From President Anne F. Harris | | |
Dear Families of Grinnell Students,
Our beautiful campus is full of activity, with classes, clubs, fall art and athletics events, and shared endeavors in full swing. I have met many of our new students at GSP, PCPOP, IPOP, and NSO and have reconnected with the fantastic peer mentors involved with these programs, who lead the way with enthusiasm and a love for Grinnell College. I am so very grateful to the hundreds of people who come together to provide a warm and enduring welcome to our newest Grinnellians!
It was a delight to meet with many of our newest parents and families during our late-August programming and at the Welcome Ceremony and reception. I know from experience how it feels to leave your new student as they embark on their college career, and I assure you that they have incredible faculty, staff, and fellow students partnering with them. You can keep up with happenings at Grinnell by following @grinnellcollege on Instagram, as well as a host of other Grinnell College accounts including mine: @grinnellprez – I welcome your engagement! I also recommend the Community Connections newsletter, which will let you know what is happening in Grinnell, Iowa!
Starting college is a big adjustment. Some of your first-year students are taking part in a new pilot program, RSVP (Retention, Student Success, Validation, and Progression). With the help of on-campus "hosts", RSVP is designed to help students find new experiences that are rewarding and fun, that can spark new interests and create community for those new to Grinnell. We are always seeking to create new avenues to belonging and connection and this is our latest one.
We hope that YOU will be our guests at We Are Family Weekend. We look forward to hosting you on campus with opportunities to get a glimpse into what your student is experiencing at Grinnell. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions and comments – we are honored to be in community with you!
Warmly,
Anne
Anne F. Harris
President
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John Horn and Linda Burrow are eager to share what they’ve learned with fellow Grinnell families.
Henry Horn ’26 is embarking on his last year at Grinnell. His parents, John Horn and Linda Burrow, have proudly supported him, even while living thousands of miles away in Pasadena, California.
“It was a big adjustment for him at first, being so far from home,” Linda recalls. “He was part of the group of pandemic kids, so he went from being in the house for two years to moving to the middle of Iowa. There’s a resilience he developed from this experience.”
Over the last three years, John and Linda have built up significant knowledge about Grinnell. John joined the Parents and Families Leadership Council through which he reaches out to families of incoming students to help them navigate this transition. He and Linda also provide advice for other parents who are new to the Grinnell experience.
Read more
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Support Our Students!
Parents and families play a key role in supporting and enhancing the Grinnell College experience for all students!
You are invited to learn more about how your giving makes Grinnell distinctive and upholds the College's commitment to prepare graduates for future careers and meaningful lives.
Make a gift today!
| | | News from the Division of Student Affairs | | |
Dear Parents, Families, and Friends:
Welcome to the 2025 - 2026 academic year from the Division of Student Affairs. Our team sponsors various programs, events, and individual support to help students find a sense of belonging and connection, succeed, and stay safe and well at Grinnell. We wanted to highlight a few resources for you to refer to and encourage your student to utilize.
Get Involved on Campus! The Student Involvement Fair offers students various opportunities to join clubs, registered student organizations, or make connections. A list of our student-created and student-run organizations can be found at Student Organizations | Grinnell College.
Residence Life Information - Break Housing & Closing Dates: Residence halls remain open during fall, Thanksgiving, and spring breaks. Residence halls are closed to most students during summer and winter breaks. More information can be found online at Break Housing. A resource for students Living Off-Campus is available at Off Campus Housing Guidelines - Learn What You Need to Know. This is helpful resource for students approved for off-campus housing. Only current and rising seniors may apply for off-campus housing.
Student Support and Advocacy within the Division of Student Affairs is available to provide assistance to students experiencing significant difficulties or crisis situations to ensure that each student has the opportunity to achieve their academic and co-curricular goals at Grinnell College. Contact us at 641-269-3700, email Student Support and Advocacy, or complete the Refer a Student of Concern form.
Our Campus Safety team provides twenty-four-hour support for our campus community. As we start the academic year, we wanted to highlight some of the important information and resources. Some quick items to review:
Sincerely,
JC Lopez
Vice President for Student Affairs
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In Case You Missed It:
Grinnell Welcomes the Class of 2029
| | Welcoming the incoming class is a proud Grinnell College tradition. If you were unable to attend -- or you want to watch it again -- you can catch the replay on the Grinnell College YouTube channel! | | Welcome (back) to the
Writing, Reading, and Speaking Center! | | |
The Writing Center supports students working on any writing project, for any course, in any department, at any point in the process. We’re here for all of it, from first Tutorial papers to internship applications and grad school personal statements. Writers can bring a full paper, a few paragraphs, some scattered notes, or nothing at all; we’ll help them get started, develop ideas, focus paragraphs, organize drafts, fine-tune introductions and conclusions—whatever they’re working on.
