GOOD WORKA Whirlwind Tour of the Human-Powered Knox Experience

Well, it feels like you’re living with 1,400 people from places you’ve never heard of, who have ideas you’ve never thought of, who can tell stories you’ve never heard, and who are, at the same time, a lot like you: passionate, collaborative, unapologetically smart, interested in everything.

It feels busy but not chaotic, productive but not relentless, philosophical but not pretentious, friendly but not shallow. It feels like a place where good people do great work and don’t make a huge deal about it, because there is more great work to be done.

You know how it feels? It feels human. We’re a human-powered community. We do work that powers the world.

HOW IT FEELS TO BE HERE

Charlie Harned is a junior from Webster Groves, Missouri. He’s double majoring in economics and Spanish, and he just got an internship at the White House. He played basketball in his first two years but is now the captain of the soccer team, which set too many records to list here. They’re good, is the point. He also started a nonprofit—the Anything Is Possible Education Foundation—that awards scholarships to local high school students. He plans to go to law school and run for the Missouri State Legislature.

“THE OTHER NIGHT, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A KODAK MOMENT—my dad and I were talking on the phone, and he said, ‘I’m so happy you went to Knox.’ And I really agree. I wanted the academics to be tough, I wanted to play sports, and I wanted a great pre-law program. That’s what I found. It’s all come together.”

5 PROJECTS THAT EMBODY THE

SPIRIT OF KNOX

1. STARTING A MICROFINANCE ORGANIZ ATIONRohail used a grant from Knox’s Vovis

Center for Research and Advanced Study to start an organization that supports new entrepreneurs in Pakistan. “If you can help even one person, the social uplift for their family and their community is immense. The project has already made me feel so hopeful about a country that has given me so much. Now I want to sustain it.”

Rohail Khan, junior, Islamabad, Pakistan, physics

3. SLEEPING UNDER THE STARS ( AND DRE AMING OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY )Jason interned at the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in West Africa (thanks to funding from Knox). He did fieldwork at the Shawnee National Forest with his Environmental Conflict and Resolution class. “It was six of us on the road, learning about environmental conflicts that affect the region, hiking the forest, sharing stories around camp food, and falling asleep by a stream under the stars. If you want to make smart environmental policy—and I do—you have to be out in the environment.”

Jason Deschamps, junior, Plélo, France, environmental management and international relations

2. RUNNING ONE OF THE BEST COLLEGE PAPERS IN THE COUNTRYKate was managing editor of The Knox Student when it won a dozen state journalism awards and was nominated for national awards. She did a summer internship at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Not everything can be found in a textbook. Knox has a legacy of incredibly successful journalists. Working at the paper has instilled in me a passion for journalism, storytelling, and accountability.”

Kate Mishkin, junior, Tarzana, California, English literature

5. MAK ING THE CONNECTION BET WEEN ART AND BUSINESSMolly is majoring in studio art and double minoring in Spanish and business and management. She designed an independent study in creative entrepreneurship. She’s done

two summer internships, one at a nonprofit, one at an international healthcare marketing firm. She sees a connection between art and business. “They’re both about creative thinking. And that’s what Knox is about. How can you look at the world differently? How can you add something meaningful to it?”

Molly Loudon, senior, Lincoln, Nebraska, studio art

4 . BUILDING A COMPLETE E XPERIENCEIn Juan’s junior year, he took Knox’s Drumming and Dance in Ghana course. “It was a breathtaking experience. The summer before that, I took more than 20 classes a week at a five-week summer dance intensive with the Joel Hall Dance Company in Chicago. And I’ve been dancing and choreographing for Terpsichore since my first year at Knox; now I’m on the executive board. I know so much more about myself, about the world. I feel ready for what’s next.”

Juan Irizarry, senior, Chicago, Illinois, anthropology/sociology

“HERE’S WHAT REALLY SURPRISED ME ABOUT KNOX: THE COMMUNITY. It’s truly diverse, truly global, and there aren’t a lot of boundaries between social groups. It’s one community. The experiences I had, the friendships I made, the network of alumni I’m part of—I didn’t know how real, and how important, those things would be.”

Nora Nelson ’09 majored in environmental science and biology, did a research field term at Green Oaks, and conducted independent research in Brazil, Tanzania, and Belize. She went on to earn advanced degrees in international affairs, and natural resources and sustainable development. Now she’s a water resource management specialist at Terra Global Capital in San Francisco.

