John C. Knapp

John Knapp
13th President of Washington & Jefferson College
In office August 1, 2017 – June 30, 2024
Preceded by	Tori Haring-Smith
Succeeded by	Elizabeth MacLeod Walls
12th President of Hope College
In office July 1, 2013 – August 1, 2017
Preceded by	James E. Bultman
Succeeded by	Dennis N. Voskuil
Personal details
Born	(1959-05-13) May 13, 1959 (age 65) Decatur, GA
Spouse	Kelly Knapp
Children	5
Education	Georgia State University (BS) Columbia Theological Seminary (MA) University of Wales (PhD)
Website	http://www.knappleadership.com

John C. Knapp (born May 13, 1959) is a leadership consultant and former American academic administrator who served as the 13th president of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. Previously, he was the 12th president of Hope College, a private Christian liberal arts college located in Holland, Michigan.^[1]

Education

In 1981, Knapp earned a Bachelor of Science degree in urban life with a concentration in communication from Georgia State University.^[2] Following his bachelor's degree, he completed his Master of Arts degree in theological studies at Columbia Theological Seminary^[3] in 1995. In 1999, Knapp earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in theology and religious studies at the University of Wales.^[4][5] At the time, he was an Honorary Visiting Lecturer at the university. He was awarded the honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree by Hope College in 2013.

Career

Leadership consulting

Following his career in the academic presidency, Knapp returned to his earlier work as a consultant^[6] providing advice and counsel to leaders seeking to effect transformational change, manage institutional reputation, and navigate crisis situations.

Research and writing

Knapp has published five books titled For the Common Good: The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century (Praeger, 2006);^[7] Leaders on Ethics: Real-World Perspectives on Today's Business Challenges (Praeger, 2007);^[8] The Business of Higher Education (ABC-CLIO, 2009),^[9][10] three volumes focusing on how universities cope with pressure to strengthen accountability and efficiency; and How the Church Fails Businesspeople (and What Can Be Done About It) (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011),^[11] which provides insight regarding the relationship between faith and work. His latest book is Ghostwriting and The Ethics of Authenticity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), an exploration of the ethics, history and practice of ghostwriting in a wide range of practical contexts.^[12][13]

Academic career

Knapp served as founding director of Samford University’s Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership.^[14][15] While there, he held the Mann Family Professorship in Ethics and Leadership.^[16] Prior to his tenure at Samford, Dr. Knapp taught at Georgia State University as a Professor and served as founding Director of the Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility^[17] at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, as well as its predecessor The Southern Institute for Business & Professional Ethics.^[18] He was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa at Samford in 2010.

Knapp previously taught courses in the doctoral program at Columbia Theological Seminary and was a Senior Scholar and Professor of Ethical Leadership at Kennesaw State University.^[19] He serves on the boards of organizations including Council for Independent Colleges, American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities, Presidents Athletic Conference, Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts, and Robert J. Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University.^[20] He is a fellow of Caux Round Table^[21] and is a past board member of Great Lakes Colleges Association,^[22] Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association,^[23] Van Andel Institute,^[24] Georgia Humanities Council;^[25] Alabama Humanities Foundation;^[26] Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau;^[27] Public Relations Society of America, Georgia Chapter;^[28] and Society for Human Resource Management, Atlanta.^[29] In 2018 and 2019 he chaired The New York Times Presidents Council, a representative group of leaders of independent colleges that meets annually with editors and reporters to discuss current issues in higher education.

Knapp is co-founder and director of the Oxford Conclave on Global Higher Education, a retreat for college and university presidents held annually since 2004 at the University of Oxford. In 2022, the University of Wales Trinity St. David's bicentenary celebration featured him among 200 outstanding graduates and institutional leaders of the university's first 200 years.^[30] He was recognized with the 2001 Georgia Governor's Award in the Humanities, the 2013 Birmingham Urban League Multi-Racial Friendship Award,^[31] and induction into the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College.

Knapp was appointed president of Hope College on July 1, 2013.^[32] In addition to his presidential appointment, Knapp was also a Professor of Religion and Professor of Management.^[33] On April 21, 2017, Knapp was announced as the 13th President of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania,^[34] where he also holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Philosophy. He officially began his duties on August 1, 2017.

