Photo by: Paul Martens
Brenda E. Knowles
Professor of Business Law; Director, IU South Bend Honors Program,
School of Business and Economics, University Graduate School
IU South Bend
| "Brenda's suggestion
that I consider law school was amazing to me. As one of eight
children, from a relatively poor family without a college graduate
anywhere in the family tree, the thought of becoming a lawyer
was one never imagined." |
| —Carol Vogel, lawyer |
|
Sometimes people offer help to us in ways that we can never repay
directly. In those cases, the best way to show our appreciation
is to pass it on—to help others in the same way we were helped.
Brenda Knowles says that she comes from "a long line of mentors"—relatives,
neighbors, teachers and colleagues—and that she feels an "obligation
to live up to, and to perpetuate, this rich legacy." Not one
of her mentors could feel anything but immense pride at the way
she has fulfilled this self-avowed obligation.
For Knowles, mentoring is a multifaceted endeavor. It involves helping
students become better students, assisting graduates as they pursue
advanced degrees and plan careers, and providing support for colleagues.
But that is only the beginning. Mentoring also encompasses attending
the basketball games of a colleague's son to cheer him on,
becoming the running partner of a neighbor's teenaged daughter,
and helping international students acclimate to campus life by serving
as their soccer coach. Yet the scope of her accomplishments goes
beyond such individual contacts. On a larger, more formalized scale,
she started a research and teaching mentorship program for the Academy
of Legal Studies in Business, one of the foremost professional organizations
for business law professors.
The breadth of Knowles' commitment to helping others is remarkable
by itself. But when one hears people describe the benefits they
have derived from her help, the accumulated record becomes astounding.
Knowles does not simply help people, she changes their lives.
Carla Chamberlin was the teenager who became Knowles' running
partner. Before their friendship, she had jogged only occasionally
and had not participated much in sports. Their exercise partnership
was the beginning of a progression that led Chamberlin to join her
high school cross-country team and then to complete a marathon before
graduation from high school. She went on from there to qualify to
participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials in women's cycling.
Now an assistant professor of speech communication and applied linguistics
at Penn State Abington, Chamberlin credits Knowles with inspiring
and supporting her every step of the way. "In addition to being
a model of perseverance and dependability for my athletic career,
Brenda has helped me to develop a deep sense of self-esteem and
confidence that carries over to other aspects of life," she
explains.
A rich legacy has indeed been passed on.
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