help with projects and assist the community.

Reinvesting in Galesburg

After the Venture Boldly luncheon at the Galesburg Public Library, President C. Andrew McGadney took to heart another concern of the community—strengthening connections. Building connections via programs and work experiences is one way to strengthen the bond between community and College. Another way is simply being neighbors—literally. When a desire for housing meets a desire to be neighbors, new ideas and new programs emerge. Enter the Galesburg Reinvestment Fund. The fund is the idea aimed at leveraging philanthropic support to launch projects that assist in attracting businesses and prospective families  and students to Knox and Galesburg. Galesburg residents, George P’97 and Mary Mangieri Burgland ’68, P’97 made a generous donation to kickstart the project.

“We were approached by President McGadney concerning this concept after I went to the Venture Boldly luncheon, which was a conversation about Knox working with the Galesburg community,” Mary Burgland said. “I thought, ‘What if we got the ‘Burgers’ together and we help this city and the College in a sense of investing in housing, thinking it might be a win-win situation for everybody. This is not a town of billionaires, but there are a lot of individuals I feel who are interested in giving back to their community in a way like this.”

The idea of giving back is one that sticks with George Burgland, a Galesburg native whose family roots run deep into the city’s history. “My family had a business in Galesburg for 150 years,” he said. “It was tough to close, but it was the right time to do it. We all want to give back. This is a chance to do so. This is where we earned our money, so we feel this is where it needs to go.”

Ties that Bind

Knox College does already have many ties with the Galesburg community. Along with Mayor Schwartzman, Heather Acerra ’90 and Steve Cheesman ’80 both serve as representatives on the City Council.

Serving on the city government or in economic development are not the only ways Knox connections are giving back to the Galesburg community. Knox also has a number of well-established and burgeoning programs that are bridging town-gown relations. Programs include the George Washington Gale Scholars Program, a nearly 30-year partnership between Knox, Galesburg District 205, and Carl Sandburg College that encourages and supports higher education goals of first-generation and income eligible youth; the Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival, bringing jazz to Galesburg youth and larger community for more than 40 years; the beloved College 4 Kids program held each summer on the Knox campus; annual athletic summer camps; and the renewed KnoxCorps program that connects Knox students with local nonprofit organizations, allowing them to engage in meaningful projects and support community needs.