Knox 2018 - Strategic Plan

There has been no time in history when we have needed individuals educated in the liberal arts tradition more than now; individuals who can chase the big questions and adapt with creativity to the pace of change in a globalized society. By capitalizing on our strengths—a diverse community dedicated to active, engaged learning and committed to a sustainable, inclusive world—Knox College is well positioned to prepare students to lead lives of meaning and purpose in the 21st century.

Knox 2018 challenges the College to push the boundaries of teaching and scholarship; to expand learning opportunities beyond the classroom; to develop and nurture a campus community—faculty, staff, and students—that reflects today’s global world; to increase engagement with its network of alumni, parents, and the surrounding community; to reshape and renew its physical spaces; and to enhance its financial base.

Goal 1

ADVANCE Knox’s Distinct Approach to Liberal Learning Building upon Knox’s mission to “to understand and improve ourselves, our society, and our world” and “to put learning to use to accomplish both personal and social goals,” the College will bolster its traditional strengths while embracing new areas of study and innovative learning experiences that are critical for student success in the 21st century. Students will learn through interdisciplinary and integrative experiences inside and outside the classroom and develop skills and competencies through active hands-on learning.

Strategic Priorities • Build on existing programs in experiential and immersion learning to create expanded opportunities, to learn by doing across the curriculum, to acquire tangible skills for lifelong learning, and to prepare to enter and contribute to the 21stcentury society and workforce.

• Establish ourselves as a national leader in providing curricular and co-curricular programs, including teaching, research, and creative work, that leverage the educational potential of our culturally rich and diverse campus community.

• Extend the boundaries of a Knox education beyond the traditional classroom, academic year, and current curriculum.

Goal 2

ENGAGE Our Diverse, Vibrant Campus Community One of Knox College’s greatest assets is our sense of community, rooted in our historic commitment to egalitarianism, access, and outreach across campus and into the Galesburg community. Today, the idea of community at the heart of residential liberal arts colleges has expanded from the local to the global and deepened to reflect inclusivity across multiple dimensions of human experience. This broad sense of community is a core element of academic excellence in higher education. Over the next five years, the College will strengthen its culture of inclusivity through programs that foster engagement and participation across the many constituencies that make up the Knox community.

Strategic Priorities • Ensure that all Knox students, regardless of their backgrounds or the pathways that brought them to Knox, are afforded the transformational experiences that promote success at Knox and after graduation.

• Adopt the best practices in educational and human resources initiatives to leverage the potential of our diverse campus.

• Significantly increase the number of alumni, parents, and community members engaging with Knox and volunteering on behalf of the College.

• Build a Galesburg Partnership, a robust, mutually beneficial relationship between Knox and its home community.

Work with Galesburg businesses, non-profits, and community initiatives to strengthen community ties, grow opportunities for student engagement, and inculcate a lasting commitment to service.

Goal 3

ENSURE A Knox Education for Generations to Come The tradition of a liberal arts education in a residential setting is resilient: and so is Knox, persisting and evolving through extraordinary economic and social changes. Now, 178 years after our founding, we continue to offer a lifechanging education in a small, personalized setting. The students who graduate from Knox enter society equipped with the ideas and skills needed to lead in a changing, globalized world and to make sound choices for a more socially equitable and ecologically sustainable future. As we look toward 2018, and further beyond to 2037 and Knox’s bicentennial, this is the time to ensure that generations to come can benefit from a Knox education.

Strategic Priorities • Recruit, nurture, and sustain faculty and staff who are leaders in their fields.

• Create a contemporary, sustainable, and accessible Knox campus featuring the design, technology, and infrastructure required for a 21st-century education. Plan intentionally and strategically to renovate existing facilities, add revenue-enhancing new facilities, and ensure that facilities are suitable for yearround programming and revenue.

• Achieve financial equilibrium by securing the short-term and long-term funding needed to fulfill our educational mission.

• Ensure the long-term ability for campus operations and infrastructure to adapt to a changing environment and the associated resource availability concerns.

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