Dr. Knotts Professor Profile

In the political science department, there is a man who stands among the proud professors. Dr. Gibbs Knotts comes to class every morning sporting a fancy suit and a smile on his face that shows you his dedication to the students.This semester Dr. Knotts is teaching mainly upper-level and graduate-level classes. However, if one gets him for an American Government and Politics class, he is a lot of fun and he’ll make the class enjoyable.”Right now, I am only teaching Political Analysis, PSC-348. This is a class about how to conduct original research. You can use these skills to study politics or almost any other issue. You will learn how to set up a research project, collect data and analyze the data,” stated Knotts. Knotts is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended Emory University for Graduate School. He fell in love with the area and the mountains and believes that the excellence of teaching is what brought him to Cullowhee.”I chose WCU for many reasons. I have always loved teaching, and WCU has a strong tradition of excellent teaching. I also appreciate the balance between teaching and research at WCU,” stated the Atlanta native.Knotts enjoys studying politics and doing academic research, and he is clearly happy to be at Western because the university values scholarship among its students. Another reason why Knotts chose WCU to teach is because he loves the political science department and the hard work and dedication that the staff puts into teaching.”WCU’s department of political science and public affairs is very good, and every single one of the faculty members is very supportive. With a great teaching atmosphere and a great faculty, WCU is a great place to teach,” said Knotts.Outside the classroom, Knotts is the associate dean of the university’s Graduate School and Research. When he is not teaching, Knotts likes to spend time with his family and go riding around on the Parkway.”I also enjoy spending time with my wife Stacy and my three-year-old daughter Whitney. I enjoy riding my road bike in the mountains particularly on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I also enjoy supporting Catamount athletics,” stated Knotts.Along with being an amazing professor and the associate dean of the Western Carolina University Graduate School and Research, Knotts serves as the university’s faculty athletics representative.”I was appointed by Chancellor Bardo in 2003 and work as a liaison between the administration, faculty and department of athletics. I also serve on the NCAA Honors Committee,” said Knotts.On the Honors Committee, Knotts helps to select the recipients of the NCAA’s national awards. On the committee, he gets to work with some popular and famed former athletes such as Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner Kersey and Dallas Cowboy great Calvin Hill.Dr. Knotts is a fun professor and a great guy outside the classroom. He makes learning fun and really cares about what he is doing. He knows his material well and likes to see students achieve success both inside the classroom and outside the classroom. If you get an opportunity to have Dr. Knotts as your professor, take him because you will get the most out of your learning experience.