26% students of color11% international48 states51 countries

50%of students participate

in off-campus study

undergraduates

1,420

courses of study

60+

$350,000dedicated to student research every year

Student to faculty ratio: 12 to 1Average class size: 17

100%of students pursue

experiential learning

most diverse colleges

50Top

Africana StudiesAmerican StudiesAnthropology and Sociology

ArtArt HistoryAsian StudiesBiochemistryBiologyBusiness and Management

ChemistryChineseClassics•Greek•Greek & Roman Culture•LatinComputer ScienceCreative WritingDanceEarth ScienceEconomics

Educational Studies•Elementary•Policy Studies•Secondary•Social Sciences Education

•Special Content AreasEnglish LiteratureEnvironmental StudiesFilm StudiesFrenchGender and Women’s Studies

GermanHistoryIntegrated International Studies

International RelationsJapaneseJournalismLatin American Studies

Mathematics •Financial MathematicsModern LanguagesMusicNeuroscience PhilosophyPhysicsPolitical Science•American Politics•Comparative PoliticsPsychologyReligious StudiesSelf-Designed StudiesSocial ServiceSpanishTheatre•Design and Technology•Directing•Dramatic Literature and History

•Performance•Playwriting

MA JORS & MINORS

85% of students pursue independent study projects

THE FACTS

Top 10 small colleges and universities sending graduates

into the Peace Corps

Top 4% of national liberal arts colleges producing

successful Ph.D. candidates

DIVISION III ATHLETIC TE AMSBaseball mBasketball m, wCross-Country m, wFootball mGolf m, wIndoor Track and Field m, wOutdoor Track and Field m, wSoccer m, wSoftball wSwimming and Diving m, wTennis m, wVolleyball w

PRE-PROFESSIONAL & OTHER PROGR AMSBusinessEngineeringEnvironmental ManagementForestryLawMedicineNursingOccupational TherapyOptometry

College HonorsPeace Corps Preparatory Program

Sports Studies (courses)Teacher Certification

100+student-run clubs and organizations

20 NCAA Division III teams

2014 Forbes Grateful Grads Index: one of the top 50 private colleges

where alumni feel they got a great return on their investment

One of 40 Colleges That Change Lives

President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

“KNOX PREPARED ME FOR BIG THINGS.It gave me everything I need to succeed: experience in research—starting in my first year, leadership opportunities, a professor whose mentorship shaped my future. I realized that if I get involved, work hard, and keep pushing, I can do great things. I’ll carry that experience with me forever.”

Shaunak Mulani ’12, George Washington School of Medicine. At Knox, he majored in biology, played tennis, was a student senator, and did an honors thesis on DNA repair; he’s currently preparing it for publication. Oh, and (this is important) he made friends he’ll keep for the rest of his life. He plans to work as a physician in an underserved area—a region where other physicians are unwilling to go— because he believes access to healthcare is a basic human right.

5 PEOPLE WHO GRADUATED FROM KNOX AND BLAZED

SOME KIND OF TRAIL

4 . PAIGE ANDERSON LOWE, BUILDING WHAT’S NE X T Paige double majored

in computer science and creative writing (unusual everywhere else; fairly common here) and interned at Amazon—which led to a job at Lockheed Martin. “Knox taught me how to ask questions, how to keep asking them until I know what I’m doing and what I need to do next. And I learned the value of experience—programming a tool not for a grade but for the market.”

Paige Anderson Lowe ’14, associate software engineer, Lockheed Martin

2. BRYAN QUINN, PUT TING THE ENVIRONMENT FIRSTBryan studied philosophy and ecology at Knox, including two terms working at remote biological research stations. He went on to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, then earned a master’s in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. “When I started my own landscape design firm, I put the environment first. I believed—I still believe—that the work I do should be, and is, inherently good for the planet. The result is I’ve found visionary clients and built projects that perform in ways that traditional business models wouldn’t have predicted.”

Bryan Quinn ’00, founder, OneNature LLC

5. JONATHAN NG, FINDING OPPORTUNITIES Jonathan is participating in our 3-2 Dual Degree Program, combining a liberal arts degree and an engineering degree. “I knew that spending five years getting two degrees would open up a lot of opportunities for me. I wanted something more than just a technical degree. I wanted to work with professors who really know me. And I wanted to put rigorous scientific work into a broader context. That’s what I found at Knox.”

Jonathan Ng ’14, engineering student, Washington University in St. Louis

3. INDIR A SOMANI, DOCUMENTING CULTUREIndira designed an independent major in media, race, and gender—and has become a strong, independent voice in research and filmmaking. She earned advanced degrees in journalism (M.A., Northwestern; Ph.D., University of Maryland), received a Fulbright to study the Western influence of Indian programming in India, and produces and directs documentaries about the ways in which Asian Indians preserve their culture.

