FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

December 19, 2007

GRINNELL COLLEGE APPOINTS NEW ROSENFIELD PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Sarah J. Purcell, associate professor of history at Grinnell College, has been named director of the college’s Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights, effective July 1, 2008.

Purcell, who is a 1992 honors graduate of Grinnell, will assume the position of Rosenfield Program director, held for 23 years by H. Wayne Moyer, Jr. Moyer will return to full-time teaching on the Grinnell faculty as professor of political science, following a sabbatical during the 2008-09 academic year.

The Rosenfield Program annually hosts public lectures and symposia on important contemporary world affairs and domestic policy issues. The Grinnell College Board of Trustees established the Rosenfield Program in 1979 in honor of the late Joseph F. Rosenfield, a 1925 graduate, long-time trustee, and an extraordinary college benefactor.

"It’s my great pleasure to appoint Sarah as director of the Rosenfield Program," said President Russell K. Osgood. "Sarah is full of energy and knows the program well from her work as assistant director from 2004 to 2006."

Purcell joined the Grinnell faculty in 2000, following completion of her M.A. and Ph.D. at Brown University and teaching at Central Michigan University. Author or co-author of four books, Purcell’s research interests are the American Revolution and Civil War, popular and political culture, gender history, and military history. She is currently writing a book on the politics of mourning during and after the Civil War and has received numerous awards for her teaching and research.

"I look forward to the challenge of upholding the long honored traditions of the Rosenfield Program," Purcell said. "As an historian and educator, I value Grinnell’s history of public service and the opportunities to raise public awareness of political and social actions through thoughtful discussion and diverse programming."

Osgood commended Moyer for his dedicated service to develop the Rosenfield Program into "a signature program for the college that fittingly honors Joe Rosenfield." During Moyer’s tenure, the Rosenfield Program has hosted more than 300 distinguished lecturers, including international diplomats, civil rights leaders, former Cabinet members, Pulitzer Prize winners, and social commentators. For more information about the Rosenfield Program, go to http://www.grinnell.edu/rosenfield/

Grinnell College is a nationally recognized, private, four year, liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. Founded in 1846, Grinnell enrolls 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries in more than 25 major fields, interdisciplinary concentrations, and pre-professional programs.

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