Two Knox College faculty members have been named to endowed chairs, one in mathematics and one in education.

Diana Beck, professor of educational studies and chair of the department, has been named the George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor, succeeding Dr. Lance Factor, who will retain the title of George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus. The award is named for George Appleton Lawrence, who graduated from Knox in 1875 and served as a trustee of the College for more than 40 years.

Kevin Hastings, professor of mathematics and chair of the department, has been named as the inaugural holder of the Rothwell C. Stephens Distinguished Service Chair in Mathematics.

In one of those twists of fate that often seem to happen at Knox, Hastings' career path has in many ways mirrored that of Rothwell Stephens. Not only have both served the College as professors of mathematics and department chairs, but also as registrar. In the spring of 1975, as a Knox junior, Hastings took MATH 322 Mathematical Statistics II from Stephens during the his final term at Knox. Now 40 years later, his student holds the chair named in his honor.

The Rothwell Stephens Distinguished Service Chair in Mathematics was established by H. James '61 and Judith E. Farver '61. More than 30 other Knox alumni and friends of Rothwell Stephens provided support for the chair in tribute to Stephens, who taught mathematics at Knox from 1931 to 1975. Stephens served as secretary of the faculty for a decade, was registrar of the College for five years, and chaired the math department for 26 years.

"Endowed chairs are a way to both honor and reward current faculty for their accomplishments and to help bring exceptional new teachers and scholars to campus," said Knox College President Teresa Amott. "An endowed chair is the highest honor that Knox College can bestow upon a faculty member, and it continues to nurture the College's historic commitment to excellence in both teaching and research."

About Diana Beck

Beck joined the Knox faculty in 1992 and specializes in adolescent development, the psychological foundations of education, and culturally appropriate teaching. In 1997, she received the Philip Green-Wright Lombard College Prize for Teaching and was named a Caterpillar China Project Fellow in 2007. For more than 12 years, she has served as instructor and director of the Navajo Nation Summer Science Camp, Atsa Biyaazh Community School, Shiprock, New Mexico, and has been supported in this by grants from the Ettinger Foundation and the Navajo Nation Rural Systemic Initiative.

Beck earned her Ph.D., M.Ed., and B.A. from the University of Illinois. Before coming to Knox, she taught for eight years as an elementary and secondary school teacher. Her publications and presentations focus on science and environmental education, multiple intelligences, gifted education, culturally appropriate teaching for Navajo children, and integrating content area reading and science education.

In addition to her teaching and scholarly work at Knox, Beck has served on the Executive Committee, Faculty Affairs Subcommittee, Institutional Planning Group, Faculty Personnel Committee, and Student Affairs Committee. Outside of Knox, Beck has served on the governing board of the Navajo Concordia Preparatory Academy and as a faculty representative to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, among other positions.

About Kevin Hastings

Hastings joined the Knox faculty in 1986 after completing his M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University. He earned his B.A. degree, magna cum laude with honors in mathematics, from Knox College. In addition to presentations at numerous professional conferences and grants that have supported his research, he is the author of a number of publications in the subfields of mathematical statistics, numerical analysis, and financial mathematics.

During his time at Knox, Hastings has mentored many students in their research or Honors projects and connected students interested in mathematics and statistics with internships. Hastings also serves on multiple faculty committees and task forces, including the Academic Standing Committee, Curriculum Committee, Enrollment Planning Group, Honorary Degree Committee, and Knox 2018 Strategic Planning Committee. Hastings has coordinated the Mathematics Placement System and taught in the First-Year Preceptorial Program. He also served on the College's Institutional Self-Study Steering Group in advance of Knox's most recent re-accreditation, and as Registrar for the College.