Charles Boynton "Chuck" Knapp (born August 13, 1946) was the president of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA) in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, United States. He served in that capacity from 1987 until his resignation in 1997.

Early life and education

Knapp was born in Ames, Iowa, on August 13, 1946. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

(

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

) with honors and distinction from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

in 1968. While at Iowa State, Knapp joined the Iowa Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He earned a combined

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

(

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

) and

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

(

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

) in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1972.

Academic and professional career

From 1972-1976, Knapp taught economics at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. He then left academia from 1977-1979 to serve as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and, subsequently, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor from 1979 until 1981. Returning to academia, Knapp became Associate Professor of Public Policy at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

from 1981 to 1982. He moved to

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

in 1982 and continued teaching economics. He then became Executive Vice President of Tulane in 1985 and served in that capacity until accepting the UGA presidency in 1987. At that time, Knapp was the youngest president of any of the nation's major research universities. During his presidency, Knapp was a founding member of the Georgia Research Alliance and was instrumental in the creation of the

HOPE Scholarship The HOPE Program (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) created in 1993 under the supervision of Georgia Governor Zell Miller, is Georgia's scholarship and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and ...

. He chaired the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and served on the National School-to-Work Advisory Council. Upon leaving UGA, Knapp became president of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. and joined Heidrick & Struggles as a partner in their higher education practice. He also was appointed to the

American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...

and the

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) is an organization focused on empowering college, university, and foundation boards to govern with knowledge and confidence. AGB provides leadership and counsel to member board ...

Legacy

Construction projects totaling more than $400 million were started during his administration, including the Biological Sciences Complex (1992), Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities (1995), the Performing Arts Center, Hodgson Hall (1996), the music building (1996), the Georgia Museum of Art (1996), Rusk Hall (1996), and the UGA Welcome Center (1996). Knapp was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the Iowa State University Alumni Association in 1994. In 2004, Knapp was named president emeritus of UGA by the

Georgia Board of Regents The Georgia Board of Regents oversees the University System of Georgia as part of the state government of Georgia in the United States. The University System of Georgia is composed of all state public institutions of higher education in the state. ...

. In 2005, Knapp joined UGA’s Institute of Higher Education as a part-time Distinguished Public Service Fellow and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of economics in The

Terry College of Business The C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The business college offers undergraduate programs, MBA programs, specialized master's programs and ...

. In 2013, Knapp was named interim dean of UGA's

. Knapp currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at

Oglethorpe University Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia. History Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1834 in Mid ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

References

Sources

''From Ahmedunggar to Lavonia Presidents at the University of Georgia 1785-1997'', University of Georgia Libraries, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Retrieved May 18, 2006.

Retrieved May 18, 2006. *[http://www.uga.edu/columns/050221/news-knapp.html ''Charles Knapp, former president, will join university’s Institute of Higher Education'', Columns faculty staff newspaper, UGA Office of Public Affairs, February 25, 2005] Retrieved May 18, 2006.
UGA Institute of Higher Education faculty page
Retrieved May 18, 2006.

Retrieved May 18, 2006.
Distinguished Achievement Award Winners, Iowa State Alumni Association
Retrieved May 18, 2006.

Notes

# William Prokasy, UGA's Vice-President of Academic Affairs at the time, served as the interim UGA president for 3 months from the time of Knapp's departure in the spring of 1997 until Michael Adams official start in the fall of that same year. {{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Charles Boynton 1946 births Living people Presidents of the University of Georgia Iowa State University alumni People from Ames, Iowa