Welcome to a New Semester Shared in Community

Dear Grinnellians,

Welcome! Marhaba! Bienvenidas! Shalom! Karibu! Bonjour! Nĭhǎo! Selamat datang! Velkommen! I have been told that Grinnellians might exchange greetings in one of some 60 languages spoken on campus. Whatever the phrase you chose to greet old friends after an absence or new acquaintances you are growing to value as friends — I write to you today to welcome you to this next academic year and all that you will make possible.

A warm welcome to the members of the Class of 2025: we are so glad that you are here! You bring a multiplicity of experiences and perspectives that will further our commitment to the open exchange of ideas and to exploring issues of purpose, responsibility, and integrity on campus and beyond.

Among you:

• 31 different countries are represented (the United States, China, India, South Korea, Vietnam, and Japan have the largest representation),
• 47 U.S. states are represented (California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, and New York have the largest representation),
• 27 percent identify as Black, indigenous, and people of color,
• 19 percent are international students, and
• 11 percent are the first in their family to attend college.

Our mutual words of welcome will be enlivened by the joy we share in knowing what meaningful endeavors we are about to embark upon, coming together as we do in the fullness of community to start our fall semester. After almost 18 months of being mostly apart, we are once more able to share in the triumph of learning fully in community. What a joyous moment!

I want to affirm how each of you — whether faculty, staff, or student — ennobles our mission through the classes you enliven, the lessons you teach, the mentoring and advising you share, the research you conduct, and the support and resources you provide. Collectively, we are carrying forward the research and problem-solving of a robust liberal arts education into a society that needs its benefits and practices of deliberation and collaboration so very much. We gather to learn with and from each other as we address hard questions about social responsibility, racial injustice, wealth and resource equity, climate change, and so many other global issues.

I look forward to the strategic planning all of us will have the opportunity to engage in this year, as we consider how Grinnell College can best stay true to fulfilling its mission, both in service to our students and to a world that is made better by every graduate who goes forth Grinnellian. I invite you to join me at our first convocation of the semester on Thursday, September 2, when I will be sharing more about my vision for Grinnell as an agent of civic trust.

There is meaningful work to be done now and for the future. Today, it is my honor and my pleasure to welcome you to that work and to recognize each of you and the part you play as a member of this extraordinary community.

With welcome and joy,

Anne

Anne F. Harris

President