Mark Shroyer Promoted to Full Professor of Physics

Knox College proudly announces that Mark Shroyer has been promoted to full professor of physics by the College’s Board of Trustees, effective at the start of the 2025-26 academic year.

“Promotion to full professor is a true milestone in the career of a faculty member,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty Melissa Glenn. “It celebrates a faculty member’s contributions to scholarship, teaching, and the College and solidifies their importance to Knox’s academic program.”

A faculty member since 2005, Shroyer earned his bachelor of science degree from Truman State University in 1993. He went on to obtain both his master's degree and Ph.D. in physics from Oregon State in 1995 and 1999, respectively. His teaching interests are broad, spanning introductory physics, modern physics, classical dynamics, electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, the physics of sports, and the physics of music.

It was during his recruiting process for Knox and the time he spent with Knox students that Shroyer knew the College would be the place for him.

Reflecting on his decision to join Knox, Shroyer recalled, “I remember Nathalie Haurberg ’06 (current associate professor of physics at Knox) as one of the students I went to lunch with during my recruiting visit. All the students were impressive, but I remember her in particular. That lunch stood out among all the interactions I had with students at other institutions. The quality of the students, the students’ ownership over their education, and the mission of the institution to serve first-generation students and low-income students resonated very strongly with me.”

Throughout his time at Knox, Shroyer has secured, or helped secure, multiple grants, including CO-PI for a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant, Knox Faculty Research/Creative Work Grants, and two Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation Grants, one which helped secure the Observatory Dome  and another to upgrade the Mössbauer Spectrometer. His contributions to physics extend beyond grant work. Shroyer has authored multiple publications and delivered national and international presentations throughout his career.

Shroyer made significant fundraising efforts for the Knox Observatory, both through grants and private donations, for which he received an Exceptional Achievement Award in 2024. He was elected as Faculty Secretary and Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, and twice elected to the Executive Committee. He is also Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and served as the faculty speaker at the College’s fall 2025 Opening Convocation.

In his time at Knox, STEM outreach in the community has been a priority. He has participated in Science Nights at local elementary schools, taught College for Kids for many years, and has been part of MathCounts, an engaging math program for middle school students, for over 15 years.

In addition to Shroyer, four other faculty members received promotions in 2025: Thomas Bell (political science), Roya Biggie (English), Deirdre Dougherty (educational studies), and Leanne Trapedo Sims (peace and justice studies), all of whom were awarded tenure in May 2025.