Knox faculty continue to pursue  innovative approaches to delivering a Knox education, even as the landscape  of higher education continues to shift. They have embraced the value of immersive learning by creating and re-thinking the immersive experiences available to our students, including the new Chicago-based immersive term, Life, Work, Community and Culture in the  Second City. A $1.2 million, three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon  Foundation funded the Abolition for All Time initiative, creating a new physical and figurative space for teaching and learning in Seymour Library and reinvigorating interdisciplinary collaboration.

Most recently, the Knox faculty is pursuing critical work surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and renewal of the  academic program, all with an emphasis on belonging, experiential learning,  durable skills, and sustained financial health.

Through the generosity of the late Tony Etz ’83 and Nancy Etz, the Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership and Dialogue was created in 2024 to provide the Knox community with the skills necessary to engage with differing viewpoints in service of the public good. The institute’s most recent event featured renowned scholars Robert P. George and Cornel West.