A native of Fulton County, Illinois, Taylor is a 1959 graduate of Cuba High School.
At his installation, Taylor set three goals for his tenure as Knox's president: Nurturing Academic Excellence, Strengthening Institutional Self-Confidence, and Charting a Course Toward Financial Impregnability.
Challenges did arise during his tenure, including the need for increased student housing during a time of enrollment growth;[4] the Recession of 2008, which affected Knox's endowment value and operating costs; and questions regarding the handling by the administration of sexual misconduct cases.
[6][7] Taylor announced plans to retire as president of Knox College on April 5, 2010,[8] and, after a national search for his successor, he officially stepped down on June 30, 2011.
[11] 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.