And we can help with more than just writing. Reading in college can be quite different from reading in high school, and new Grinnellians may need additional reading strategies; we can offer tips and guidance for reading effectively. For students preparing oral presentations, we provide feedback and a supportive audience.
Students can make appointments using our online schedule.
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Rachel Rudacille ’26, was awarded the highly prestigious Truman Scholarship. The U.S. Congress established the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation as a living memorial to President Truman in 1975. The foundation awards merit-based graduate school scholarships to college students in their junior year who plan to pursue careers in government or the nonprofit sector.
Truman Scholars must demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in public service, and academic excellence. Each Truman Scholar receives a scholarship worth up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school, leadership training, career advising, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.
“I plan to attend graduate school for environmental engineering or energy physics while also exploring the way that policy intersects with this work,” said Rudacille, a physics major and environmental studies concentrator from Centerville, Iowa. “I aspire to conduct research in a national lab innovating clean energy and further incorporating it into the existing electricity grid.”
Read more on the Grinnell College News Site
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Grinnellians Awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grants
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Grinnell College Class of 2025 alumni were named Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grantees to teach English abroad for the 2025–2026 academic year. They were selected based on their academic achievement, distinct experiences, personal attributes, and leadership potential, with the opportunity to create connections in a complex and changing world.
For over 75 years, Fulbright grants have provided future American leaders with an unparalleled opportunity to study, conduct research, and teach abroad, with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
“Grinnell’s grantees are exceptionally prepared to serve as ambassadors in Germany, Costa Rica, and Latvia—contributing their strengths, expanding their teaching skills, and gaining a deep appreciation of their host country and its people,” said Ann Landstrom, Fulbright program adviser (FPA) and assistant dean and director of global fellowships and awards in Grinnell College’s Center for Careers, Life, and Service.
Learn more about the grantees and the finalists.
| | Applications Now Open for Grinnell College's 2026-27 Social Innovator in Residence Program | | |
Grinnell College is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2026–2027 Social Innovator in Residence Program, a unique opportunity for global changemakers to reflect, collaborate, and amplify their work while mentoring the next generation of social innovators.
This year, the program will focus on sustainability, broadly defined to include environmental, economic, cultural, social, and organizational approaches to systems change. Applications are being accepted until October 10, 2025, and the selected innovator will spend seven weeks in residence at Grinnell College during either the fall or spring semester of the 2026–2027 academic year.
Learn more and apply at Social Innovator in Residence.
| | Five Questions with Grinnell College's New Dean, Ruth P. Feingold | | |
Ruth P. Feingold joined Grinnell College as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College on July 1, 2025. She took a few minutes of reflection to answer a few questions about her first impressions of Grinnell, her academic field, and her varied interests outside of work.
What attracted you to the dean position at Grinnell?
Well, Grinnell’s reputation as a community of engaged, individualistic scholars and learners is virtually unparalleled in the world of small liberal arts colleges — and that’s the world I love. Grinnell has been on my radar for a long, long time, so even though I wasn’t looking for a job, I was pretty intrigued when I learned that the position was available. Meeting the various people involved with the search, and in particular talking with President Harris about her vision for the college, sealed the deal for me.
Visit the Grinnell College newsroom to read the full article.
| Grinnell's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Welcomes Students | |
On behalf of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, welcome to Grinnell! While our divisional office works to build and maintain equitable systems across the institution, our teams in Intercultural Affairs and Accessibility & Disability Resources work closely with your students as we center, celebrate, and explore their robust identities and communities. We envision a Grinnell that is a living, learning, and working environment in which all are valued, engaged, and treated with dignity and respect. We were thrilled to welcome some of your students to Grinnell through the Peer Connections Pre-Orientation Program and look forward to seeing your students engaging at our cultural centers or joining a multicultural student organization as they make Grinnell their home away from home.
| Grinnell College Museum of Art Presents Primary Sources: Recent Acquisitions to the Museum's Art Collection | |
We are Family Weekend
September 19 – 20, 2025
Grinnell families will have the opportunity to preview a selection of works from the Grinnell College Museum of Art’s fall exhibition Primary Sources, which opens to the public on October 9!
