While Knox College President Roger Taylor isn’t set to retire until June 30, the presidential search committee is progressing well in its mission to find his replacement.
Richard Riddell, search committee chairman and Knox College trustee, wrote in his latest update on the Knox College website that about 300 individual contacts have been made, and 30 prospective candidates have been identified for closer review by the committee.
The rest of the committee is made up of 10 Knox trustees, four faculty members, two staff members, two Knox students and a member of the Galesburg community. Before narrowing the candidate list, the committee heard from faculty, staff, students and alumni to gauge what qualities they desire in a president.
Riddell, who also serves as vice president and university secretary of Duke University, said in a phone interview Tuesday that the candidates possess a range of backgrounds and experiences, and that they are beginning to “narrow the scope” of the search to a number the committee will eventually interview.
“What’s fundamental to the search is that the person has knowledge of a liberal arts college, whether they’re currently working in one or attended one, like the current president was a trustee and alum of a liberal arts college,” Riddell said.
