News Releases

Grinnell College Commencement Features Poetry and Pikachu

schmeidel — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:23:40 +0000

Grinnell, IA

5/20/13

GRINNELL, IA—Grinnell College Commencement speaker and poet Sarah Kay reminded the Class of 2013 to listen to others and look for mentors—in every quarter.

"The world outside of college is vast," she said. "It would be a shame to not meet and listen to others who are different from you."

Kay received an honorary degree from Grinnell, as did pioneering computer scientist Nathaniel Borenstein '80, who invented the MIME protocol that allows people to send e-mail attachments. Twenty years ago, when skeptics asked him why he was so interested in supporting multimedia on the net, Borenstein would tell them, "Someday I'm going to have grandchildren, and I want to get pictures of them by e-mail." People remained skeptical—but now, MIME is used roughly a trillion times a day. "Only the very best uses are actually pictures of my grandchildren," Borenstein said. "Most of the rest are useless garbage."

Grinnell also presented an honorary degree in memoriam to longtime activist Bonnie Tinker '69, founder of Love Makes a Family. And in the inaugural year of a new tradition, the college presented an honorary degree to a secondary school teacher—David Abarr '83, a math, science and social studies teacher at Davis Elementary School in Grinnell.

The day was filled with reminders of youth. Abarr passed along words of wisdom from his fourth graders, whose advice ranged from "Party hard!!!" to "Get a job—and not at McDonald's." Kay, who is just 24, told the graduates that she still sleeps every night with her favorite childhood stuffed lion. (She later revealed that it was the one thing her father salvaged when he first returned to the family's ravaged New York apartment two weeks after 9/11). And Qianning Zhang—who by virtue of alphabetical order was the final Grinnellian to receive a diploma—shed her gown as she walked across stage to reveal that her Commencement garb was a yellow Pikachu costume.

Kay began her Commencement address with a childhood poem written by her mother: "A lion is brave/a mouse can be, too/Courage depends on what you need to do." She concluded with a poem that she wrote for her own junior high school principal, Mrs. Rivera. "Listen to each other like you know you are scholars, artists, scientists, athletes, musicians, like you know you will be the ones who shape this world. Show me how many colors you know how to draw with. Show me how proud you are of what you have learned, and I promise I will do the same."

More than 3,000 people attended Grinnell's graduation ceremony, which was held on central campus on a windy, crystal clear day after a night of heavy thunderstorms. Many graduates wore green ribbons signifying their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

Grinnell presented degrees to 334 graduating seniors, whose post-Grinnell plans range from teaching, to exploring DIY biology through a Watson Fellowship, to public policy work and graduate school.

About Grinnell College
Since its founding in 1846, Grinnell has become one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges, enrolling 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries. Grinnell's rigorous academic program emphasizes excellence in education for students in the liberal arts; the college offers the B.A. degree in a range of departments across the humanities, arts and sciences. Grinnell has a strong tradition of social responsibility and action, and self-governance and personal responsibility are key components of campus life. More information about Grinnell College is available at www.grinnell.edu.

###

Grinnell Inaugurates New Commencement Tradition: Will Present Honorary Degree to K-12 Teacher at Graduation

schmeidel — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:49:33 +0000

Inaugural Award Goes to David Abarr '83 of Davis Elementary School in Grinnell

Grinnell, IA

5/9/13

At this year's Commencement exercises, Grinnell College will award degrees to some 334 graduating seniors—and to an elementary school teacher who made a difference in the life of at least one graduate.

For many years, Grinnell celebrated teachers by presenting an award at graduation—but this is the first year of a new tradition, in which Grinnell will present a teacher with an honorary degree. "Grinnell, as a premier liberal arts college, places a high value on the work that K-12 teachers have invested in our students, preparing them for the academic rigors of college," said Kathy Kamp, professor of anthropology and chair of the honorary degree committee. "By granting an honorary degree to an outstanding teacher, the college acknowledges simultaneously the importance of teaching as a profession and the superior record of achievement of the individual teacher being honored."

David Abarr '83, a fourth-grade science, math and social studies teacher from Davis Elementary School in Grinnell, is the inaugural recipient of Grinnell's honorary degree for educators.

