Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, has announced that four faculty members have been promoted to associate professor and granted tenure. Three of the faculty promotions went to women. “For a faculty member to be granted tenure is a remarkable achievement and testament to their academic and teaching achievements, as well as their service to the college,” said C. Andrew McGadney, president of Knox College.
Roya Biggie was promoted to associate professor of English. Her research examines how early modern literature engages the scientific and medical frameworks of the era, as well as the intellectual trends that emerged from European colonization. She is a contributor to the two-volume set Lesser Living Creatures of the Renaissance (Penn State University Press, 2023). Dr. Biggie received her bachelor’s degree in English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a master’s degree in English from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in English from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Deirdre Dougherty was named an associate professor of educational studies. She is a specialist in the history of U.S. education, with particular research interest in the experiences of Black and ethnic Mexican migrant families. She is co-author of the book Making School Integration Work: Lessons From Morris (Teachers College Press, 2020) and the soon-to-be published Race and Place: Desegregation in Prince George’s County, 1954-1973 (Rutgers University Press, 2025). Dr. Dougherty received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Leanne Trapedo Sims was appointed the Daniel J. Logan Associate Professor of Peace and Justice. Her research focuses on the experiences of individuals of many backgrounds warehoused in the U.S. carceral system. Sher is the author of Reckoning with Restorative Justice: Hawai‘i Women’s Prison Writing (Duke University Press, 2023). Dr. Sims received a bachelor’s degree in literature and women’s studies and a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a master’s degrees in performance studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, a master’s degree in education from Fordham University in New York, and a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.