Leadership Transition

I write this morning to invite you to celebrate a cherished colleague in his upcoming retirement and to learn about next steps in an important transition. Please join me in congratulating Joe Bagnoli, who will retire on June 30, 2027, after a remarkable career including 15 years at Grinnell College. A national leader in the field, Joe is frequently sought out for his expertise and mentorship. His doctoral research on the factors influencing undergraduate enrollment choice has been downloaded by scholars in 64 countries and, among many other accomplishments, he helped found and later chaired the Small College Consortium, served on the counselor advisory board of Western Reserve Academy, and now serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Berea College.  

 

Joe is the first to credit his team, colleagues, and partners across the College for meeting ambitious enrollment goals despite the external pressures facing higher education and liberal arts colleges. That regard is mutual: in 2024, members of Joe’s team nominated him for Grinnell College’s Leading Leader Award, noting that he “consistently demonstrates kindness, equity, and fairness in his interactions with the staff.” I have especially appreciated the way Joe brings both a highly analytical and deeply humanistic approach to the art and science of enrollment management.  

 

He and his team have worked collaboratively, creatively, and persistently to enroll students who will thrive at Grinnell, learn meaningfully with and from each other, and contribute to their communities and the common good. In 2026, more than 14,000 applications to Grinnell were initiated, compared with fewer than 3,000 applications when Joe arrived in 2012. Among many noteworthy achievements during his tenure, Joe has instituted a no-loan policy replacing loans in financial aid packages with more grants, led the College’s enrollment response to changes required by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on the consideration of race in admission, helped increase enrollment from Iowa, and continued to enroll significant numbers of students who are the first in their families to attend college or are eligible for Pell Grants. Joe’s leadership has further distinguished Grinnell as one of a small handful of undergraduate institutions in the U.S. with a markedly international student body. Since 2011, the proportion of international students in the incoming class has risen from 11.3% to a consistent 19-20% over the last several years.  

 

The Grinnell community has benefited from Joe’s commitment to place. In 2020, he assembled organizations and community members to form the Grinnell Food Coalition to address food insecurity and support our neighbors during the pandemic. He continues to serve as chair of the coalition’s Steering Committee and currently chairs the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce Board. To many, Joe will be remembered as the guy who served pancakes to local high school students after home football games. 

 

With all these accomplishments, Joe’s most enduring legacy may be the relationships he has built with fellow Grinnellians and community partners and what they have achieved together through formidable challenges. Joe has special affection for a particular Grinnell alum: his daughter, Lilianna, whose decision to enroll at Grinnell led him to consider his current role, resulting in his family’s move here 15 years ago. Now working in India’s health care sector, she has built a career and life that make her dad proud of her and grateful to Grinnell. 

 

With this announcement, we will now begin a national search for a new Vice President of Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid. A search committee and search firm, as well as a more detailed timeline, will be announced after Fall Break. I am grateful to Joe for giving us generous time to find the next leader for the outstanding team in Admissions and Financial and for our wondrous College. 

 

I look forward to the opportunities in the months ahead to celebrate Joe’s transformative leadership and generous collegiality, and I hope that you will join me in thanking him for all that he has made possible at Grinnell. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Anne F. Harris 

President