Knox College is engaged!
By Karrie Heartlein
On May 9th and 10th,
Knox College hosted the Midwest Conference Championships in track and baseball
– the precursor to the NCAA Division III tournament. More than 450
student athletes came to Galesburg and brought close to 200 spectators with them.
Every year, thousands of visitors come to Galesburg for athletic, cultural, and
academic experiences made possible by KnoxÕs investment in its campus and
Galesburg.
Last week, Zephyr reporter Mike
Kroll claimed that Knox College is Òtotally disengaged from the local
community.Ó He indicated that Knox has no interest in Òparticipating in
community issues,Ó and urged area businesses to offer internships to Knox
students. Poor Mike. He needs to get out more.
Over the past four years, Knox has
invested close to $17 million in construction projects that now make the
college attractive as host campus to athletic contests like the Midwest
Conference Championships in track & field, wrestling, baseball, and soon
football.
These projects are almost entirely
paid for by donors to the College – most of whom live outside Galesburg
– and completed primarily by local contractors and workers. ThereÕs the
$2.4 million construction of the E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center, the
$800,000 renovation of the track & field venues, the $900,000 Old Main roof
replacement, and two projects currently underway – the $1.8 million
renovation of the Knox Bowl, and the $500,000 renovation of Memorial Gym. Not
to mention the $6.2 million renovation of Hamblin Hall, rededicated last October,
the $2 million campus energy conservation project in 2001, and another $2.5
million energy conservation project in 2006. ThatÕs more than $17 million of
community engagement!
Disengaged? ThatÕs not the Knox I
know. The CollegeÕs president, Roger Taylor, sits on the GREDA Board of
Directors (in which Knox is an investor), belongs to Rotary and jumps at the
chance to show a visitor the window Abraham Lincoln climbed out before his
historic fifth debate with Stephen Douglas. Roger travels more than 100 days each
year to visit with alumni and donors in all parts of the country. What does he
talk about? Knox College and Galesburg. Every year, more than 2,000 prospective
students – plus their families – visit Knox, staying in local
hotels, drinking coffee at Innkeepers, enjoying dinner at local restaurants,
even shopping at the mall. Roger makes a point of trying to meet each of them.
What does Roger talk about with these students? Knox College and Galesburg.
Every fall, nearly 1,000 alumni
return to Galesburg to celebrate Homecoming at Knox. And every spring, a host
of families, friends, and alumni swarm into Galesburg to celebrate KnoxÕs
Commencement. Knox brings thousands of people from around the world to
Galesburg each year. Close to 1,300 of them choose to live here for four years,
and many more come back regularly year after year.
Knox not interested in local
issues? ThatÕs not the Knox I know. Students, faculty and staff infuse energy,
enthusiasm, and resources into this area. Last year, more than 60 students held
internships in the Galesburg community – including internships with
GREDA. Sixty went into local schools to teach and to learn to teach.
Sixty-three students take time each week to be reading buddies at Nielson
School, and another eight have ÒadoptedÓ Leanne ScherpeÕs
classroom at Cooke School. Each week, more than 40 Knox College students spend
time with a little brother or sister as part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters
program.
KnoxÕs employees are active on
campus and off. They volunteer with nearly 100 different social service, civic,
and community organizations, from the Red Cross to the United Way, from the
local schools and churches to the Girl and Boy Scouts.
IÕm not asking for praise from Mr.
Kroll, just a little accuracy about the depth and breadth of KnoxÕs 171-year
engagement with the Galesburg community.
Veritas!
Karrie Heartlein is the Knox College Director of Public Relations