Grinnell College is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
liberal arts college
A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual ca ...
in
Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College.
History
Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who we ...
, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England
Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.
Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-student ratio of American liberal arts colleges, enabling
need-blind admissions and substantial academic merit scholarships to boost socioeconomic diversity. Students receive funding for unpaid or underpaid summer internships and professional development (including international conferences and professional attire). Grinnell participates in a 3–2 engineering dual degree program with
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
, a 2–1–1–1 engineering program with
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
and a Master of Public Health cooperative degree program with
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
.
Among Grinnell alumni are 15
Rhodes Scholars, 5
Marshall Scholars
The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...
, 16
Truman Scholars
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...
, 122
Fulbright grantees, 80
Watson Fellows
Watson may refer to:
Companies
* Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals
* A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa
* Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center
* Watson Systems, maker ...
, 20
Goldwater Scholars (since 2000), 1
Obama Scholar and 1
Nobel laureate. It is one of the top producers of Fulbright grantees. Its alumni include actor
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
, Nobel chemist
Thomas Cech
Thomas Robert Cech (born December 8, 1947) is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, ...
, Intel co-founder
Robert Noyce, jazz musician
Herbie Hancock, government administrator
Harry Hopkins, and comedian
Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wr ...
.
The 120-acre campus includes several listings on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as well as a
César Pelli designed student center, integrated academic complexes, and athletics facilities. Grinnell College also manages significant real estate adjacent to the campus and in the
historic downtown, a free-access golf course, and the 365-acre
Conard Environmental Research Area.
History
In 1843, eleven Congregational ministers, all of whom trained at
Andover Theological Seminary
Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, set out to proselytize on the frontier. Each man pledged to gather a church and together the group or band would seek to establish a college. When the group arrived in Iowa later that year, each selected a different town in which to establish a congregation. In 1846, they collectively established Iowa College in
Davenport. A few months later, Iowa joined the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
.
The first 25 years of Grinnell's history saw a change in name and location. Iowa College moved farther west from Davenport, Iowa, to the town of Grinnell and unofficially adopted the name of its new home, which itself had been named for one of its founders: an
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
minister,
Josiah Bushnell Grinnell, to whom journalist
Horace Greeley supposedly wrote "
Go West, young man Go west, young man may refer to:
* "Go West, young man", a quote often attributed to American author Horace Greeley concerning America's expansion westward
Film and television
* ''Go West, Young Man'' (1918 film), an American comedy western film ...
, go West." However, Greeley vehemently denied ever saying this to Grinnell, or to anyone. The name of the corporation, "The Trustees of Iowa College," remained, but in 1909 the name "Grinnell" was adopted by the trustees for the institution.
![Josiah Bushnell Grinnell - Brady-Handy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Josiah_Bushnell_Grinnell_-_Brady-Handy.jpg)
In its early years, the college experienced setbacks. Although two students received Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1854 (the first to be granted by a college west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
), within 10 years the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
had claimed most of Grinnell's students and professors. In the decade following the war, growth resumed: women were officially admitted as candidates for degrees, and the curriculum was enlarged to include then-new areas of academic studies, such as
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
with laboratory work.
![After the June 17, 1882 tornado, from-Brick College after the storm, by Everett, James E](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/After_the_June_17%2C_1882_tornado%2C_from-Brick_College_after_the_storm%2C_by_Everett%2C_James_E.%2C_1834-_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 1882, Grinnell College was struck by a tornado — then called a cyclone, after which the college yearbook was named. The storm devastated the campus and destroyed both College buildings. Rebuilding began immediately, and the determination to expand wasn't limited to architecture: the curriculum was again extended to include departments in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
(one of the first in the United States — the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
's department was founded in 1879, three years earlier) and modern languages.
Grinnell became known as the center of the
Social Gospel reform movement, as Robert Handy writes, "The movement centered on the campus of Iowa (now Grinnell) College. Its leading figures were
Professor George D. Herron and President
George A. Gates". Other firsts pointed to the lighter side of college life: the first intercollegiate
football and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
games west of the Mississippi were played in Grinnell, and the home teams won.
