Knox College welcomes new students

Knox College welcomed an entering class of more than 400 new students as residence halls opened on Saturday, September 6.

Current students, faculty and staff, including President Roger Taylor, gathered to help new students move into residence halls. Admission counselor Loren Lindgren set a new unofficial record of single-handedly carrying refrigerators for 15 students -- surpassing the old mark of ten.

Knox's total enrollment this year is estimated at almost 1,400 students. Residence halls for returning students open on September 9.

Orientation events for new students will be held through September 10, with Opening Convocation and the first day of class on Thursday, September 11.

Knox received more than 2,800 applications this year, a record number, according to Paul Steenis, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission.

"Applications to Knox have doubled in the past five years," Steenis said. "We attribute the increase to the successful experiences of current students with faculty, a strong academic program, a welcoming campus community, and growing recognition of the value found in the life-changing experiences of a liberal arts education."

Other details of the entering class include:

• Academic Strength
• 44% in top 10% of high school class
• 26-31 ACT Composite (mid 50% range)
• 6 National Merit Scholars
• 18 National Merit Commended Scholars
• 3 National Hispanic Scholars
• 117 National Merit Society Members

• Diversity
• 10% from outside the United States
• 25% of U.S. students are Asian-American (9%), African-American (7%), Hispanic (7%), or Native American (1%)
• Knox was recognized last month as one of the 35 most international, and 100 most diverse, liberal arts colleges in the United States, according to the recent U.S. News & World Report magazine

• Accomplishments
• 224 have engaged in community service
• 135 won varsity letters
• 47 were athletic team captains
• 15 served as student body president
• 69 served as a club president

• Academic Interests: The top 10 academic interests of new students, in order:
  • English literature
  • psychology
  • biology
  • English
  • creative writing
  • pre-medicine
  • modern languages
  • educational studies
  • history
  • political science

Admission counselor Loren Lindgren carries Jessica Johnson's refrigerator Saturday morning, accompanied by Johnson, center, and her mother, Rhonda Johnson, left. Johnson, a first-year student from Portland, Oregon, moved into the Raub-Sellew residence hall.

Knox President Roger Taylor carries a file cabinet into Zachary Lawrence's residence hall, then greets Lawrence and his parents, below. Lawrence is a first-year student from Peoria Heights, Illinois.


Salleha Chaudhry helps a new student's family find a parking space