A Tradition of Leadership

The Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights helps members of the Grinnell campus community to understand vital and difficult issues in today's world. The program brings to campus public figures, politicians, activists, and academic experts who supplement the students' liberal arts education and inform the entire campus community. Through a variety of co-curricular programming-lectures, symposia, discussions, films, and workshops-the Rosenfield Program supplements the Grinnell classroom experience by bringing the outside world to campus. The Rosenfield Program also sponsors internships for Grinnell students in the areas of public affairs, international relations, and human rights-allowing students to apply their education to social problems away from campus.

Throughout its history, Grinnell has emphasized the importance of human rights and social progress and encouraged discussion of public policies affecting both. Grinnell was a center of abolitionist activity in the 1850s and one of the first colleges in the nation to admit women to the bachelor of arts degree. Grinnell was the focal point of the Midwestern Social Gospel Movement that produced major administrators of the New Deal, like Harry Hopkins, Chester Davis, Hallie Flanagan Davis, Florence Kerr, and Paul Appleby-all Grinnell alumni who turned the ideals of a social movement into political action.

A Tradition of Excellence

index1_520.jpgIn the spirit of this tradition, the Grinnell College Board of Trustees established in 1979 the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights. The program, supported by a $1 million endowment, honors the Rosenfield family-who have been state and national leaders in promoting responsible and progressive action in all three of the program's areas. The program is a particular tribute to former college trustee Joe Rosenfield '25, one of the most generous college supporters and imaginative planners in Grinnell history.

Bringing Distinguished Leaders to Campus

The program's most visible program is its sponsorship of campus visits by distinguished scholars, public servants, and political and social commentators. These visits usually include a public lecture, meetings with classes, and a range of opportunities for interaction with students. Members of the Grinnell community and visitors from around the state of Iowa also have a chance to meet Rosenfield guests, whose lectures are always free and open to the public.

The program has also sponsored major conferences and symposia for over 20 years. These multi-day events include speakers, panel discussions, and opportunities for conversation at informal gatherings.

The Rosenfield Program has sponsored campus visits by more than 1000 lecturers, including: former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, retired diplomat George Kennan, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, civil rights leader Eleanor Holmes Norton, former United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez, former senator Bob Dole, Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman, cultural theorist Edward Said, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, former President of the United Kingdom Social Democratic Party Shirley Williams, former Vice President of the United Auto Workers Irving Bluestone, former Soviet Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnyk, former Surgeon General and Nobel Prize Winner C. Everett Koop, ACLU President Nadine Strossen, President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias, former senator George Mitchell, economist Rachel Nugent, former Bulgarian President Petar Soyanov, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch Carroll Bogert, political bloggers Duncan Black and Juan Cole, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof, Tony Horwitz, David Shipler, and David Shribman.

Recent symposia titles include:

  • Poverty
  • "Trends in Islam"
  • "Rights and the Environment"
  • "The Rise of China"
  • "Crime and Punishment: Incarceration in the United States"
  • "Global Pharmaceuticals"
  • "The Media:  Change and Challenges"

Program Organization

Planning for Rosenfield Program events is conducted jointly by the Rosenfield Program Director, Sarah J. Purcell '92, and the Rosenfield Planning Committee, a mixture of faculty and students.

For the 2010-2011 school year, the Rosenfield Planning Committee consists of:

Faculty Members

  • Sarah Purcell, Director
  • Erik Simpson
  • Eric Carter
  • Keith Brouhle
  • Lesley Delmenico
  • Karen Shuman

Student Members

  • Aki Shibuya '11
  • Claire Branigan '11
  • Claire Griffith '12
  • Morgan Bober '12
  • Wdazanai Motzi '12
  • Dana Utroske '13
  • Tom Van Heeke '12
  • Cynthia Wu '12