As the 20th century began, Grinnell established a
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
chapter, introduced the departmental "major" system of study, began Grinnell-in-China (an educational mission that lasted until the
Japanese invasion and resumed in 1987), and built a women's residence hall system that became a national model. The social consciousness fostered at Grinnell during these years became evident during
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's presidency, when Grinnell graduates
Harry Hopkins '12, Chester Davis '11,
Paul Appleby '13,
Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan Davis (August 27, 1889 in Redfield, South Dakota – June 23, 1969 in Old Tappan, New Jersey) was an American theatrical producer and director, playwright, and author, best known as director of the Federal Theatre Project, a pa ...
'11, and Florence Kerr '12 became influential
New Deal administrators.
Concern with social issues, educational innovation, and individual expression continue to shape Grinnell. As an example, the school's "5th year travel-service program," preceded the establishment of the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
by many years. Other recent innovations include first-year tutorials, cooperative pre-professional programs, and programs in quantitative studies and the societal impacts of technology. Every year, the college awards the $100,000
Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize, which is split between the recipient and their organization.
In 1975, Grinnell College through their Grinnell Communications subsidiary had purchased NBC affiliate
WLWD from
Avco Broadcasting Corporation for about $13 million. The station had changed its call letters to WDTN once the sale closed. Shortly after WDTN becoming an ABC affiliate, the station was sold off to Hearst Broadcasting for $45–$48 million.
In 2022, Grinnell became the first fully unionized undergraduate school in the U.S., when student workers voted to expand their dining hall workers union to include all student workers. The move was supported by the President of the college.
Campus
Grinnell College is located in the town of
Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College.
History
Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who we ...
, about halfway between
Des Moines and
Iowa City. The main campus is bounded by 6th Avenue (which is also US Highway 6) on the south, 10th Avenue on the north, East Street on the east and Park Street on the west. The campus contains sixty-three buildings ranging in style from
Collegiate Gothic to
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...
.
Goodnow Hall and
Mears Cottage (1889) are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
Immediately west of the college is the
North Grinnell Historic District, which contains over 200 National Register of Historic Places
contributing buildings.
![GrinnellCollege EastRHalls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/GrinnellCollege_EastRHalls.JPG)
The residential part of campus is divided into three sections: North Campus, East Campus, and South Campus. North and South Campus' dormitories are modeled explicitly after the
residential colleges
A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship w ...
of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
. The four East Campus dormitories were designed by William Rawn Associates and feature a modern,
LEED-certified design constructed from Iowa limestone.
All three campuses feature dormitory buildings connected by
loggia
In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
, an architectural signature of the college. The loggia on South Campus is the only entirely closed loggia, featuring walls on all sides, while the loggias on East and North campus are only partially closed. From the time that the first dorm opened in 1915 until the fall of 1968, the nine north campus dorms were used exclusively for male students, and the six south campus dorms reserved for female students. The dorm halls house significantly fewer students than halls at other colleges.
Most academic buildings are located on the southwestern quarter of campus. The athletic facilities are mostly located north of 10th Avenue.
![CERA prairie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/CERA_prairie.jpg)
In addition to the main campus, the college owns much of the adjacent property. Many administrative offices are located in converted houses across Park Street near the older academic buildings, and several residences are used for college-owned off-campus student housing.
![Grinnell College Carnegie Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Grinnell_College_Carnegie_Hall.JPG)
The college maintains a environmental research area called the
Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA). The U.S. Green Building Council awarded CERA's Environmental Education Center a gold certification. The building is the first in Iowa to receive the designation.
During the 2000s, the college completed the Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center, the
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
The Bucksbaum Center for the Arts is part of Grinnell College, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The center was completed in May 1999, and actually contains the old Fine Arts complex. The center was designed by renowned architect César Pelli.
The ...
, the renovation of the Robert Noyce '49 Science Center and the Joe Rosenfield '25 Student Center. Internationally renowned architect
César Pelli designed the athletics center, the Joe Rosenfield '25 Student Center, and the
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
The Bucksbaum Center for the Arts is part of Grinnell College, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The center was completed in May 1999, and actually contains the old Fine Arts complex. The center was designed by renowned architect César Pelli.
