A total of 14 National Merit Scholars and 19 Illinois Merit Recognition Scholars are in an entering class of 330, scheduled to participate in orientation activities Sept. 5-9.
"Fourteen National Merit Scholars represents more than four percent of the entering class. That's an extraordinarily high proportion for a liberal arts college in the Midwest," said Paul Steenis, director of admission. "Add that to 19 Illinois Merit Recognition Scholars, and it shows that the best students in Illinois and across the nation recognize the high academic quality that Knox offers."
Illinois Merit Recognition Scholars are selected by the State of Illinois for graduating in the top 2-1/2-percent of their high school class. In all, 50-percent of new students at Knox this year graduated in the top ten-percent of their high school class.
Knox was recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the fifth-best value in the country among national liberal arts colleges, with the highest academic reputation of all national liberal arts colleges in Illinois.
U.S. News also ranked Knox seventh nationally among liberal arts colleges in the proportion of international students.
"This year, more than 60 new entering students are coming from outside the United States. That's just over 18-percent international." Steenis said. The largest contingent of new international students hails from India. "Add to that 14-percent of entering students who have Asian, Black, Hispanic or Native American backgrounds, and Knox is an incredibly diverse community."
Upperclass students return to Knox on Wednesday, September 9, when all students, faculty and staff gather for an all-campus handshaking event known as Pumphandle. The unique tradition--which serves as an informal inauguration for the academic year--dates back more than 75 years.
Classes begin on Thursday, September 10. Janet Kirkley, associate professor of biology, will deliver the address at Opening Convocation at 11 a.m., Thursday, in Harbach Theatre, Ford Center for the Fine Arts.
Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,160 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox is one of the top five values in the nation among liberal arts colleges. and the best college value in Illinois, according to US News and World Report. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
-end-