It was announced in 2023 that Knapp would be retiring on June 30, 2024. On February 27, 2024 the college announced that Elizabeth MacLeod Walls would succeed him as president.^[35]

Earlier career

Earlier, he founded and led Knapp Inc., an Atlanta-based consulting firm providing advisory services in corporate communication, crisis management and organizational ethics to a diverse clientele of Fortune 500 companies, medical providers, universities, financial institutions and professional associations. In 1993, he was named one of the "10 Outstanding Young People of Atlanta"^[36] and in 1992 Business Atlanta (now Georgia Trend) recognized him as one of the region's "40 Under 40" young business leaders. In annual surveys by Atlanta Business Chronicle in 1991 and 1992, he was named the region's best crisis management consultant.

References

1. McVicar, Brian. "Hope College's New President is John Knapp of Alabama's Samford University". Mentions. Christian Reformed Church of America. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
2. "Georgia State University Magazine" (PDF). 2013.
3. Columbia Theological Seminary. "Columbia Theological Seminary".
4. Hope College. "A Profile of President-Elect Dr. John C. Knapp". Hope College. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
5. Hope College. "Biography of John C. Knapp". Hope College. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
6. "Knapp Leadership LLC John C. Knapp, Ph.D." www.knappleadership.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
7. Knapp, John C. (December 30, 2006). For the Common Good: The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275992594.
8. Knapp, John C. (September 1, 2007). Leaders on Ethics: Real-World Perspectives on Today's Business Challenges. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0275996710.
9. Knapp, John C. (October 22, 2009). The Business of Higher Education. ABC-CLIO Publishers. ISBN 978-0313353512.
10. Lederman, Doug. "The Business of Higher Education". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
11. Knapp, John C. (December 20, 2011). How the Church Fails Businesspeople (and What Can Be Done About It). Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0275996710.
12. Knapp, John C.; m. Hulbert, Azalea (2017). Ghostwriting and the Ethics of Authenticity. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-31313-3. ISBN 978-1-137-01331-6.
13. Hope College. "Biography of John C. Knapp". Hope College. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
14. Samford University. "Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership". Retrieved 1 July 2015.
15. Garrison, Greg (28 March 2013). "Samford University Professor John C. Knapp named president of Hope College in Michigan". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
16. Kennedy, Kara. "2008 News Releases". Samford Announces Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership. Samford University. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
17. Georgia State University (8 December 2007). "The Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics Joins Robinson College of Business". J. Mack Robinson College of Business. GSU. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
18. Hope College. "John C. Knapp Named 12th President of Hope College". Hope College. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
19. Hope College. "Biography of John Knapp". Kennesaw State University. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
20. Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University. "Rutland Institute for Ethics".
21. Caux Round Table. "Caux Round Table Fellows".
22. Great Lakes Colleges Association. "GLCA Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26.
23. MIAA. "Michican Intercollegiate Athletic Association".
24. Van Andel Institute. "Van Andel Institute Board of Governors". Archived from the original on 2015-08-16.
25. Georgia Humanities Council. "Georgia Humanities Council".
26. Alabama Humanities Foundation. "Alabama Humanities Foundation".
27. Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau".
28. PRSA Georgia. "PRSA Georgia".
29. SHRM-Atlanta. "SHRM-Atlanta".
30. "Dr John Knapp | UWTSD". www.uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
31. "Birmingham Urban League honors four multi-racial friendships at annual luncheon". al. 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
32. Garrison, Greg (27 March 2013). "Samford University Professor John C. Knapp named president of Hope College in Michigan". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
33. "Dr. John Knapp". www.hope.edu. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
34. "W&J's New President". Washington & Jefferson College.
35. "Washington & Jefferson College names next president". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
36. "Alumni | Outstanding Atlanta". Retrieved 2023-07-30.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20150617165849/http://hope.edu/president/biography
• http://hope.edu/president
• http://www.hope.edu/2013/03/25/john-c-knapp-named-12th-president-hope-college
• http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2013/03/samford_university_professor_j.html
• http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/03/john_knapp_of_alabamas_samford.html