KnoxCorps

The KnoxCorps Mission: To foster collaborative efforts with community partners and leaders, leveraging combined strengths and expertise to connect Knox students with the community by placing current students in service to local nonprofit agencies to work on projects that promote community improvement and successes, and achieve impactful outcomes and shared goals that drive positive change while expanding and strengthening student experiences off campus, and promoting a better understanding of Knox in Galesburg.

KnoxCorps—a local civic engagement partnership originally launched in 2012 in cooperation with the Galesburg Community Foundation—served to connect Knox students with local non-profit organizations to support existing projects, build new programs, and help meet the critical needs of the community.

In 2025, under the leadership of President C. Andrew McGadney, the Bastian Family Center for Career Success at Knox College is ready to relaunch KnoxCorps. 

With this relaunch, KnoxCorps maintains a stronger focus on community impact while expanding the potential and influential capacity of Knox students in Galesburg. KnoxCorps plans to extend its efforts to provide hands-on, engaging experiences for students in order to support their professional endeavors and aid local organizations. Through this local partnership, KnoxCorps aims to diminish the social and economic challenges seen in the community, while also working to bridge gaps, both perceived and actual, between the campus community and greater Galesburg.

KnoxCorps is committed to serving the Galesburg community and local nonprofits for the duration of an academic year. KnoxCorps collaborates with the organizations to address local challenges and enhance the community.

KnoxCorps Hosts

Hosts are local nonprofit organizations that have been carefully selected by the KnoxCorps committee to work directly with the Fellow students and who will benefit from the program.

• CASA
• Thrive Community Services
• Galesburg Public Library

KnoxCorps Fellows

Fellows are currently enrolled Knox students who are carefully chosen and awarded a position with a local nonprofit organization to perform a job and/or complete a project proposal to support advanced study or research in a particular field. Fellows are often experts who contribute to their academic or professional communities.

Fellow Requirements

• Provide a resume and cover letter reflecting some experience relevant to the Host job/ project they are applying to 
• One reference letter from a faculty, staff, and/ or previous employer  
• Meet the minimum program requirements:
  
  • Rising sophomore, junior, and senior with any majors.
  • Hold a 2.5 GPA or higher.
  • Commit to 5-10 hours of work per week at their Host location at the minimum hourly state wage.
  • Work the holiday schedule(s) pertaining to the non-profit agency or be responsible for requesting time off for travel.
  • Complete basic employment screening such as a background check, fingerprinting, and onboarding paperwork.
  • Attend training/orientation, monthly team meetings, quarterly check-ins, and closing events.
  • Participate in a post-program survey provided by the KnoxCorps committee.

Interested student applicants should visit our Handshake website.