Broken English by Gregory Gómez - Sand-cast bronze letters with patina repeat the first few lines of The Second Coming by Yeats

The Grinnell Lecture

A Celebration of Faculty Scholarship

The Grinnell Lecture celebrates Grinnell faculty scholarship and gives public acknowledgement that this scholarship, while important in its own right, also fuels our teaching, continually reshaping the distinctive and high-quality education we provide to our students. This recognition is awarded to faculty whose exemplary scholarship did not come at the expense of excellent teaching, service, and overall engagement to the institution, but in fact reinforced that complete engagement with our mission.

All full-time, regular tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible for nomination and selection.

  • Tenure-track faculty may be nominated for exceptional accomplishments in research and/or creative work unusually early in their professional careers.
  • Tenured faculty are recognized for distinguished achievements in scholarship and/or creative work over the course of their careers.

Criteria for selection may include:

  • Recognition in their discipline or the wider academic community.
  • The significance and contribution of their work within their field or discipline.

Selecting the honored lecturer is the responsibility of the Dean of the College and a committee of the three divisional chairs. The selection is made late in the fall semester and the Grinnell Lecture is delivered in early to mid-February.*

Grinnell Lecturers

2024 — Peter-Michael Osera, Associate Professor of Computer Science

2023 — John Garrison, Professor of English

2022 — Sarah Purcell, L. F. Parker Professor of History

2021 — Jin Feng, Orville and Mary Patterson Routt Professor of Literature

2020 — Vance Byrd, Frank and Roberta Furbush Scholar in German Studies

2019 — Vince Eckhart, Waldo S. Walker Chair in Biology

2018 — Shonda Kuiper, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

2017 — Leslie Lyons, Luther and Jenny Erickson Endowed Professor of Chemistry

2016* — William D. Ferguson, Gertrude B. Austin Professor of Economics

2014 — Tyler Roberts, Professor of Religious Studies

* In 2015, the Grinnell Lecture was moved from December to February of the following year.

Grinnell Lecture Booklets

Since 2017, a booklet including all scholarly accomplishments, such as refereed articles, published books and book chapters, awards, grants, and presentations, for the past calendar year is published.

2024 Grinnell Lecture Booklet (pdf)

2023 Grinnell Lecture Booklet (pdf)

2022 Grinnell Lecture Booklet (pdf)

2021 Grinnell Lecture Booklet (pdf)

2020 Grinnell Lecture Booklet (pdf)

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