The ...
.
The college has recently embarked on a significant period of new construction, which is expected to last until 2034. The first phase of this construction process included a comprehensive landscaping update, a new Admissions and Financial Aid building, and the Humanities and Social Sciences Complex (HSSC). This first phase cost $140 million and was completed in mid-2020. The second phase, currently in planning, is focused on the Downtown Student Residence project (DSR) including a building designed by renowned architecture firm
Adjaye Associates.
Academics
Reputation
Grinnell College is considered one of the 30
Hidden Ivies
''Hidden Ivies'' is a college educational guide with the most recent edition, ''The Hidden Ivies, 3rd Edition: 63 of America's Top Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities'', published in 2016, by Howard and Matthew Greene.
Overview
Howard and M ...
.
![Grinnell 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Grinnell_002.JPG)
The 2022 annual ranking of ''
U.S. News & World Report'' rates it tied for the 15th best liberal arts college overall in the U.S., 6th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching, 8th for "Best Value", and tied for 18th for "Most Innovative". Grinnell is ranked 5th in the 2021 ''
Washington Monthly
''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine is known for its annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which serves as an alterna ...
'' rankings for liberal arts colleges, which focus on key outputs such as research, dollar value of scientific grants won, the number of graduates going on to earn Ph.D. degrees, and certain types of public service. The college has been consistently ranked in the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the nation since the publication began in 1983. ''
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
''Kiplinger's Personal Finance'' ( ) is an American personal finance magazine published by Kiplinger since 1947. It claims to be the first American personal finance magazine and to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language". It ...
'' ranked Grinnell 14th in its 2019 ranking of "best value" liberal arts colleges in the United States. In ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine's 2019 rankings of academic institutions, "America's Top Colleges" (which uses a non-traditional ranking system based on
RateMyProfessors.com evaluations, notable alumni, student debt, percentage of students graduating in four years, and the number of students or faculty receiving prestigious awards), Grinnell College was ranked 80th among all colleges and universities, 34th among liberal arts colleges, and 10th in the Midwest.
Faculty
Grinnell had 173 full-time faculty in Fall 2020, all of whom possess a doctorate or the
terminal degree
A terminal degree is a college degree that is the highest level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in a specific academic or professional field. In other cases, it is a degree that is awarded when a candidate completes a certain amou ...
in their field.
Admission
''U.S. News & World Report'' classifies Grinnell's selectivity as "most selective."
For Fall 2022, Grinnell received 11,658 freshmen applications; 1,073 were admitted (9.2%).
In 2021, Grinnell received 10,587 applicants and admitted 10.5% of them.
During the 2020-2021 application season, Grinnell offered a standardized test-optional application, due to limited testing access caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The middle 50% range of
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
scores for the enrolled freshmen was 670–750 for critical reading and 683–788 for math, while the
ACT Composite range was 30–34.
[
Grinnell College's admission selectivity rating, according to ]The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...
in 2018, is a 95 out of 99. This rating is determined by several institutionally reported factors, including: the class rank, average standardized test scores, and average high school GPA of entering freshmen; the percentage of students who hail from out-of-state; and the percentage of applicants accepted.
The primary factor in evaluating applicants is the quality of the prior education they have received, as shown by their transcript. Additional factors include standardized test scores, student writing skills, recommendations, and extracurricular activities.
Early decision rounds are offered to students in the fall; most students apply in January of their final year in high school. Admission decisions are released late March or early April of each year. All students begin classes in August.
The students' expectation of needing financial assistance does not affect the admission process.[Montgomery, David]
"International student financial aid goes need-sensitive"
, ''The Scarlet & Black'', March 4, 2005
Graduation rates
Despite the growing trend of U.S. students taking five or more years to finish an undergraduate degree, Grinnell College is strongly oriented towards students being enrolled full-time in exactly eight consecutive semesters at the college, although exceptions are available for medical issues and other emergencies. To avoid being suspended from the college, students must make "normal progress towards graduation." This generally means that the student must pass at least 12 credits of classes in each individual semester, with grades C or higher, and have accumulated enough credits to make graduation possible at the end of four years, which requires an average of 15.5 credits each semester. A student who is not making normal progress towards graduation is placed on academic probation and may be dismissed from the college.