About David Abarr
A teacher for nearly three decades (and a member of the faculty at Davis Elementary since 1998), Abarr was selected for Grinnell's honorary degree because he "pushes his students hard to learn science, and he goes beyond the normal expectations," a selection committee member said. Each year, Abarr arranges to bring a portable planetarium to his school so that he can teach astronomy not only to the students in his class, but to all Davis students. He also has worked with the school system's Curriculum Advisory Committee to improve course materials for science and math teachers, as well as teachers from other disciplines.

Abarr has played an important role in the community beyond Davis Elementary. He has served, among other things, on the Grinnell Community Day Care Board, on the mayor's Art Gallery Committee, and as a member of the board of the Grinnell Area Arts Council. He also has served as director of the Arts Council's summer program. In 2011, Abarr received WHO TV's Golden Apple Award, which recognizes outstanding educators in Iowa, and in 2010 he was honored through the Belin-Blank Teacher Recognition Program at the University of Iowa. He also was honored in 2005 at the Governor's Scholars Recognition Ceremony.

About Grinnell's Honorary Degree Recipients
Also receiving honorary degrees at Grinnell's commencement this year are poet Sarah Kay (who will deliver the Commencement address; pioneering computer scientist Nathaniel Borenstein '80; and the late Bonnie Tinker, a longtime peace and civil rights activist who, among other things, co-founded Love Makes a Family.

About Grinnell's Honorary Degree for Educators
Grinnell's new honorary degree for educators builds on an earlier, longstanding teaching award presented by the college. From 1976 to 2002, Grinnell recognized Iowa secondary-school teachers for their work by presenting two Outstanding Iowa Teachers Awards each year during Grinnell's commencement. The winners were selected from a pool of nominations made by Grinnell students who had the nominees as teachers.

In 2012 the college's Honorary Degree Committee proposed that Grinnell create a special honorary degree category for a K-12 educator nominated by Grinnell College students. The nominations are reviewed by the honorary degree committee. The recipient will receive an honorary degree at Grinnell's commencement ceremony, where she or he will make brief remarks.

"Grinnell College has a proud history of preparing excellent teachers for more than 100 years," said Jean Ketter, professor of education, chair of the Education Department, and a member of the Honorary Degree Committee. "In the past the Committee selected a teacher for recognition at Commencement from among students' nominations. We're glad to be able to reinstate the tradition of recognizing an outstanding teacher at Grinnell's Commencement exercises, and we're particularly pleased to be able to award an honorary degree to the teacher."

About Education at Grinnell
The new honorary degree for educators is just one indication of Grinnell's commitment to preparing excellent teachers with a liberal arts education. Few liberal arts colleges offer the option of obtaining licensure, but Grinnell students can complete a major and earn a 5-12 teaching license that qualifies them to teach in Iowa and many other states. Thanks to a generous gift from Penny Bender Sebring '64 and her husband, Charles Ashby Lewis, Grinnell recently established the Grinnell Careers in Education Professions program, which enables students, beginning early in their college days, to explore their interests in teaching and related fields. The program is designed to focus on the professionalization of teaching as a career.

###

Works from Photographer Lorna Bieber on Display at Grinnell College's Faulconer Gallery

schmeidel — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:06:42 +0000

Grinnell, IA

5/3/13

For the past 30 years Lorna Bieber has employed stock photography as the raw material of her art. Through the images she creates, she hopes to open viewers' minds to the deeper meaning that can be pulled from seemingly generic imagery. Starting May 17, "From a Distance: The Art of Lorna Bieber" will be on display in the Faulconer Gallery.

Lorna Bieber received her B.F.A. degree from Kent State University. She became interested in photography while working at Newsweek to supplement her passion for painting. Having access to a copy machine and unlimited discarded magazine images, Bieber began altering those photos to create collages, montages and murals that evoked more meaning than the lone images could on their own. "By altering the 'root' picture in these ways," says Bieber, "I can create new 'branches' whose narratives are utterly different from the original, bringing the observer to see the world in dramatically unexpected ways."

Faulconer Gallery will host the following public events during the "From a Distance" exhibition:
• Thursdays, May 23 – September 5, 12:15 p.m.: Yoga in the gallery with Monica St. Angelo for beginners and experienced practitioners. Co-sponsored by Live Well Grinnell.

• Wednesdays, June 5, July 24 and July 31, 1:30 p.m.: Spend time in the gallery drawing from the works on view. Stools, drawing supplies and feedback from Tilly Woodward, outreach curator, will be provided. Open to children and adults.

