C. Andrew McGadney Named 20th President of Knox College

GALESBURG, Ill., Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knox College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce it has unanimously approved the appointment of C. Andrew (Andy) McGadney as the College's 20th president. He will begin his term as Knox College president on July 1, 2021, following the retirement of Knox's current president, Teresa Amott, in June 2021.

"Andy McGadney has demonstrated an uncanny ability to build momentum through visionary leadership, a talent for creating and spearheading student-focused, innovative programs that deliver results, and a deep understanding of the need to inspire a college community to attain aggressive goals through collaboration," said Chuck Smith '84, chair of the Knox College Board of Trustees. "His devotion to Knox providing a rigorous, highly personalized liberal arts education to an incredibly diverse student body will serve the College well now and in the future. We are delighted to welcome Andy to the Knox College community."

"This is a very exciting time in Knox's long and storied history," said Teresa Amott, who has served as its 19th president since 2011. "We are fortunate indeed that Andy will bring his remarkable record of vision and leadership to Knox. The future is very bright for the College we love."

"As a passionate advocate for the power of a liberal arts and science education, I am deeply honored and humbled to serve as the 20th president of Knox College," said Andy McGadney, incoming president of Knox College. "During the thoughtful search process, I engaged with members of the search committee, the full Board of Trustees, faculty, students, staff, and several members of the Galesburg community. The commitment and dedication for the College was felt from my initial conversations, and my interest continues to deepen with each and every interaction."

"A special thanks to President Teresa Amott for her extraordinary leadership, grace, and many contributions to Knox," continued McGadney. "Her generosity during the transition is also notable and greatly appreciated."

A native of Connecticut, McGadney earned his B.A. at Wesleyan University, majoring in sociology and African American Studies. He later earned a Master of Public Administration and Policy from Columbia University and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, writing his dissertation on "Crisis Management at Small Liberal Arts Colleges: Perspectives on Presidential Decision Making."

Andy is currently vice president and dean of student advancement at Colby College, following three years as Colby's vice president and secretary of the College, a role that made him the principal liaison to the Board of Trustees.

In his current appointment at Colby, McGadney has provided strategic vision for DavisConnects, a signature initiative at the College, which was funded with a $25 million donor gift. This new liberal arts model affords every Colby student a set of integrated research, internship, and global experiences designed to enhance the academic experience and prepare students for post-graduate success. As part of his leadership, he also developed and launched the Pay It Northward initiative, which focused on securing post-graduate opportunities for Class of 2020 Colby graduates in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As Colby's vice president and secretary of the college, Andy was responsible for implementing a series of complex strategic initiatives that emerged through the college's planning process and promoted, facilitated, and supported governance practices across the College. 

Previously, he was vice president for university advancement at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, a Colleges that Change Lives institution. In that role, he led fundraising efforts and instituted new infrastructure to plan, launch and execute a $125 million comprehensive campaign. He also led efforts to improve student and alumni affinity at Clark. Earlier, he began his work in higher education as director of development and a major gift officer at his alma mater, Wesleyan, on whose Board of Trustees he has served since 2018. He has also served on several community boards, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

The presidential search committee was chaired by Tony Etz '83. Trustees on the committee were Chuck Smith '84, Board Chair; Barbara Baird '73, Nyerere Billups Sr. '99, Elzelien "Ellie" Hartog '66, John Lawler '88, Patrick St. Aubyn Lyn '84, Laurence Msall '84, Susan Plomin '86, Julie Rademaker '83, Laura Rosene '90, Board Vice Chair; and Adam Vitale, Galesburg community representative. Additional search committee members were Mary Crawford '89, Philip Sidney Post Professor of Chemistry; Todd Heidt, Associate Professor in Modern Languages–German; Nick Regiacorte, Associate Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing; Katie Stewart, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations; Anne Ehrlich, Vice President for Student Development; DeVone Eurales, Director of Admission; and students Bamise Afolabi '21 and Saxon Alvarez '23. The committee was advised by academic search firm C. V. O'Boyle, Jr., LLC.

Andy will be joined in Galesburg by his wife Camille A. McGadney, a Wesleyan alumna who has worked in career counseling at Wesleyan, Manchester Community College, Colby, and Thomas College. They have three children.

About Knox College
Knox College and the city of Galesburg, Ill., were founded by a group of pioneers from upstate New York, led by the Rev. George Washington Gale, after whom the city was named. The Illinois Legislature approved Knox College's charter on February 15, 1837. Among the members of the General Assembly was Abraham Lincoln, who would later rise to national prominence in the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, one of which was held at Knox's Old Main building. Today, Old Main is the sole remaining site from the historic debates. A nationally ranked liberal arts college, Knox has 1,200 students from 45 states and 49 countries, more than 60 courses of study, 39 academic majors, and 49 minors. Knox also is one of the 40 colleges listed in the book Colleges That Change Lives by former New York Times education editor Loren Pope.

SOURCE Knox College

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