Nationwide, only 20% of college students complete a four-year undergraduate degree within four years, and only 57% of college students graduate within six years. However, at Grinnell College, 84% of students graduate within four years. This is the highest graduation rate of any college in Iowa.
Academic Affiliation
Grinnell is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) is a consortium of 14 private liberal arts colleges, primarily in the Midwestern United States. The 14 colleges are located in five states (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado). The ACM was es ...
, an academic consortium of 14 liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and Colorado which coordinates several off-campus study programs in a large number of countries as its primary activity.
Tuition and financial aid
Grinnell's combined tuition, room, board, and fees for the 2022–2023 academic year is $76,528. Tuition and fees are $61,480 and room and board are $15,048.
Grinnell College is one of a few dozen US colleges that maintain need-blind admissions and meets the full demonstrated financial need of all U.S. residents who are admitted to the college. Grinnell offers a large amount of need-based and merit-based aid in comparison with peer institutions. Currently (2020–21), 86% of students receive some form of financial aid. In 2018–2019, 20% of students enrolled at Grinnell College were receiving federal Pell Grants
A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled i ...
, which are generally reserved for students from low-income families. The average financial aid package is over $51,770. Grinnell guarantees a $10,000 Grinnell Choice Scholarship renewable for eight semesters to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents admitted under the Early Decision program.
Beginning with the first-year students enrolled in the 2006–2007 school year, Grinnell ended its need-blind admissions policy for international applicants. Under the old policy, students from countries outside the U.S. were admitted without any consideration of their ability to afford four years of study at the college. However, financial aid offers to these students were limited to half the cost of tuition. International students frequently carried very high workloads in an effort to pay the bills, and their academic performance often suffered. Under the new "need-sensitive" or "need-aware" policy, international students whose demonstrated financial needs can be met are given a slight admissions edge over applicants who can't. The twin hopes are that the enrolled international students will be able to dedicate more energy to their schoolwork, and also that this will ultimately allow the college to provide higher tuition grants to international students.
According to data for students enrolled approximately in 2008, the median family income for students was US$119,700 (74th percentile). This is somewhat lower than typical for other highly selective schools. Compared to other schools in the Midwestern Conference and to other highly selective schools, Grinnell College enrolled more students whose family income was in the lowest quintile
Quintile may refer to:
*In statistics, a quantile for the case where the sample or population is divided into fifths
*Quintiles, a biotechnology research company based in the United States
*Quintile (astrology)
In astrology, an aspect is an ...
(6.3% of enrolled students).
Athletics
The school's varsity sports teams are named the Pioneers. They participate in eighteen intercollegiate sports at the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division III level and in the Midwest Conference
The Midwest Conference (MWC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was ...
. In addition, Grinnell has several club sports teams that compete in non-varsity sports such as volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
, sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...
, water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
, ultimate and rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
.
Nearly one-third of recent Grinnell graduates participated in at least one of varsity sports while attending the college and the college has led the Midwest Conference in the total number of Academic All-Conference honorees in last four years (as of 2021).
The Grinnell Pioneers won the first game of intercollegiate football west of the Mississippi when they beat the University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
24–0 on November 16, 1889.[Lamb, D and McGrane, B, p. 2.] A stone marker still stands in Grinnell Field marking the event.
The men's water polo team, known as the Wild Turkeys, were runners-up in the 2007 College Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Collegiate National Club Championships hosted by Lindenwood University
Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mis ...
in St. Charles, Missouri. They also qualified for the tournament in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2014. The Men's Ultimate team, nicknamed the Grinnellephants, qualified in 2008 for its first Division III National Championship in Versailles, Ohio
Versailles ( ) is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. It is the only village in Wayne Township. The population was 2,687 at the 2010 census.
