We are fired up about the 20 faculty members joining the College this fall. These faculty represent six tenure-track candidates, seven visiting faculty members, and five visiting instructors, a journalist-in residence, and a digital humanities media specialist/Mellon Fellow to support the Mellon “Abolition for All Time” program at Knox.

The new and visiting faculty cover every subject from art and Asian studies to chemistry, economics, education, German, and psychology. When asked about these new faculty members, Provost and Dean of the College Mike Schneider said, “These professionals are joining the Knox ranks to deliver the top-notch educational experience our institution is known for around the globe. Our students will reap the benefits of their expertise and passion for teaching.”

Knox has had the same business system underlying its operations for almost 30 years, and it is now time to replace this aging system with a new one that helps our campus community deliver an efficient, consistent, modern experience for our students, families, faculty, and staff. We are in the beginning stages of evaluating a short list of candidates for the new system, and the cross-campus team working on this project is excited about the possibilities!

With vaccinations required (except for those with exemptions), masks optional, and only symptomatic testing on campus after an initial testing for students arriving on campus this fall, could we finally be moving forward from COVID-19 and back to the full residential learning experience Knox is known for? We held a full Pumphandle, Convocation, and other treasured in-person events this fall for the first time since fall 2019, a positive sign that COVID-19 may be moving to an endemic that we learn to live with.