Knox College President Richard Millman Names Psychology Professor Gary Francois as Special Assistant

"I am delighted that Gary Francois has accepted the position," said Knox President Richard Millman, who has been in office since January 1. "He has been a valuable member of the Knox and Galesburg communities for 35 years. His productivity as a teacher, scholar and citizen are truly remarkable."

Starting in June, Francois will serve as Millman's personal liaison with community organizations.

"I look forward to contributing Knox's voice to the discussion of issues that concern the community," Francois said. "Teaching and research both have their challenges, and I have enjoyed them immensely. This new position will be a new challenge. I feel it is an area where I can make positive contributions to the college and the community."

Francois also will direct an institutional research project, dubbed the 'creativity and success initiative,' to explore the links between experiences that Knox alumni had at Knox and their success in career achievements.

"Professor Francois brings considerable expertise in both psychology and statistics to the 'creativity and success' initiative that seeks to understand why Knox students are extraordinarily successful in their careers," Millman said. Knox is in the top two percent of colleges in the proportion of graduates who earn doctoral degrees, and is ranked 31st among liberal arts colleges in the nation in the number of graduates who are corporate presidents.

Francois has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Western Illinois Family Planning Agency and the regional chapter of the American Red Cross. From 1974 to 1977 he was a trustee of Carl Sandburg College and in 1965 was appointed to fill a one year unexpired term on the Galesburg City Council.

At Knox, Francois has served as chair of the psychology department, developed a program to help new faculty members become productive members of the Knox community, co-chaired an Associated Colleges of the Midwest Conference on Psychology and served on the American Psychological Foundation's Committee on Teaching Awards. He is a member of Psi Chi--the National Honor Society in Psychology, and received a 1994 Faculty Citizenship Recognition Award from the American Association for Higher Education.

A graduate of Centralia High School, Francois received his bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and his doctorate in general experimental psychology at Texas Christian University.

Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

-end-