History
Founded in 1819, the village is named after the city of Versailles in France. Versa ...
. The Women's Ultimate team, nicknamed The Sticky Tongue Frogs, tied for third place in the 2010 Division III National Championship in Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh)
is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...
. The success was repeated in 2011 when the men's team placed third in 2011 Division III National Championship in Buffalo.
In February 2005, Grinnell became the first Division III school featured in a regular season basketball game by the ESPN network family in 30 years when it faced off against the Beloit Buccaneers on ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
. Grinnell lost 86–85. Grinnell College's basketball team attracted ESPN due to the team's run and gun style of playing basketball, known in Grinnell simply as "The System." Coach Dave Arseneault
David Michael Arseneault (born August 12, 1953) is a former college basketball head coach. He invented the Grinnell System, a run-and-gun style that he employed with the Grinnell Pioneers. He was also an associate professor of physical educat ...
originated the Grinnell System
The Grinnell System, sometimes referred to as The System, is a fast-tempo style of basketball developed by coach David Arseneault at Grinnell College. It is a variation of the run-and-gun system popularized by coach Paul Westhead at Loyola Marymo ...
that incorporates a continual full-court press, a fast-paced offense, an emphasis on offensive rebounding, a barrage of three-point shots and substitutions of five players at a time every 35 to 40 seconds. This allows a higher average playing time for more players than the "starters" and suits the Division III goals of scholar-athletes. "The System" has been criticized for not teaching the principles of defense. However, under "The System," Grinnell has won three conference championships over the past ten years and have regularly placed in the top half of the conference. Coach Arseneault's teams have set numerous NCAA scoring records and several individuals on the Grinnell team have led the nation in scoring or assists.
On November 19, 2011, Grinnell player Griffin Lentsch set a new Division III individual scoring record in a game against Principia College
Principia College (Principia or Prin) is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. It was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan with the purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science." "Although the College is not affiliated wit ...
. The guard scored 89 points, besting the old record of 77, also set by a Pioneers player—Jeff Clement—in 1998. Lentsch made 27 of his 55 shots, including 15 three-pointers as Grinnell won the high-scoring game 145 to 97. On November 20, 2012, Grinnell's Jack Taylor broke Lentsch's scoring record, as well as the records for NCAA and collegiate scoring, in a 179–104 victory over Faith Baptist Bible College. Taylor scored 138 points on 108 shots, along with 3 rebounds, 6 turnovers and 3 steals. Taylor went 27 for 71 from behind the arc. Taylor scored 109 points in a November 2013 game against Crossroads College
Crossroads College (originally International Christian Bible College and later Minnesota Bible College) was a four-year, coeducational Christian college in Rochester, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1913 and ceased offering classes in ...
to become the first player in NCAA history to have two 100-point games.
In 2019, the Grinnell women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in the 46-year history of the program, defeating St. Norbert College in a five-set thriller during the Midwest Conference Tournament championship match at Cornell College's gymnasium. It also marked Grinnell's first-ever MWC Tournament title in volleyball.
Social activities and organizations
Students at Grinnell adhere to an honor system known as " self-governance" wherein they are expected to govern their own choices and behavior with minimal direct intervention by the college administration. By cultivating a community based on freedom of choice, self-governance aims to encourage students to become responsible, respectful, and accountable members of the campus, town, and global community.
The organizational structure of the Student Government Association, wielding a yearly budget of over $450,000 and unusually strong administrative influence, covers almost all aspects of student activity and campus life.
Founded in November 2000, the student-run group Pioneer Capital Investments (PCI), formerly known as Student Endowment Investing Group, actively invests over $100,000 of Grinnell College's endowment capital in public equities. The group's mission is to provide interested students with valuable experience for future careers in finance.
