[Knox College] President's Circular: The Year Ahead

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September 2015 President's Circular - Knox Collegehttp://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25309&eid=10797http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25308&eid=10797 http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25307&eid=10797http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25306&eid=10797 September 30, 2015 After the relative calm of the summer, the academic year has begun, and we are all adjusting to the new pace, best captured in this http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25305&eid=10797. We welcomed 417 new students to our community this year, 16 more than last year, after receiving the largest number of applications in College history. While many factors are involved in recruiting a new class each year, there is no doubt that our http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25304&eid=10797 and new suite of http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25303&eid=10797 contributed to our success in a fiercely competitive Admission marketplace. By all accounts, our One Community new student orientation program was very well-received this year, with new elements focused on academics and diversity and inclusion. Knox also hosted three bridge programs before the start of orientation. Thirty-two students participated in SPARK (Student Preparation and Readiness for Knox), a two-week program to help first-year students make the transition from high school to college. For the second year, a small group of international students came to campus early to work on their English language skills. And 27 students participated in the http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25302&eid=10797, an intensive skills-based business "boot camp" to give students an extra edge in today's marketplace. Based upon feedback we've received thus far, all three programs were of great benefit to students. On September 10, Richard Riddell, our new chair of the Board of Trustees, gave this year's Opening Convocation address, officially kicking off the year. Richard noted that the last time he spoke on the Harbach stage was during his sophomore year on campus as a participant in Knox's first Repertory Theatre Term, or Rep Term, as it is more affectionately known. He then turned from the past to the future, speaking about the role of the Board of Trustees at Knox -- as fiduciaries, or good stewards -- of the College, and how Knox students are fiduciaries of their own education. Only a person well versed in the role and importance of college and university boards could make such a convincing and nuanced connection between students and their role as fiduciaries. You can read more about Opening Convocation or watch Richard's address http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25301&eid=10797.Kudos & Thank Yous As you may remember from my midsummer update, we ended the last fiscal year with the second highest total dollars raised in the history of the College -- $18,811,894 to be exact. Not surprisingly, this achievement was recognized by the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE) for http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25300&eid=10797, one of its highest fundraising performance awards. Knox is one of just seven private liberal arts colleges with endowments of more than $100 million to earn the distinction. Others include Wellesley College, Hope College, and Colby College. Most impressively, this is the second year in a row that Knox's fundraising has been recognized by CASE. Last year, the College was recognized for Overall Fundraising Performance in the category of schools with endowments under $100 million. You'll note that over the course of the two years that Knox received CASE recognition, we changed categories from an endowment under $100 million to an endowment over that mark. This is an important milestone in Knox's history, and I am very grateful to the Board's Investment Subcommittee for their work growing the endowment to make that possible! For those of you who know members of Knox's Advancement team, this recognition likely comes as no surprise to you. The department's sheer dedication, hard work, and commitment to the College is evident from its leadership on down. And I have to take this moment to thank you as well. President's Circle donors made up 12% of our donor base last year, but gave 95% of the total dollars raised. Your generous support is integral to the College's ongoing success, and the recent recognition from CASE is a testament to your leadership and generosity. On behalf of everyone here at Knox, I offer sincere thanks for all that you do for our storied college.Meeting Our Mission We have received two important bits of news over the last two weeks that speak to and reinforce Knox's mission to provide a high caliber education to all qualified students, regardless of background. Late last week, the New York Times announced its list of the "Top Schools Doing the Most for Low-Income Students," and Knox was ranked #14 in the nation. Knox was listed alongside the nation's top colleges and universities, including Vassar, Pomona, Harvard, Stanford, and Wellesley, among others. According to the Times, the list is "based on the share of students who receive Pell grants (which typically go to families making less than $70,000); the graduation rate of those students; and the price that colleges charge both low- and middle-income students." The listing also noted each school's endowment per student, which is a measure of the resources available to colleges. I encourage you to review the list and the accompanying article, which you can read http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25299&eid=10797. Of particular note is the endowment per student. You'll see that while Knox's endowment per student ($70K/student) surpasses many public institutions, it is significantly less than its fellow private, residential liberal arts institutions. For example, Vassar's (#8 in the list) endowment per students is $352K and Grinnell's (#31) is is $950K. This reinforces what we all know to be true: Knox College uses its resources wisely to provide its students