Roger Taylor (college president)

Roger Taylor was the 18th president of Knox College, located in Galesburg, Illinois. A 1963 graduate of Knox, he became president in 2001 after serving as the chair of the college's board of trustees. Taylor graduated with honors from Northwestern University School of Law in 1971, serving as an editor of the law review. After law school, he practiced law at the firm of Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago. His wife, Anne Zweifel Taylor, is a 1963 alumna of Knox.

Work as President

During his time at Knox, "enrollment increased from 1,000 to more than 1,400," according to Knox's biography of Taylor.^[1] The increased enrollment had repercussions for Knox's students, as Knox's infrastructure was not built to house or feed so many students. Each year as the enrollment increased, reports emerged of Knox Residential Learning Director Craig Southern struggling to find beds for all the additional students admitted. Many students were placed in temporary housing and forced to move each term; others had to room with RAs or were placed in rooms initially designated for prospective students spending the night.^[2][3] Many students also complained about the extremely crowded conditions in Knox's cafeteria during almost all meal times.^[4][5] Taylor was not concerned with repercussions on students but emphasized "financial impregnability."^[6]

Retirement and controversy

Taylor announced plans to retire on April 5, 2010, but remained in his role as president while the college selected his successor. Taylor's retirement came shortly after his administration came under fire for minimizing sexual assaults on campus and preventing victims from bringing their evidence to the police.^[7] Taylor also faced allegations of yelling obscenities at a student he believed started a fire on campus, before placing the student on leave without proving that he had any involvement in the fire.^[8] In a February 2010 editorial, the Board of Editors of The Knox Student, the student-run newspaper, criticized Taylor and the Dean of Students for "[making] decisions about student life without consulting the student body at-large", but observed that among students "no one seems to care".^[9]

The Knox Board of Trustees and administration have honored Taylor despite the many reports of his unprofessional conduct. The Taylor Student Lounge, named in his honor, opened in May 2011.^[10] He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law in October 2013.^[11]

Successor

His successor as president is Teresa L. Amott, Ph.D., who was Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), in Geneva, New York, having been in that post since 2005. Prior to that, she was Vice Provost of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She has a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. from Boston College, and is an economist by training. Amott began her presidency in July 2011.^[12]

Honors

In 2006, Roger Taylor was named one of the nation's ten "Most Attractive College Presidents," by "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges".^[13]

Roger Taylor was elected president of the Associated Colleges of Illinois, succeeding Richard F. Giese, the president of Monmouth College.^[14]

References

External links

• Article at Knox.edu