What is the proper role of Knox College in the Galesburg community?
By Mike Kroll
Three weeks
ago I wrote a column based on a speech I gave to the Galesburg Kiwanis the
previous week on the crisis faced by Galesburg. I was not optimistic
that this community would respond either properly or in time to permit the
long-term survival of this town and I attempted to explain why. Two weeks ago I
wrote a second column in which I proposed some actions this community could
take to preserve and rebuild the community.
I always
hope such columns will spur community discussion but too often such hopes are
dashed. Few things give me greater pleasure than when letter writers focus on
local issue and offer constructive suggestions or criticism or when there is an
open dialog between local elected officials and citizens. I always try to offer
an alternative course or action when I am critical of the actions of local
officials and I welcome thoughtful debate of my comments.
So I was
somewhat pleased that I have heard from a number of Knox College people
regarding a two paragraph section in my ÒNew pathÓ column concerning the
disengagement of Knox College with the Galesburg community. Last week Knox
College's Public Relations Director Karrie Heartlein
submitted what was intended to be a refutation of my comments relating to that
college. However, as any Knox student could have explained to her she missed
the point of my comment entirely. Obviously an explanation is in order for Miss
Karrie.
Allow me to quote the two
paragraphs in question here:
ÒLike
rivers, the presence of a university would be a major asset to this area that
we just don't possess. Certainly Knox College is here but it is also almost
totally disengaged from the local community. Declining numbers of Knox
graduates choose to remain in Galesburg (for obvious reasons) but more
importantly both as an institution and individually as faculty and staff the
people of Knox have demonstrated an almost total disinterest in participating
in community issues. The people of Knox represent the single largest block of
thoughtful and educated people in this community yet most exist as if on an
island unto itself. They don't participate in the local political or economic
dialog and they do not offer the talents of their faculty, staff and students
to help address some of the daunting problems facing Galesburg despite the
college's obvious stake in this community's success.Ó
ÒIf
Knox will not participate it is incumbent upon us to recruit such interest from
other universities in this state who possess the knowledge and resources that
can help Galesburg adapt and reinvent itself. It is much better to invest in
partnerships with educational institutions than continue to squander money on
consultants of dubious value. Galesburg can invite faculty and students with
necessary and relevant skills to assist us in redeveloping and redefining this
community. The city and the county should establish continuous programs of paid
internship opportunities to advanced undergraduate or graduate students to
supplement or enhance existing staff efforts or to help evaluate new ideas. For
example, such interns could provide Galesburg director of economic development
with a cost-effective staff or provide Knox County with people to help handle
administrative chores like purchasing or grant writing.Ó
My
concerns were not with the quality or community conscientiousness of the Knox
students. Just last week a Knox faculty member and I talked about how important
community service had become to today's Knox students. And I wasn't faulting
Knox for its ability to bring visitors to Galesburg for sporting events,
homecoming or graduation. In fact I have warmly praised Knox for conducting
what I believe to be one of the best graduation ceremonies around (and I'm not
just referring to the recent list of vaunted speakers). And while I am pleased
that Knox has managed to turn the college's precarious financial situation
around and is once again investing sizable sums in the campus that is
irrelevant to my criticism as well. For that matter neither does Roger Taylor's
globe trotting in search of donors impact the greater Galesburg community very
much.
What
I was referring to was that while Knox College can properly claim a huge share
of the smartest, best educated area residents among the college's faculty and
staff very, very few are active in local community governance or planning.
They, like most of Galesburg's business people and professionals who likewise
have the benefit of greater than typical education and experience, choose to avoid direct community
responsibility. Look at the makeup of local elected officials or those who are active
participants on the majority of this community's boards and commissions and
you will find few Knox faculty or staff (or Galesburg business people and
professionals for that matter).
Sure
Roger Taylor and a good number of notable business and professional people are
involved in GREDA but that just makes it all the more difficult to explain that
organization's total inability to positively impact the Galesburg community.
Granted only a very small select number of GREDA members have even a clue what
that organization does (or doesn't) do, but the entire group must bear
responsibility for failing to recognize the GREDA's
ineffectiveness and and as accomplices in
misrepresenting it to the community.
Ostensibly
one of the benefits of a quality liberal arts education is the development of
sound reasoning, critical thinking, constructive skepticism and the wisdom to
recognize the pointlessness of continuing to blindly pursue a long-ago failed
strategy. A liberal arts student isn't trained for a profession but to be an
effective life-long learner who can analyze, adapt and master life's
challenges. That's the product Knox College puts out and therefore it is reasonable
to presume that the college's faculty and staff possess these same skills.
Sadly most of the area leaders do not and the quality of such leaders has been
trending downward for some time. My complaint is that so very few of this
community's leadership possess the characteristics of such a liberal arts
education because those who do – don't participate!
The
future of Knox College is inexorably linked to that of greater Galesburg. Our
community is now listing badly yet our leadership is not wise enough to begin
bailing or chart a new course. It won't matter how much Knox spends on athletic
facilities or even if the college does manage to piece together a workable plan
for the renovation and reuse of Alumni Hall. If the greater Galesburg community
surrounding the college continues its inexorable slide into the abyss Knox will
follow it there.
This
is a crisis time for Galesburg and hundreds of other small towns across
America's Òflyover countryÓ that are on the road to extinction because of their
inability or unwillingness to adapt. Successfully adapting to changing
economic, political, environmental, demographic and agricultural circumstances
will not be easy under the best of circumstances but if the best, most
thoughtful, most creative, most talented and most worldly minds in this
community don't assume leadership roles soon failure is virtually guaranteed.
This
is not merely an indictment against Knox College but of the many other well
educated and talented businesses people and professionals across this community
who have opted out of direct participation in its leadership. While it is
always good practice for the wise and the thoughtful to lead us at this point
in time it is absolutely critical. Pay close attention to the names on next
November's election ballot for Knox County offices and next April's ballot for
municipal office and you will see for yourself that the best of us cannot be
bothered to seek office. It is now too late to jump into the ring for county
office but there remains plenty of time for good people to commit to making a
difference in city government come the spring.
Ducant nos
sapientes et cogitantes
060508