The mission of the Office of Social Commitment is to encourage Grinnellians to become engaged members of their current and future communities by providing education and resources about postgraduation service opportunities. Founded in 1999, the office builds upon Grinnell's long tradition of producing dedicated active members of society, such as Harry Hopkins '12 (head of the Works Progress Administration under FDR) and the more than 300 alumni who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. Grinnell currently leads the nation in per capita production of Peace Corps volunteers. By promoting postgraduate service through recruitment and individual counseling, the Office of Social Commitment plays an important role in the College's mission of providing a first-rate education "in the spirit of public service."

As a part of this mission, the office sponsors the Grinnell Corps, a group of seven postgraduation service programs that are open only to Grinnell College alumni in the year after graduation. Based on the Peace Corps model, these programs partner with institutions in host communities, both domestic and international, to provide them with needed labor. Current opportunities offered through the Grinnell Corps include teaching positions in Lesotho, China, Greece, Macao, and Nepal; work at a desert research field station in Namibia; and with a poverty alleviation agency in the city of Grinnell. All of these one-year programs are offered at no cost to the participants or partner organizations.

The office also has responsibility for administering the College's nomination process for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and Watson. Grinnell College students have an impressive track record in all of the competitions; in 2002, Kendra M. Young '02 of Bigfork, Mont., was named the 14th Rhodes Scholar in Grinnell's history.