Tagged As Campus Messages

I write to you within the context of these very challenging times to provide recourse and resources for your well-being and to recall our stewardship of our community and of each other. I write especially to Grinnell students, wanting you to know how very much your faculty and staff care about you, as they live in these times with you.

Grinnell College is a global institution, one where events happening thousands of miles away are likely to personally impact students, staff, and faculty.  We are a community where more than 60 languages are spoken, which represents more than 40 nationalities, and which includes a broad diversity of ethnicities and religious affiliations. Over the past 24 hours, multiple messages have been sent through college platforms.

I am pleased to share that Jonathan Colby, Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of Core services in ITS, has agreed to serve as interim CIO.  His appointment is effective as of Monday, October 16, 2023.

The events and images that news services are sharing from Israel-Palestine are stark and heartbreaking.  Some of our students, faculty, and staff may have loved ones who have been harmed or are in danger. We recognize that there are many people on this campus who have strong ties and connections to the land of Israel-Palestine, making this an overwhelming and painful time.

I write to invite you all to an Intertribal Powwow on Grinnell’s campus to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day today, Monday, October 9, 2023.

Due to excessive heat advisories over the next few days, we will modify some of our previously announced plans. All students, faculty, and staff — along with faculty and staff families — are invited to an indoor all campus welcome dinner on Wednesday and a re-scheduled festival on Sunday:

President Anne F. Harris invites the campus community to a set of convening conversations to start the academic year. This year three sessions will be held on Wednesday, August 23: 1) College finances; 2) the College’s response to the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action; and, 3) Renfrow Hall, civic innovation, and student housing.

A set of sessions held on August 23, as we gather into our community of inquiry, exploring consequential topics for our experiences of the College as these connect to higher education and our global, multi-cultural society at large.