It may be difficult to recall now, but shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic turned life at Knox upside down, President Teresa Amott announced that she would retire at the end of the 2020–21 academic year. Though much of the Knox community’s attention has necessarily been on transitioning to virtual instruction and the impact on students, faculty, and staff, the search for a new president has been progressing.

The Board of Trustees selected Trustee Tony Etz ’83 to chair a search committee made up of faculty, staff, alumni, and students. Since March, he has been meeting with constituents to learn what qualities and experience they are looking for in the next president. He recently issued this update on the committee’s work:

I am writing to ask for your thoughts as the committee begins its work. The search committee will begin meeting in June and is comprised of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and trustees. 

The first role of the search committee will be to reach out to all constituencies of the College to solicit their opinions about the qualifications and leadership qualities sought in the next President and I invite you to participate now in this process.  

I ask each of you to consider the following: 

• Where is the College now and where does the College need to head over the next several years?  
• What are the qualities you feel we must have in our next president?  
• What qualifications must our next president have or satisfy?  
• Each of us has a strong sense of what Knox is, and should be. What kind of person is best suited to keep us on mission while maintaining our academic and financial health now and in the future?

After careful consideration of feedback from all constituents, the search for candidates will become the focus of the committee’s work, culminating in the selection by the Trustees of the 20th Knox President by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. 

Thank you for your participation and for your help and for your love of Knox.

We invite you to share your thoughts about Knox’s next president with the committee. Your insights will be shared with the committee anonymously, and will be kept confidential within the committee. Your input will help guide them as they create a profile of the qualities we all hope to find in our next president.