Richard S. Millman, provost, dean of faculty and professor of mathematics at
Whittier College in California, has been elected 17th President of Knox
College, Galesburg, Illinois. Knox's Board of Trustees approved Millman's
appointment on Thursday, October 15, and announced it at a news conference
Friday morning on the Knox campus. Millman will take office on January 1,
1999. [300 dpi photo]"I am delighted to announce Richard Millman's election as President of Knox College," said Morton W. Weir, Chair of the Knox College Board of Trustees and interim president. "He brings an outstanding record of achievement and experience in every aspect of private higher education--scholarship, classroom teaching, administration, fund-raising and strategic planning."
Knox College officials earlier this week announced Knox Now!, a $125-million fund campaign. Whittier is currently conducting a $70-million fund drive.
"I believe in the importance of excellent teaching, scholarship, and outreach to the community, and I found these same values are important at Knox," Millman said. "I was especially attracted by the vitality and enthusiasm of the Knox community."
Millman has served on the Board of Directors of the Native American Preparatory School in Rowe, New Mexico, and the Associate Board of the Dayton Art Institute, and has chaired the Panel of Consultants of the Mathematics Association of America.
Millman began his academic career teaching mathematics at Ithaca College in 1970-71, then from 1971 to 1981 at Southern Illinois University, where he also was Assistant to the President. From 1981 to 1986 he was on the mathematics faculty at Michigan Technological University, serving as head of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences from 1981 to 1984. He was program director for geometric analysis at the National Science Foundation from 1984 to 1986, then served as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Wright State University until 1991, when he was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University at San Marcos. Millman has been at Whittier since 1995.
"I love the intimacy of the small residential college setting," Millman said. "On my visits to Knox I've noticed the enormous sense of community, which is a tremendous asset and is the hallmark of a first rate liberal arts college."
Millman earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his doctorate at Cornell University. He also completed a Certificate from Harvard University's Institute of Educational Management. He has written several books on geometry and calculus, as well as numerous articles in academic journals.
"I am pleased that President-elect Millman was able to join the Knox community for several events during Homecoming Weekend and the launching of Knox Now!, the $125 million campaign that was announced earlier this week," Weir said. "The Board of Trustees and I have full confidence in our new President's ability to lead this campaign--already off to a $67 million start--to a successful conclusion on June 30, 2002." Weir also has been serving as interim president of Knox following the resignation of Rick Nahm on October 1.
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.
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