Indira Somani ’92, assistant professor, media, journalism, and film, Howard University

1. JACOB PLUMMER, ADVANCING HE ALTH CARE Jacob cofounded an educational technology company with a professor at Knox. Which led to being hired as the youngest hospital manager at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Which led to a master’s in public policy and an MBA at the University of Chicago. “Knox taught me how to take risks, how to handle ambiguity, how to create opportunities.”

Jacob Plummer ’00, vice president, global business development, Allscripts

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE RESOURCES

1. BASTIAN FAMILY CAREER CENTERHelps you imagine the ways in which all of the things you’re doing—research and service, athletics and internships, on and on—could work together to get you where you’d like to go.

5. OUR FACULT YReal people with full lives who happen to be inventive teachers and tireless researchers and lifelong mentors. They will know you as a complete person.

12. K NOX FARMTiny but mighty. An acre for outdoor growing, plus two high tunnels, on a residential block 110 yards from Knox Dining Services. Provides food for campus, research opportunities, general green-ness.

13. K NOX-GALESBURG SY MPHON YConducted by a Knox professor, featuring students and local performers. A four-time winner of the Illinois Orchestra of the Year award; performs in Galesburg’s historic Orpheum Theater.

14 . PRE-PROFESSIONAL PROGR AMSAdvice and guidance if you’re planning to pursue business, engineering, environmental science, medicine, more. Random fact: In a typical year, 80% of our seniors who apply to medical school are accepted (the national average is 50%).

6. VOVIS CENTER FOR RESE ARCH AND ADVANCED STUDYHelps you get funding for independent research, scholarship, and creative work; or, a little later, apply for post-graduate fellowships (e.g., Fulbright, National Science Foundation).

7. GIZMOA café/diner attached to Seymour Union, serving many things that are deep-fried. Home of the Prairie Fire Starter breakfast. The not-so-secret heart of campus.

8. GREEN OAKSOur 700-acre biological field station, 20 miles from campus. The second oldest prairie restoration site in the country. A place to do research, go hiking and canoeing, wander, wonder.

9. IMMERSIVE TERMSA Knox-only experience. Explore a single field of study over the course of an entire (10-week!) term. Offerings: Clinical Psychology Term, Green Oaks Term, Japan Term, Open Studio, Repertory Theatre Term, StartUp Term.

10. K LEINE CENTER FOR COMMUNIT Y SERVICECoordinates hundreds of students doing thousands of hours of service every year. Regular recipient of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll award.

11. K NOXCORPSA Knox innovation, modeled after the Peace Corps. Places current students and recent graduates in positions with local and regional organizations.

2. E . & L . ANDREW FITNESS CENTEROur 13,000-square-foot athletic training facility, open to all. Includes a cardio exercise area, free weight training area, fitness studio, and top-of-the-line equipment.

3. GALESBURG, ILLINOISOur hometown. A small city (pop. 33,000) at the center of a national railroad network. Home to good coffee and great pizza, natural food and less-natural food, live music, and friendly, enterprising people.

4 . E XPERIENTIAL LE ARNINGLearning by doing. A requirement to earn a Knox diploma. Examples: internships, independent research, service, study abroad.

15. SERIOUS FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR RESE ARCH We give students more than $350,000 every year to conduct research or pursue a creative project. So you graduate from Knox with proof that you can effectively launch your own intellectual start-up.

16. STELLY ES CENTER FOR GLOBAL STUDIESOversees Knox-only study abroad programs and dozens of Knox-approved programs around the world. About half of our students study off-campus.

17. UNION BOARDThe student organization in charge of producing campus events—concerts, comedians, game nights, meatless haiku contests. Well-funded and highly visible.

Celinda Davis is a senior history major from Downers Grove, Illinois. She’s done, oh, just about everything at Knox: She was a leader of Blessings in a Backpack, won a Ford Fellowship to do independent research on British intervention in the Congo, and was president of a coed service fraternity. She plans to work at a nonprofit, get a master’s in community development, and fight food insecurity in America.

“YOU CAN BE AN ORIGINAL HERE. WE ACCEPT YOU AS YOU ARE.I know I can try new things and make mistakes without losing the love and support of my fellow crazy peers. In the end, if I’m good, and I’m doing good for others—that’s success to me.”

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDKNOX COLLEGE

Office of Admission2 East South Street Galesburg, IL 61401-4999

knox.edu

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