Service organizations are popular. The Alternative Break ("AltBreak") program takes students to pursue service initiatives during school holidays, and as of 2005, Grinnell had more alumni per capita serving in the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
than any other college in the nation.Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
Peace Corps Announces the Colleges and Universities that Have Produced the Most Peace Corps Volunteers
. January 24, 2005. The college also runs its own post-graduation service program known as Grinnell Corps in Grinnell, China, Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
, , and Thailand, and has previously operated programs in Greece, Lesotho, Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
, and Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
.
The ''Scarlet and Black'' is the campus newspaper and KDIC (88.5 FM) was the student-run radio station from 1968 to 2020. The ''Scarlet and Black'', or the ''S&B'' is the oldest college newspaper west of the Mississippi River, and is currently in its 130th year of publication. The newspaper, typically 16 tabloid pages in length, is published in print most Mondays of the school year an
online
Students primarily write the newspaper, although occasional letters from alumni or faculty are included. Funding comes from student fees and advertisers.
The school also has a bi-weekly satirical newspaper, "The B&S," which features articles about current events both on and off campus. "The B&S" satirizes social and political issues in articles, graphics, and crosswords.
Grinnell also has an entirely student-run textbook lending library on campus. Aimed at the economically disadvantaged yet open to all, it allows students to check out books for the semester for free, defraying the high cost of college textbooks. This particular library has no funding, relying solely on donated books. Since its founding in 2005, the collection has grown to thousands of books, thanks to the generosity of the campus community. This library has expanded to include caps and gowns, which are lent out to graduating seniors every spring.
Grinnell hosts the Titular Head
A titular ruler, or titular head, is a person in an official position of leadership who possesses few, if any, actual powers. Sometimes a person may inhabit a position of titular leadership and yet exercise more power than would normally be expecte ...
student film festival.
Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers
In 2016, Grinnell students founded the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers, or UGSDW, to represent student workers in the college's dining hall. It was the first undergraduate student workers union at a private college in the United States.
On April 26, 2022, members of the Union voted 327-6 to expand the Union to all hourly paid student workers on campus. This made Grinnell the first and only fully unionized student-worker body in the country.
On October 6th, 2022, the UGSDW and the College began negotiations. This was the first bargaining session in American labor history that began the negotiation process for a contract that covers all student-workers on campus. This bargaining will negotiate a contract for all student workers on campus and cover issues such as but not limited to pay, workplace grievances, and job security.
Prior to the expansion vote in 2022, the UGSDW attempted to expand to all hourly paid student workers in 2018. The college administration responded by hiring Proskauer Rose LLP, a multi-national law firm that employees more than 800 attorneys in twelve offices worldwide. The college argued that the students were not legally considered workers and thus not eligible for a union. This argument was rejected at the regional level by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The college then threatened to appeal that decision to national NLRB. The UGSDW, fearing that the Trump Administration's NLRB would harm union efforts across the country, withdrew the petition for expansion.
Proskauer Rose is noted for being involved in other anti-union efforts, such as among technology workers at The New York Times.
Notable alumni
* William A. Noyes, 1879, an analytical and organic chemist who made pioneering determinations of atomic weights
* George Edward White, 1882, American Congregationalist missionary, president of Anatolia College
Anatolia College (Greek: Κολλέγιο Ανατόλια, , also known as the American College (Greek: Αμερικάνικο Κολλέγιο, ), is a private, non-profit, educational institution located in Pylaia, a suburb of Thessaloniki, ...
, witness to the Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
* Sen Katayama
Sen may refer to:
Surname
* Sen (surname), a Bengali surname
* Şen, a Turkish surname
* A variant of the Serer patronym Sène
Currency subunit
* Etymologically related to the English word ''cent''; a hundredth of the following currencies:
* ...
, 1892, co-founder in 1922 of Japanese Communist Party
*George A. Wilson
George Allison Wilson (April 1, 1884 – September 8, 1953) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a United States Senate, United States Senator and List of Governors of Iowa, 28th Governor of Iowa.
Personal background
Born on a farm near ...
, 1903, Iowa Governor and United States Senator
* Oliver Buckley, 1901, President, Bell Labs
* Cornelia Clarke, 1909, Nature photographer
* Hallie Flanagan
Hallie Flanagan Davis (August 27, 1889 in Redfield, South Dakota – June 23, 1969 in Old Tappan, New Jersey) was an American theatrical producer and director, playwright, and author, best known as director of the Federal Theatre Project, a pa ...