with transformative educations. Once again, this would not be possible without the ongoing support of President's Circle donors, and I hope you are as proud of Knox's inclusion on this list as we are. Earlier in the month, we received notification that the Mellon Foundation has awarded Knox $800,000 to support the proposal we submitted in July on Enhancing the Academic Success of Under-represented Students at Knox College. The success of this proposal was made possible by the leadership of Dean of the College Laura Behling, who organized a brainstorming session with faculty and staff colleagues last spring on the ideas that went into the proposal. In my cover letter to the Foundation, I noted, "we know that the Knox milieu creates extraordinarily passionate and compassionate graduates, young people who learn the most by living alongside people very different from themselves. And, while pursuing this mission is not the easiest path for a liberal arts college to follow, it is the right path." This brings the number of active Mellon grants at Knox to three, alongside a previous grant for faculty development and ahttp://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25298&eid=10797. This is an impressive endorsement of the College by one of the world's most significant supporters of liberal arts colleges.The Rankings Are In The season for the annual college rankings and ratings is upon us, and I'm proud to report that Knox is moving up in major national college rankings. In the U.S. News & World Report, Knox was ranked at 72 among more than 230 national liberal arts colleges. We were also listed as #11 in the nation in Washington Monthly magazine's rankings of the best liberal arts colleges for service to the country and their communities, and #112 this year in the Sierra Club's rankings of the top "Cool Schools" for sustainability efforts. In addition, Knox appeared for the first time on Teach for America's list of top contributor schools. You can read more about these national rankings http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25297&eid=10797. You may have also recently read about the new federal scorecard/rating system for colleges and universities. Released on Saturday, September 12, the new College Scorecard website features an extensive number of data points, including information on average cost, graduation rates, and earnings, that individuals can use to compare and contrast different colleges and universities around the country. Schools can be compared by type, location, size, average cost, and so on. The scorecard has generated a good deal of discussion in the higher education community, particularly surrounding the way that graduate earnings is treated. In a technical note, the scorecard notes that the data only apply to those who received federal financial aid -- in other words, it is not the complete universe of graduates. And, of course, while no one could argue that the monetary return on investment is a salient consideration in making college choices, graduates of Knox could also argue about the wisdom of reducing all the benefits to education to a single monetary data point. If you are interested in learning more about the scorecard and its reception, read this helpful article from the http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25296&eid=10797. While we can all debate the meaningfulness of any of these rankings, they are helpful to prospective students and families as they make their college choice. Yet we always encourage students and families to look beyond individual data points and to focus on personal match and fit when choosing the best college or university to attend.The Year Ahead Each academic year brings with it new ideas, opportunities, and faces. An important example at Knox this year is the new management of our dining and catering services. After the retirement of Helmut Mayer, director of dining services, we entered into a one-year agreement with a national campus food service provider, Bon Appetit. They officially came to Knox in August, and campus is already noticing some changes, notably a shift toward "from scratch" cooking and the inclusion of more healthy items in the Gizmo menu. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the food offerings the next time you are on campus. We also welcomed a few new faces to the Knox community, including our new vice president for administrative services and chief financial officer, Keith Archer, along with our new director of campus safety, Mark Welker. Two additional important administrative searches are underway -- an associate vice president for human resources and a vice president for student development. We will be sure to keep you posted as these vital positions are filled in the coming months. Work also continues across the College as we implement the initiatives and goals of the Knox 2018 strategic plan. I encourage you to watch the http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25295&eid=10797 for updates and opportunities to offer your feedback. We also plan to introduce a new feature to President's Circle communications, based upon the feedback that we received this summer when we asked you what topics you'd like to learn more about from me. In response, we are working on a series of conversations with members of the senior administration that address issues facing higher education, in general, and Knox, in particular. The first in the series will touch upon the financial outlook for higher education. Look for it in your inbox in the next few weeks. For those of you who will be joining us for Homecoming, I look forward to welcoming you back to campus in a few weeks at the President's Circle reception. Sincerely,Teresa L. Amott President mailto:[email protected] | tel:+18885669265 http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25294&eid=10797http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25293&eid=10797http://knox.imodules.com/redirect.aspx?linkID=25292&eid=10797                                                             Knox College2 East South StGalesburg, IL 61401If you wish to be removed from this group's mailing list, http://knox.imodules.com/?sid=289&gid=1&pgid=37&cid=51&seiid=2586&ecatid=13&puid=f5701d0f-abb6-4e97-b2af-f24a590bbfbc