Civic Engagement Quad (CEQ) Core Project Moves Forward - Message from President Harris
Dear Grinnellians,
I write today with great excitement to share that the Civic Engagement Quad (CEQ) Core project was approved by the Board of Trustees on October 1, 2022, at the conclusion of the fall board meeting. The CEQ presents a distinctive model for student residential living, education, and development. Opening in the fall of 2024, the building will sit at 6th and Broad Street and will offer an apartment-style living option at the intersection of campus and downtown for students. In its civic innovation pavilion, it will provide a space where members of the college and town community can gather for dialogue, exchange, and collaborative brainstorming on community engagement work, which has a long tradition at the College.
We present our deep thanks and admiration to globally renowned architect Sir David Adjaye and Adjaye Associates, especially Russell Crader and the team that he led in partnerships with staff, students, and faculty throughout the past three years of planning. In the coming weeks, a public presentation will share further details and information about this transformative project including views of the apartments and communal living spaces. We will also share models of the biophilic green spaces designed for well-being throughout the building, including a two-story green wall. This presentation will also recap the community-based design process of the past three years involving students, staff, faculty, and community members. Information will be shared about the project’s financing structure, which underwent a rigorous vetting process, is designed to distribute costs, and is separate from the operating budget. While there is much to share about the planning process of the past three years, there are still many decisions to be made about the CEQ.
In anticipation of the planning to come, I invite students, staff, and faculty who are interested in shaping the residential experience and programming of the CEQ to join the CEQ Experiences Working Group. Please contact Myrna Hernandez, chief of staff and vice president of administration, with your interest by Monday, October 10. The group will meet monthly over the next two years, but the commitment to serve will be semester by semester. This further opportunity to shape the next chapter of living and learning in Grinnell is open to all.
Civic Benefits
The CEQ is poised to expand architectural, educational and community discourse beyond Des Moines and the capital cities of the Midwest to Grinnell, Iowa. The project is an opportunity to invest in the values that have endured and defined Grinnell College and the city of Grinnell: intellectual engagement, individual and community empowerment, creating and advancing knowledge, and enacting institutional and societal change. It is an investment in the power of place and an enduring commitment to the common good.
Like many of Adjaye’s past projects, including the Smithsonian Museum of African American History in Washington, DC, the CEQ will become a destination. In doing so, it can support local businesses and entrepreneurs in achieving their goals. It can bring visitors and new investment to downtown Grinnell.
Educational Benefits
The CEQ is consciously designed to foster collaboration and promote civic trust between campus and community members. The space can contribute to the existing relationships between the College and community and supports students in their civic engagement work and learning. Students and their faculty, staff, and community partners can engage in consensus-building and collaboration to discern how to pilot and establish new ways of addressing challenges held in common.
The mission of the College has remained at the forefront of this project since its conception. And an essential and distinctive part of Grinnell College’s core mission is preparing students to address current and future challenges. To do this effectively requires structures and places to create trust and to co-imagine with our community. I am honored to be a part of this esteemed community of people who continue to inspire coalition building – I look forward to the enduring work ahead as we build towards the future.
With anticipation and gratitude,
Anne
Anne F. Harris
President