For a sixth consecutive year, Knox College ranks among the top colleges producing “happy and successful alumni,” as measured in Forbes magazine’s 2019 “Grateful Graduate Index.”

According to the index, Knox ranks second among Illinois schools—second only to the University of Chicago—and No. 45 in the nation. The index ranks institutions by examining the percentage of alumni who make donations to their colleges and the total amount of those donations, adjusted for enrollment.

Forbes describes its index as “ an alternative measure of colleges' return-on-investment (ROI) that takes more of a Marie Kondo approach to college ranking. We boil down the analysis to a single factor. Does your alma mater ‘spark joy’ in your heart, enough to cause you to reach into your wallet and show your gratitude in the form of a donation?”

Knox has long benefited from the generosity of its alumni and continues to do so. 

“This ranking is a testament to the amazing work Knox faculty and staff do by making lasting impacts on the lives of our graduates,” said Beverly Holmes, vice president for alumni engagement and fundraising.  “When our alumni feel their experience at Knox helped them become who they are today, it is gratifying to work with them to ‘pay it forward’ for the next generation of students.”

The College’s fundraising efforts during the 2018-19 fiscal year, which ended June 30, produced the most successful results in five years. During the fiscal year, Knox received more than $16 million in gifts, including an unprecedented $450,591 in just 24 hours when the College observed its first #KnoxProud Day. From July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, nearly 6,600 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends made gifts to the College.

More than 6,000 of those donors made gifts totaling $3.7 million to the Knox Fund, which pays for aspects of the Knox experience that tuition doesn’t cover, such as financial aid and scholarships. Another $7.6 million in gifts went toward campus facility renovations, including Phase I renovations to the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center, the opening of the HOPE Center in the former Second Baptist Church on Cherry Street, and the completion of Phase I improvements to Prats Soccer Field. In addition, $3.4 million was added to the Knox endowment in support of scholarships; student experience funds for research, community engagement, and global travel; and departmental programming.