Celebration Stories

The student experience at Knox is enhanced by grant-funded support in a variety of ways, including funding for cutting-edge classroom materials, support for immersive curriculum, funding to bring renowned artists and scholars to campus, support for intense student research, and scholarships to individual students. Expand the list below to see how grants impact students at Knox.

• Gas Chromatograph—Mass Spectrometer provided by the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation

  

  In 2022, the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation awarded Knox College a grant to purchase a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) from Shimadzu. Within two weeks of the software installation, the CHEM 325 (Instrumental Analysis) class had a scheduled experiment to run the instrument.

  One section looked at how changes in the gas chromatograph temperature program changed the separation of a three-component mixture. A second phase looked at the mass spectrometer fragmentation pattern and how the library search algorithm worked as the spectrometer conditions were varied. Finally, the class looked at a sample containing molecules with multiple chlorine and bromine substituents.

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• Caxton Club’s readings and presentations, supported by the Destina Foundation

  

  In 2019, Knox College and the Destina Foundation entered into a multi-year grant agreement that included the formation of two endowed funds. One of these funds, the Robin Metz Endowed Fund for the Creative Arts, supported readings and presentations organized by the Caxton Club in 2023. Several writers gave readings of their work, including Knox English professor Nick Regiacorte and alumni Jules Ohman ’12 and Ander Monson ’97.

• Summer Immersion courses, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities

  

  In 2021, the College was awarded a grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities to expand cross-cultural educational opportunities for students through humanities-based immersive study programs that capitalize on the United States’ incredible linguistic and cultural diversity. Summer immersion programs in 2022 and 2023 transported students to new locations, where they explored rich cultural traditions. Funding from the NEH allowed Knox students to: 

  • Perform repertoire from US-based Arab, Armenian, Jewish, Kurdish, and Turkish communities, while learning about key moments in Middle Eastern immigrant history.

  • Explore the history of Japanese Americans living in Chicago and create a digital archive on the research experience. 

  • Explore art history research and practice and curatorial methods while studying Latino immigrants' contribution to the Chicago Mural Movement, a pivotal moment in the history of community activism in Chicago. 

  • Dig into archaeology at Green Oaks, where they practiced marking a site, digging and analyzing the soil. Using lab equipment, they also learned how to identify and date the objects they found.

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• Student Research, provided by the Richter Memorial Fund

  

  Since 1995, the Richter Memorial Trusts have provided more than $1.3 million to support students pursuing projects that foster independence of thought and expression beyond the typical classroom setting. Funds have supported travel to conduct research, research internships, and the purchase of materials, supplies, or equipment to pursue scholarly and creative projects. Any student in any discipline is eligible to apply for funds from the Richter grant program.

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• Student Scholarship, provided by the Kohler Trust

     
  In 2022, the Kohler Trust awarded funds to several faculty, including Mark Slabodnick, Jennifer McCarthy Foubert, and Brandon Polite. The Kohler Endowed Faculty Enrichment Fund grants money to faculty in support of innovative teaching and learning to provide Knox faculty the means to contribute intellectually and creatively to their disciplines.

  Mark Slabodnick received funding in support of his research on cellular regeneration; Jennifer McCarthy Foubert received funding for her pilot study that had students take part in social emotional teaching; and Brandon Polite received funding in support of his YouTube channel Polite Conversations: Philosophers Discussing Art.

  Along with faculty support, the Kohler Trust also supports our students. Caroline Clink ’23 is the latest recipient of the Kohler Endowed Scholarship.