• Tues., July 30, 5 p.m.: Artworks created by students in Davis Stars, Galaxy, Montezuma and Brooklyn summer programs will be installed in the Faulconer Gallery next to works from "From a Distance." Viewing open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

• Mon., June 10 – Friday, July 19, 10:30 a.m.: Free hands-on art activities for kids and families in area parks. Enjoy ceramics, painting, drawing, collage, truck glittering, sculpture and more. For more information, contact Tilly Woodward at 641-269-4663 or woodward@grinnell.edu.

• Fri., Aug. 30, 4:15 p.m.: Artist Lorna Bieber will talk about her work and current exhibition in the Faulconer Gallery.

• Fri., Aug. 30, 5:15 p.m.: Celebrate the work of Lorna Bieber and welcome students back to campus. Refreshments will be served.

"From a Distance" is open through September 8. Regular gallery hours are Tues. through Sun., noon to 5 p.m.; open Thurs. and Fri. noon to 8 p.m.; closed Monday. On May 21 the gallery will switch to summer hours, Tues. through Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Faulconer Gallery is located in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts at 1108 Park St.

For more information about the exhibitions and related programs, call 641-269-4660 or visit www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery.

Information on parking and accessibility is available on the college website. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations at 641-269-3235 or calendar@grinnell.edu.

-30-

Grinnell College Will Host May 8 Convocation on Education Reform

schmeidel — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:06:34 +0000

Penny Bender Sebring '64 Will Discuss "Reforming Urban Schools: Living on the Boundary of Doubt and Belief"

Grinnell, IA

4/30/13

Penny Bender Sebring, a Chicago-based leader in education reform, will speak on "Reforming Urban Schools: Living on the Boundary of Doubt and Belief" at noon Wednesday, May 8, in Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Room 101 at Grinnell College.

This Scholars' Convocation is open to all at no charge, and a sandwich buffet will be available.

A 1964 graduate of Grinnell, Sebring is a senior research associate at the University of Chicago and founding co-director of the university's Consortium on Chicago School Research, an organization established in 1990 to build the capacity for school reform by conducting research that identifies what matters for student success and school improvement.

Sebring's latest research will be reported in the forthcoming "Teens, Digital Media, and the Chicago Public Library." She is also an author of "Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago." The research underlying this book provides the intellectual foundation for the 5Essentials Survey, which is now being used by more than 5,400 schools in Illinois and other states to provide a comprehensive picture of schools' strengths and weaknesses as organizations.

After graduating from Grinnell, Sebring served as a Peace Corps volunteer and then as a high school teacher. She received her Ph.D. in education and social policy from Northwestern University, and has been affiliated with the University of Chicago since 1984.

A life trustee of Grinnell, Sebring currently serves on the board of directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund and is chair of the Policy Advisory Board for Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy. She has received an Alumni Merit Award from Northwestern, the John J. Dugan Award from OneGoal, the Stanley C. Golder Community Service Award from the Golden Apple Foundation and a Community Service award from the Associated Colleges of Illinois.

Since its founding in 1846, Grinnell has become one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges, enrolling 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries. Grinnell's rigorous academic program emphasizes excellence in education for students in the liberal arts; the college offers the B.A. degree in a range of departments across the humanities, arts and sciences. Grinnell has a strong tradition of social responsibility and action, and self-governance and personal responsibility are key components of campus life. More information about Grinnell College is available at www.grinnell.edu.

###

Upcoming Events: Ambassador John McDonald Will Speak Thursday, May 2; Combined Ensembles Will Perform "Carmina Burana" May 5

physicgi — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:39:29 +0000

Grinnell, IA

4/17/13

Tuesday, April 23
4:15 p.m.
Alumni Recitation Hall, Room 102
Conference: "Practical Philosophy and Science Studies for Racial and Community Justice"
Event Sponsors: Global Development Studies, Intercultural Engagement, The Center for the Humanities, Peace Studies, and the Departments of Philosophy and Sociology

Two representatives of what Hans Achterhuis called the "empirical turn" in contemporary philosophy will discuss how multidisciplinary and field-based philosophical research can promote racial and community justice. This discussion will introduce the audience to the fields of philosophy of science and technology, environmental justice studies, critical race theory, Latourian pragmatism, and hip-hop studies.