, 1911, pioneer of experimental theatre and director, the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration; first woman to win a Guggenheim Fellowship
* Harry Hopkins, 1912, senior advisor to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, principal architect of New Deal, WPA
WPA may refer to:
Computing
*Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard
*Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing
* Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada
* Windows Performance An ...
administrator.
* Joseph Welch, 1914, head attorney for United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
during Army-McCarthy Hearings
* Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
, 1922, Academy Award-winning-winning actor, best known for '' High Noon''
* Frank W. Cyr, 1923, "Father of the Yellow School Bus"
*K. C. Wu, 1923, Mayor of Shanghai and Governor of Taiwan Province
*Morgan Taylor, 1924, American Hurdling, hurdler and the first athlete to win three Olympic medals in the 400 m hurdles
*Joseph Rosenfield, 1925, Head of Younkers department store and friend of Warren Buffett
*Edwina Florence Wills, 1937, artist and composer
* Clair Cameron Patterson, 1943, American geochemist, measurement of age of Earth, campaign against lead poisoning, J. Lawrence Smith Medal, V. M. Goldschmidt Award
* Robert Noyce, 1949, co-founder of Intel, co-inventor of the integrated circuit, National Medal of Science recipient
* Herbie Hancock, 1960, Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer
*Martha Cooper, 1963, Icon of the Street art movement and author of Subway Art
* Peter Coyote, 1964, American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audiobooks. He is known for his work in various films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Erin Brockovich (2000)
* Mary Sue Coleman, 1965, president of the University of Iowa (1995–2002) and the University of Michigan (2002–2014)
*David Maxwell (academic), David Maxwell, 1966, Scholar of Anton Chekhov and president of Drake University
*Nordahl Brue, 1967, co-founder of Bruegger's bagels and chair of the PKC Corporation and Franklin Foods
* John Garang, 1969, founder of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and former Vice President of Sudan
* Thomas Cech
Thomas Robert Cech (born December 8, 1947) is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, ...
, 1970, co-winner of 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute
*Greg Thielmann, 1972, Intelligence analyst for the United States Department of State and critic of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
* John Burton Chambers, 1977, managing director of Standard & Poor's Rating Services
*Paul McCulley, 1979, American economist and former managing director at PIMCO.
* Bernice King, 1985 graduate of Spelman College, American minister, best known as the youngest daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
*Eric E. Whitaker, 1987, Prominent African Americans, African American physician, health policy expert and close friend to President Barack Obama
*May-lee Chai, 1989, author, professor and American Book Award winner
*Thomas Meglioranza, 1992, American operatic baritone
*Christine Thorburn, Christine Thornburn, 1992, American physician and Olympic cyclist, United States National Time Trial Championships, U.S. women's individual time trial champion in 2004, and later represented the United States in 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games
*Ian Shoemaker, 1996, American Football Coach
* Emily Bergl, 1997, English-American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Tammi Bryant on the TNT drama series Southland (TV series) (2009–2013) and Sammi Slott in Shameless (American TV series) (2014–2015)
* Florin Cîțu, 1999, Prime Minister of Romania (2020-2021)
* Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wr ...
, 2001, comedian, actor, screenwriter and podcaster, best known for his role as Dinesh on HBO’s comedy series Silicon Valley (TV series), Silicon Valley, and for co-writing and starring in the romantic comedy The Big Sick.
* Chase Strangio, 2004, deputy director for Transgender Justice at the American Civil Liberties Union, included in 2020's Time 100 most influential people in the world
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
Grinnell College,
Buildings and structures in Poweshiek County, Iowa
Education in Poweshiek County, Iowa
Educational institutions established in 1846
Liberal arts colleges in Iowa
Tourist attractions in Poweshiek County, Iowa
1846 establishments in Iowa Territory
Grinnell, Iowa
Private universities and colleges in Iowa