Russell K. Osgood, president of Grinnell College, announced on May 4 that he will step down from his leadership position at the College on July 31, 2010. After his departure, Osgood will continue to serve the Grinnell community for a period of time in other educational capacities.

Osgood’s tenure at Grinnell, during which the College set and accomplished ambitious goals consistent with its national reputation, has marked numerous improvements in the academic program, physical plant, and faculty/student composition.

“President Osgood has been an extraordinarily talented and effective leader of Grinnell College,” said David White ’90, chair of the Grinnell Board of Trustees. “His strategic management, commitment to academic excellence, and collegial style have advanced the College as one of the nation’s pre-eminent liberal arts institutions.”

One hallmark of Osgood’s tenure has been continued leadership and generous enhancement of Grinnell’s financial aid policies to ensure the College meets the full demonstrated need of domestic students. Other accomplishments during Osgood’s leadership were the establishment of the Expanding Knowledge Initiative, a program that facilitates interdisciplinary study; a master facilities planning process, which led to $260 million in new building on campus; and a proactive recruitment effort that has begun to substantially broaden diversity within the faculty and student body.

“I have loved and enjoyed being Grinnell’s president,” Osgood said. “It has been a special honor to work with and interact with our students. They are fun, smart, and interesting; come in all temperaments; hold high expectations for themselves; and have noble aspirations for the world.”

Osgood added, “My decision to step down in July of 2010 allows the College to conduct a comprehensive, thoughtful search for the next president to lead this extraordinary institution.”

Osgood became the 12th president of Grinnell on Aug. 1, 1998. Previously, he was the Allen R. Tessler Dean and Professor of Law at Cornell University School of Law. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale in 1969, served in the U.S. Navy from 1969–1971, and then returned to Yale, where he edited the Yale Law Journal and received the J.D. degree in 1974.