Roberto Toledo, a CFD fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Grinnell, will introduce the event with a talk on "Destabilizing Scientific Racism and Innovating with Science and Hip-Hop Studies." Toledo has research interests in Bruno Latour's science studies and the philosophy of social science, as well as critical race theory and hip-hop studies.

The event will also feature a talk on "How Philosophy Contributes to Addressing Scientific Bias against Indigenous and Urban Communities" by Kyle Powys Whyte, an assistant professor of philosophy at Michigan State University. Whyte's areas of interest include environmental and climate justice, the philosophy of technology and American Indian philosophy.

Tuesday, April 30
7:30 p.m.
Rosenfield Center, Room 101
Talk: "The Food Not Eaten: Why America Wastes Half Its Food and Why it Matters"
Speaker: Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland

Jonathan Bloom—journalist, food waste activist, and author of American Wasteland—will speak on food waste and its social, environmental and economic costs. In his research, Bloom found that Americans waste nearly half their food from farm to fork.

Hannah Strom '13 organized this event, co-sponsored by the Rosenfield Program, Center for Prairie Studies, and Student Government Association, as a means to drive a campus discussion on the costs of food waste. Strom explains, "A Student Environmental Committee survey found that students waste an average of 2.7 ounces of food per meal. Grinnellians are more involved in social justice activism, which is why I think it's important to bring a speaker to campus who also talks about environmental issues."

Thursday, May 2
4:15 p.m.
Sebring-Lewis Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
Talk: "Ethnic Conflict in Today's World"
Speaker: Ambassador John W. McDonald

Ambassador John W. McDonald is a key figure in the history of the Iowa Peace Institute and in U.S. foreign affairs and "track II" diplomacy. From 1988 to 1992, McDonald was president of the Iowa Peace Institute in Grinnell and a professor of political science at Grinnell College. He spent 20 years of his diplomatic career in Western Europe and the Middle East and worked for 16 years on United Nations economic and social affairs. He is currently chairman and co-founder of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, in Washington D.C., which focuses on national and international ethnic conflicts, including the Millennium goals of clean drinking water and sanitation. He also is UNEP's North American Representative to the International Environmental Governance Advisory Group.

Sunday, May 5
2 p.m.
Herrick Chapel
Combined Ensemble Concert: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana
Tickets are not required for this event

Four ensembles, three soloists, and three conductors combine forces to present Carl Orff's magnum opus, Carmina Burana.

The Grinnell Symphony Orchestra is joined by the Grinnell Oratorio Society and Grinnell Singers, both directed by John Rommereim, Blanche Johnson Professor of Music, and Seton Catholic School Children's Chorus from Ottumwa, directed by Tom Shadonix. Featured guest vocal soloists include Karen Kanakis, soprano; Jacob Lassetter, baritone; and Dennis Willhoit, tenor. Eric McIntyre, associate professor of music at Grinnell College, will conduct the performance.

The Grinnell Symphony Orchestra will also perform the first movement of Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14 with violinist Leah Meyer '15 and the final movement of William Walton's Viola Concerto with Qianning Zhang '13, violist.

-30-

John H. Oakley Will Deliver Eighth Annual McKibben Lecture at Grinnell College

physicgi — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:30:30 +0000

Grinnell, IA

4/16/13

John H. Oakley, the Chancellor Professor and Forest D. Murden Jr. Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the College of William and Mary, will deliver the eighth annual McKibben Lecture in Classical Studies at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Room 101 of the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center at Grinnell College. His topic is "Athenian White Lekythoi: Masterpieces of Greek Funerary Art."

Considered some of the most beautiful of Greek vases, Athenian white lekythoi are oil containers that were placed in and on tombs as grave gifts, and so are important evidence for understanding ancient Greek funerary rites. This lecture will examine the scenes found on these vases and will discuss what these scenes tell us about classical Athenian perceptions of and reactions to death.

Oakley holds B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University. He has taught at the College of William and Mary since 1980, with visiting appointments at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Princeton University, the University of Freiburg in Germany and the University of Brussels. An expert on ancient Greek vases, he has published a dozen books, including Picturing Death in Classical Athens (Cambridge University Press), a work on white lekythoi. He also has published more than 75 articles and chapters, and he has lectured widely. He is a longtime contributor of service to both the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Archaeological Institute of America.

