Knox College has received a grant of $83,700 from the Richter Memorial Trusts, to support the college's extensive student research program. The grant will assist more than 100 students during the 2005-06 school year with their research or other advanced academic projects.

Since receiving its first grant from the Richter Memorial Trusts in 1997, Knox has awarded a total of more than $800,000 in Richter Scholarships to students. An average of about 125 Knox students a year have received support for expenses related to research projects and creative endeavors.

"Grants from the Richter Memorial Trusts are a significant factor in helping Knox students acquire equipment and supplies, and enabling them to travel to research sites and scholarly conferences," said Stephen Bailey, Associate Dean of Knox College and the on-campus coordinator of the Richter Memorial Scholars Program.

To cover expenses for research and creative projects, Knox students often combine Richter Scholarships with other grants available at Knox, including the College's Honors Program and its Ford Fellowship Program. The Ford Fellowship Program supports research and other activities designed to prepare outstanding students for academic careers. Knox's Honors Program has been cited as one of the best undergraduate research programs by the U.S. Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education.

The Richter Memorial Scholars Program at Knox College is supported by grants from The Paul K. Richter Memorial Trust and the Evalyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Trust. The trusts were established by J. Edward Richter, 1898-1967, in memory of his parents. A native of Chicago and 1921 graduate of Yale University, Richter created the trusts, administered by Bank of America, to support special projects by students at private colleges, in particular the kind of activities involving close faculty-student interaction that characterized his experience at the University of Cambridge in England, where he studied from 1921 to 1923.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 46 states and 50 nations. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.