Celebrating 2025: New Faces and New Spaces Highlight the Year at Knox
From celebrating the accomplishments of faculty and staff, opening of doors to new students and facilities, saying goodbye to old friends, and engaging in serious conversation, the year was memorable for Knox College. With an eye on the future, we look back at a few of our top stories from 2025.
A Commencement to Remember
The 2025 Commencement stands out as one of the most memorable ceremonies in recent years. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker gave the Commencement address. Chicago artist and professor Theaster Gates and Knox College honorary trustee and supporter Mary Kent Knight ’60 received honorary degrees alongside Pritzker.
The most recent Knox graduates, who persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic, gathered on South Lawn to celebrate their accomplishments and honor those who helped them along the way.
“I had a few invitations to deliver commencement speeches this year. But I wanted to come to Knox College because no place in America feels more suitable to this moment,” Governor Pritzker said. “This college was established in 1837 in rural Illinois on the idea that slavery should be opposed in all its forms—physical, spiritual, intellectual and the notion that all people, regardless of race, sex, or means, have the right to an education. Ignore the coastal institutions who love to brag about their pedigree and history. You will hold a diploma from a college that outshines them in a heritage that is exceedingly rare—a community built around the concept that our lives should be lived every day… with courage.”
Honoring Faculty Accomplishments
Knox College announced that six faculty members have been appointed to endowed chairs and professorships. Endowed professorships honor and reward faculty for their accomplishments. These appointments are the highest honor the College can bestow on faculty. They continue the College’s commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Knox College now has 22 endowed professorships and chairs.
Knox College also announced its newest tenured faculty as four faculty members received tenure and were promoted to associate professor.
In addition to accomplishments in the classroom, our faculty also achieved success beyond it, with multiple Knox faculty authoring published works.
After nearly two years of research, writing, and editing, R. Lance Factor Professor of Philosophy Brandon Polite ’03 published the essay collection, Taylor Swift and the Philosophy of Re-recording: The Art of Taylor’s Versions in January 2025. The book focuses on the first of six albums that Taylor Swift set out to re-record after her former record label’s sale to her nemesis, Scooter Braun.
Knox College Associate Professor of Educational Studies Deirdre Mayer Dougherty also celebrated the publication of a new book: Race and Place: School Desegregation in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The book looks at education inequality throughout the 20th century in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as the community goes through the process of school desegregation.
Knox College Associate Professor of Political Science Thomas Bell also published his first book, The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers, University of Kansas Press. Bell began work on the book over a decade ago, emphasizing that its central argument—that the separation of powers is properly understood as a political architecture rather than a legal doctrine—remains highly relevant to both current events and broader questions about the stability and future of American democracy.
Welcoming New Faces on Campus
As a new academic year began, Knox College welcomed seven new tenure-track faculty. These educators span the arts and sciences, including art, chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, and psychology.
Knox also welcomed 340 new students to campus in the fall, one of the largest classes in the history of the College.
In addition, the College welcomed a new Chief Financial Officer, new Vice President for Advancement, new members to the Board of Trustees, and a new Provost and Dean of the Faculty.
Mourning a Knox Leader
Former Knox College Chair of the Board of Trustees Tony Etz, 64, passed away on March 10, 2025. Etz was a member of the Class of 1983 and a fourth-generation Knox alumnus. He followed his great-grandfather, John Murphy, Class of 1900; grandfather, Robert Murphy ’31, a longtime board member and former chair; and his uncle Jim Murphy ’82.
Etz joined the Knox College Board of Trustees as a General Trustee in 2016. He served as chair of the former Campus Life & Athletics Committee and the Presidential Search Committee. The latter brought C. Andrew McGadney to Knox College as its 20th president in 2021. Etz was elected chair of the Board of Trustees in July 2021.
“Knox College has lost a true champion of the institution, its community, and its transformative education,” said Knox College President C. Andrew McGadney. “His enthusiasm for the power of a liberal arts education was infectious. As a fourth-generation legacy, his knowledge of Knox history was immense, and his approach to leadership—clear-eyed, dynamic, and mission-driven—was inspiring.”
Opening Doors for Students
Knox College announced enhancements to its Prairie Promise comprehensive aid program, effective for the incoming fall 2026 class. The Prairie Promise was originally announced in fall 2021. It was designed to make a nationally ranked Knox College education accessible to Illinois residents enrolling for the first time. Beginning with next fall’s students, qualifying Illinois residents can now earn a Knox degree tuition-free.
“Knox’s mission has always been to welcome talented students from every background. By covering full tuition for families earning $100,000 or less, we’re opening our doors even wider and making it possible for more students to see themselves here,” said Vice President for Admission and Dean of Enrollment Nathan Ament.
Major Updates on Campus
Knox College began a $10 million renovation of the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center partnering with two regional companies: RATIO Design and Russell. The Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center is home to Knox’s biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, and psychology departments. It also houses the Amott Science Commons, a collaborative learning space with the Makerspace Hub. A $10 million grant from the State of Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity funds the renovation.
In addition, the Prairie Fire Men's and Women's soccer teams can now play night games on Prats Field, thanks to the addition of new lights!
New Facilities, Same Popular Program
The Knox College Green Oaks Term returned this spring. For students, the program was both inspiring and educational. The new Knight Center for Living and Learning and a newly renovated Schurr Hall provided new facilities that enhanced the experience of living and learning in nature for a term.
“It’s wonderful, unlike anything else,” studio arts and early childhood education double major Mia Palmer said. “To live in this environment and immerse myself as a studio arts major, I came with the focus of doing a lot of plein air painting, and having the opportunity to do that is unlike anything else.”
Green Oaks has evolved into more than just a field station and is much more than a regular classroom; it’s a hub for exploration, personal growth, and a leader in environmental education.
“We don’t use the classrooms much for this; it’s been so nice out, it’s been about teaching outside,” said Stuart Allison, Watson Bartlett Professor of Biology and director of Green Oaks.
Timely First-Year Reading Sparks Lively Discussions
As a foundation of a Knox College liberal arts education, summer common reading assignments are now part of the core curriculum. These assignments welcome first-year students with their first official course, First-Year Preceptorial (FP).
Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect by John Inazu was this year’s common reading assignment. It teaches students to engage in dialogue with those they disagree with and to navigate differences of belief and opinion with understanding and respect.
Inazu visited the campus to discuss his book with first-year students and served as the speaker for the College’s annual Constitution Day Lecture, speaking on the First Amendment’s right to assemble. Inazu also hosted an FP discussion with first-year Knox students.
For more news and profiles, visit the Knox College news page.
Published on December 18, 2025
- Scott Holland, Knox College Office of Communications