The McKibben Lecture in Classical Studies is sponsored by the Department of Classics and honors Bill and Betty McKibben, whose combined service to Grinnell College and to the greater Grinnell community totaled more than a century. The lecture is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow.

-30-

Calendar Link:

McKibben Lecture in Classical Studies

Soprano Randye Jones and Pianist Marlys Grimm Will Present Evening of Negro Spirituals at Grinnell College Saturday, April 27

schmeidel — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:24:42 +0000

Grinnell, Iowa

4/10/13

Grinnell, Iowa -- Soprano Randye Jones and pianist Marlys Grimm will present an evening of Negro spirituals at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in Herrick Chapel at Grinnell College. The concert is open to the public at no charge.

"Based on the folk songs of the antebellum era, this American art form recalls the soul-stirring music of an enslaved people," Jones notes. Composers such as Margaret Bonds, H. T. Burleigh and Moses Hogan add influences of blues, jazz, gospel and classicism to their resetting of these spirituals.

Selections from the program will be referenced in an upcoming lecture on using dialect in concert performance of spirituals. Jones is scheduled to present the lecture at the REAP National Conference on Spirituals in June 2013.

About Randye Jones
Randye Jones received her B.A. degree in music education from Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., and earned her Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Florida State University, Tallahassee. She is currently a doctoral student in vocal literature at the University of Iowa, where she studies with Stephen Swanson.

Jones has gained recognition for her research of and published writings on African-American vocalists and composers, and as a performer and lecturer through her project, The Art of the Negro Spiritual. She has presented at conferences such as the Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Jones serves on the library staff at Grinnell College.

About Marlys Grimm
Marlys Grimm attended Sheldon High School and Central College, where she studied piano with Donald Gren.

She has collaborated at Dordt, Northwestern, Grinnell and Central colleges in student and faculty recitals. Grimm has accompanied high school, college, community and professional singers, instrumentalists and choruses throughout Iowa and at National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions. With husband Norm conducting, she has played for numerous conference, district and regional choral festivals, including the 1993 Opus Boys Honor Choir.

Grimm is currently the accompanist for the Grinnell Oratorio Society and staff accompanist at Central College and Newton High School.

For More Information
Additional information is available at 641/821-0188 or www.artofthenegrospiritual.com.

###

Debating counterinsurgency and the future of Afghanistan with Gian Gentile and John Nagl

physicgi — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:25:03 +0000

Grinnell, IA

4/10/13

On Monday, April 22, Grinnell College's Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights will host "Debating Counterinsurgency and the Future of Afghanistan," a debate between Col. Gian Gentile and John Nagl on whether counterinsurgency strategy is dead. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Room 101 of the Rosenfield Center at Grinnell College.

Col. Gian Gentile, professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and John Nagl, non-resident fellow at the Center for New Security and professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, are both major players in military policy circles. Gentile will argue that yes, counterinsurgency is dead, while Nagl, one of the architects of current counterinsurgency strategy, will argue that it is alive and kicking.

Gentile graduated from UC-Berkeley, where he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He later completed his Ph.D. in history at Stanford University. Gentile is a prominent critic of the U.S. military's use of counterinsurgency. When asked by The New York Times in a May 2012 interview what the United States gained after a decade of war with Afghanistan and Iraq, Gentile replied frankly, "Not much. Certainly not worth the effort. In my view."

Nagl graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, then attended St. John's College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned an M.Phil. degree in 1990. Nagl served as an armor officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years. He led a tank platoon in Operation Desert Storm and served as the operations officer of a tank battalion task force in Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning the Combat Action Badge and the Bronze Star medal. He then went on to teach at the United States Military Academy at West Point and Georgetown University before returning to Oxford to receive his doctorate. Nagl's book "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam" influenced the counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For more information about the counterinsurgency debate, contact Sarah Purcell, purcelsj@grinnell.edu, 641-269-3091. Grinnell welcomes and encourages the participation of people with disabilities. Information on parking and accessibility is available on the college website. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations at 641-269-3235 or calendar@grinnell.edu.

-30-

Calendar Link:

DEBATE

Poet Sarah Kay Will Address Class of 2013 at Grinnell College Commencement on May 20

schmeidel — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:35:03 +0000

Honorary Degrees to Kay, Nathaniel Borenstein '80, and Posthumously to Bonnie Tinker '69

Grinnell, Iowa

4/9/13

Poet Sarah Kay will be the Commencement speaker at Grinnell College's Commencement Exercises at 10 a.m. Monday, May 20. (Information about location, tickets and livestreaming is in the "About Commencement" section below.)

