Knox College today unveiled one of the largest fund-raising campaigns at a
liberal arts college in Illinois. At a news conference Monday, October 12, on
the Knox campus in Galesburg, Knox College officials said that the $125-million
campaign would increase funds for student scholarships, faculty salaries,
academic programs and campus improvements at one of the oldest and most
prestigious colleges in the Illinois. The campaign is scheduled to run through
June 30, 2002. "Today, Knox is as strong academically as at any time in its history," said Morton W. Weir, interim president of the College. "Additional support from the campaign will assure that Knox continues as a leader among liberal arts colleges in the nation and within Illinois." Weir and members of the College's Board of Trustees held the news conference in advance of formally inaugurating the campaign with a series of campus events starting Thursday, October 15.
Weir said that College trustees, alumni and other donors have contributed more than $67-million during the campaign's preliminary phase.
"We are gratified at the confidence that has already been shown in Knox during the preliminary phase of the campaign," Weir said. "Private liberal arts colleges--of which Knox is one of the best--are important components in a vibrant, diverse higher education community.
"Knox College makes significant contributions to the Galesburg area and the state of Illinois," Weir said. "Knox alumni are leaders in business, education and public service. The region and the state benefit from the direct economic impact of payroll, goods and services; from the wide variety of cultural activities sponsored by the College; and especially from the excellent liberal arts education that Knox has offered to students for 161 years." Knox was recently listed is US News and World Report's "Best Value" rankings of national liberal arts colleges, as the fifth best value in the nation and the best value in Illinois. "Best Value" criteria indicate both affordability and superior academic quality. This year, ten-percent of Knox's entering class were either National Merit Scholars or Illinois Merit Recognition Scholars.
College officials have designated the campaign as "Knox Now! Priming the Pumphandle," a reference to the unique campus-wide hand-shaking event held at the start of every school year. "Pumphandle is the best symbol that we know of for Knox's spirit of community," said Weir, a 1955 graduate of Knox and retired chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In a tradition dating to the late 1800's, Knox has started the year with everyone on campus gathering to shake hands with each other. The event has been known as Pumphandle since 1926. This year for the first time there will be an Alumni Pumphandle, on Saturday, October 16, as part of Homecoming Weekend.
Support for student scholarships through the College's endowment is the most important single component of the fund-raising campaign, Weir said. "The vast majority of Knox students receive financial aid, and scholarship support guarantees that Knox remains affordable."
Other components of the campaign include funds for faculty salaries, academic programs, academic support -- such as library and technology -- and enhancements to the Knox campus.
"The name of the campaign -- Knox Now! -- reflects the immediate impact that the fund-raising will have on the total educational program at the College," Weir said. "It's also a call to Knox alumni and friends to make the College a top philanthropic priority for the next five years."
A Knox trustee since 1984, Weir was elected chair of the College's board of trustees in 1995. He is serving as interim president of the College since October 1, when Rick Nahm left Knox for a position as senior vice president of Colonial Williamsburg. A permanent president is expected to be named later this month.
During the time that Weir is serving as interim president of the College, the post of chair of the board of trustees is being filled by Diane Rosenberg of Chicago, a 1963 Knox graduate and chair of Olson Rug Co., of Chicago.
The Knox Now! Campaign Steering Committee includes Weir, Rosenberg, Jarvis B. Cecil, retired vice president of Consolidation Coal Co., of Pittsburgh; John E. Fellowes, chair of Fellowes Manufacturing Co., of Itasca, Illinois; Donald V. Fites, chair and CEO of Caterpillar Inc., of Peoria, Illinois; Frank J. Kerous, a periodontist in Arlington Heights, Illinois; James R. Potter, an attorney in Springfield, Illinois; and Ralph C. Walter of Chicago, chief administrative officer of ABN AMRO Incorporated.
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