Primary Sources: Recent Acquisitions to the Museum’s Art Collection
October 9 – December 14, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 9, 6 – 7:30 pm
The Grinnell College Museum of Art’s collection grows significantly every year with purchases from endowed funds as well as gifts from alumni and friends of the College. These objects are regularly the focus of classroom study, original research, and exhibitions by students, staff, and faculty across the curriculum, while at the same time enriching the cultural life of the community. Primary Sources features art acquisitions from the past three years, most exhibited here for the first time, including a generous number of paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture given in 2023 by Kathleen Narber and the late Gregg R. Narber ’68.
The Grinnell College Museum of Art hosts openings, gallery talks, and other special events throughout the academic year.
Artwork: John Buck, American, b. 1946. East-West, 1988. Woodblock print on 2 sheets of Suzuki paper. Edition of 15. 74 x 73 1/2 in. Collection of Grinnell College Museum of Art. Gift of Kathleen and Gregg R. Narber '68 (2023.164).
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We’re thrilled to announce that the Grinnell College Alumni In Conversation tour has been extended through the 2025–26 academic year, offering more opportunities to connect, engage, and reflect on the powerful impact of the Grinnell community.
Save the date and join us for a special gathering with dialogue and connection—where local alumni, faculty experts, senior College leadership, including President Anne F. Harris, will come together to discuss the ideas shaping Grinnell’s future. At select events, members of our faculty will join the conversation, bringing fresh perspectives from the classroom to the broader community. These gatherings are designed to spotlight the passions and values that define Grinnell College—and to explore how its mission continues to equip students to be courageous agents of social change in the world.
See the dates and locations.
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News You Can Use
Reapplying for Need-Based Financial Aid for 2026-2027
The 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available on October 1. The deadline for domestic (U.S. citizen and eligible noncitizen) students who would like to apply for need-based financial aid for the 2026-2027 academic year is April 1, 2026. Further instructions are posted on the Grinnell College website.
International students who receive financial aid and domestic students who receive only merit scholarships do not need to reapply for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Fall Programming from the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice (CRSSJ)
The Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice (CRSSJ) is busy planning a fall semester full of robust spiritually grounded offerings. Regular offerings at the CRSSJ include bi-weekly bible study, weekly meditation, weekly Jumuah prayer, weekly Shabbat services, bi-weekly Quaker meeting, weekly Pagan group, regular Christian worship and more. See full offerings on the Grinnell College Events Calendar.
The Jewish High Holidays will begin on September 22nd and students can register here for meals and services. Please note that registration is due on September 14th!
The Chaplain Team (Rabbi Sarah, Rev. Cassandra and Imam Abdul Muhaymin) will be offering a four week study series on forgiveness.
Forgiveness: A Spiritual Primer
Tuesdays, Sept. 16, 30 & Oct. 7, 14 12:00 PM - 12:55 PM
CRSSJ Prayer Garage
What does it mean to forgive? How does it impact us to hold onto anger, resentment and hurt? How do we move in this world in a way that honors our feelings and builds community? Join the Chaplain Team (Rabbi Sarah, Rev. Cassandra and Imam Abdul Muhaymin) for a four- part series exploring the topic of forgiveness. We will look at forgiveness from a variety of different spiritual, theological and values-based perspectives. All are welcome whether you identify with a faith tradition or not. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Deacon Grayson to reserve your spot and please let us know about any dietary restrictions as well. This space is available to students, faculty, and staff.
Applications for Course Embedded Travel Due Oct. 9
The Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) is pleased to announce the Spring 2026 Course Embedded Travel courses. CET courses are semester-long courses taught on campus with an immersive global learning trip included as part of the course. Spring 2026 courses include:
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Introduction to Museum Studies (Art History), taught by Susan Baley, Director, Grinnell College Museum of Art. Course travel to Washington, DC over spring break.
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African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World (African Diaspora Studies), taught by Professor Thabiti Willis, Endowed Chair in African Diaspora Studies. Course travel to Bahrain over spring break.
Read more about this spring’s courses here! Course applications will open for 2nd through 4th year students in the IGE application portal on September 10 and are due on October 9th. Questions? Contact Ashley Laux.
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Upcoming Public Events
From concerts to convocations, games to gatherings, you can find upcoming public events on the Campus Events Calendar.
Planning ahead? Check out Writers@Grinnell for upcoming events with writers of all kinds.
| | The Parting Shot: A Glimpse of Life at Grinnell | | | | |