Kay began performing her spoken-word poetry when she was only 14 years old, and quickly became a regular at the famous Bowery Poetry Club in New York. Since then, she has performed on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and in programs at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, where she was a featured performer for the launch of the 2004 World Youth Report. A featured speaker at the 2011 TED Conference on "The Rediscovery of Wonder," she also has performed in a number of other countries, including the Czech Republic, India, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Kay is founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., a charitable organization that celebrates and inspires self-expression in youth through spoken-word poetry. She also is a documentary filmmaker, playwright, singer, songwriter, photographer and editor for Write Bloody Publishing. Kay is the author of a book, B, and her work can be found in literary journals, including Foundling Review, Damselfly Press, decomP and The Literary Bohemian.

Kay holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Brown University.

About Grinnell's Honorary Degree Recipients
At Grinnell's Commencement, Kay will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree. Honorary degrees will also be awarded to two Grinnell alumni:
-- Computer scientist Nathaniel Borenstein '80, known, among other things, as one of the original designers of the MIME protocol for formatting multimedia e-mail. He also sent the first e-mail attachment. Borenstein will receive an honorary doctor of science degree.
-- Bonnie Tinker '69, a longtime peace and equal rights activist. Tinker co-founded Love Makes a Family, which advocates for non-traditional families, including those led by same-sex parents. Tinker was killed in a bicycle accident in 2009; her sister, Mary Beth Tinker, will be at Commencement to accept Tinker's honorary doctor of laws degree.

At this year's Commencement, Grinnell will inaugurate a new practice of awarding an honorary degree to a high school teacher. The recipient of that award will be announced later in April.

About Grinnell's Commencement
Grinnell College's Commencement exercises will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 20, on Central Campus. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center. No tickets are required to attend the 10 a.m. Commencement exercises. The ceremony will also be livestreamed at http://www.grinnell.edu.

For more information about Grinnell College's commencement, go to http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/confops/commencement.

###

College announces recipients of Mini-Grant Awards

physicgi — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:07:51 +0000

Grinnell, IA

4/4/13

Thirteen Grinnell projects and initiatives will benefit from $34,000 in grant support this year from the Grinnell College Mini-Grant Program.

The mini-grant program is just one of the ways that Grinnell College's Community Enhancement and Engagement office offers to strengthen community resources and educational opportunities, as well as enhance the safety, beauty and economic vitality of Grinnell. The office also helps to address community needs, coordinates community partnerships, and supports student and employee engagement in off-campus activities. The mini-grants have played an especially important role.

"The support this community receives from Grinnell College through the mini-grants continues to impress me. The opportunity we are receiving to grow our science and discovery areas will help ensure that we are reaching all areas of development," said 2013 mini-grant recipient Kathleen Barnes, director of Grinnell Community Daycare and Preschool.

The following projects received mini-grant funding for 2013:

Galaxy, Inc. Youth Programs for program awareness materials ($2,000)
Grinnell Area Arts Council for expansion and renovation of Grin City studios ($2,000)
Grinnell Area Arts Council for local music documentation project ($500)
Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce for Louis Sullivan Jewel Box Bank video tour and Historic Community Landmark tour ($5,000)
Grinnell Community Daycare and Preschool for Creative Curriculum science expansion ($3,600)
Grinnell High School, funding for band concert uniforms ($2,500)
Grinnell Historical Museum Society for the restoration of a bicycle raced by Fred Spaulding 1899, champion bike racer ($1,200)
Grinnell Lions Club to upgrade youth vision-screening equipment ($3,845)
Grinnell Parks and Recreation Department for waterpark play feature ($1,875)
Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters "E-mentoring" pilot program ($4,512)
Imagine Grinnell for tents and tables to support local wellness events ($1,246)
Poweshiek Animal League Shelter for outdoor canine kennels ($3,400)
Poweshiek County Fair Association to upgrade seating for community events ($2,322)

For more information about the mini-grant program, contact Melissa Strovers, strovers@grinnell.edu, (641) 269-4583. Additional information about the college's community contributions is available at http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/communityenhance/giftsandgrants.

-30-