For Immediate Release

For more information, contact Kate Worster 641-269-3404

August 27, 2007

Harrison to lead Center for International Studies

GRINNELL, Iowa - David Harrison, associate professor of French at Grinnell College, has been appointed to a three-year term as director of the Center for International Studies at the College, to begin this academic year. He joined the faculty at Grinnell in 1999, and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In accepting the appointment, Harrison said, "The Center for International Studies exists to strengthen the College's engagement with the world and to make all members of the college community, critically aware of the different roles they play in the world. I hope to broaden our opportunities for faculty and students to gain knowledge outside of the United States, to bring the most thought-provoking international scholars and artists to campus, and to reveal the international dimension of the College's mission to serve the common good."

While at Grinnell, Harrison has served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights, and organized two Rosenfield symposia, "Cultural Globalization" (April 2003), and "Crime and Punishment: Incarceration in the United States" (November 2004). He has also chaired the Committee to Foster Foreign Language Study. His scholarly work focuses on 17th- and 18th-century French literature and culture.

The Center for International Studies was created in the fall of 2000 to coordinate, enhance, and expand the many existing opportunities for developing international understanding, knowledge, and experiences for Grinnell College students, faculty, and alumni. Todd Armstrong, associate professor of Russian, served two terms as its first director. Harrison is its second.

Grinnell College, founded in 1846, is an internationally renowned, private, residential liberal arts college with some 1,500 students. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, the College awards the bachelor of arts in 25 areas of study.

- 30 -