north campus in the spring

The Inauguration of Anne F. Harris

Congratulations, President Harris!

President Anne F. Harris was inaugurated as Grinnell’s 14th president on Saturday, May 7, at 10:30 a.m. CDT

Inaugural Address of Grinnell's 14th president Anne F. Harris

The Inauguration of President Anne F. Harris, held Saturday, May 7, 2022, is complete. You can watch President Harris' Inaugural Address above, or view the full inauguration ceremony.

View the full event transcript.

Download the program (PDF).

  • President Anne F. Harris in her office

    14th President of Grinnell College

    Anne F. Harris

    Anne F. Harris, an energetic leader and gifted teacher, joined Grinnell College in 2019 as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. Later that year, the Grinnell Board of Trustees appointed her to serve as acting president; in 2020, the board unanimously selected Harris to be the 14th president of Grinnell College. During her tenure here, President Harris has quickly become a trusted and admired member of the College community. Before coming to Grinnell, she served for more than two decades as a professor of art history at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.; for three years, she was also vice president for academic affairs at DePauw. At Grinnell, Harris has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the areas of diversity and inclusion, academic program and community development, and financial stewardship and fundraising. A prolific researcher and author, she has published numerous articles and juried and invited papers; Harris also co-authored a textbook on medieval art history, which was published in 2021.

    Learn more about President Harris
  • Students in a classroom smiling.

    Community Event

    Prairie Planting on North Campus

    President Harris’ inauguration provides us with an opportunity to celebrate Grinnell College’s sense of place. This prairie will provide participants the chance to renew Iowa's native landscape, have fun, pay respect to native cultures, and build community.

    New Date: This event has been postponed from May 6 to May 13 due to wet conditions.

    Friday, May 13, 2022
    2–4 p.m. CDT
    North of Ward Field

    Learn more about the prairie planting.

  • Michela Marino Lerman

    Inauguration Celebration Concert

    A high energy concert will feature guest artist and instructor Michela Marino Lerman (NYC), and all-original student music from the Grinnell Jazz Ensemble, Digital Music Making, Sonic Activism, and Tap is Music! No tickets required.

    Friday, May 6, 2022
    7:30 p.m. CDT
    Sebring-Lewis Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts

     

     

  • Orange origami crane

    Community Event

    Community Art Project

    We invite you to join us in creating a community art project as part of the reception following the Inauguration ceremony. We will be folding origami paper cranes and sharing them throughout the community and the nation. Local students, community members, and Grinnell College students have been folding cranes leading up to this celebration.

    Saturday, May 7, 2022
    11:30 a.m–1 p.m CDT (UTC−05:00)
    Kington Plaza

    Learn more about the origami paper cranes project.

Trustees, Participants, and Guests

The Academic Procession

  • Trustees of Grinnell College
  • Delegates
  • Faculty and Staff of Grinnell College
  • The Platform Party

The Marshals of the Procession

  • William Freeman, College Marshal, Associate Professor of Physical Education
  • Jeffrey Blanchard, Assistant College Marshal, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
  • Evelyn O. Freeman, Assistant College Marshal, Assistant Professor of Physical Education
  • Kelly Herold, Chair of the Division of Humanities, Associate Professor of Russian
  • Gemma Sala, Chair of the Division of Social Studies, Associate Professor of Political Science
  • Lee Sharpe, Chair of the Division of Science, Professor of Chemistry
  • Ben Cooprider, Staff Council Co-chair, Assistant Athletic Director
  • Erika Jack, Staff Council, Academic Assistant

Participants in the Inaugural Ceremony

  • George Moose ’66, Honorary Marshal, Trustee, Co-chair of the Selection Committee
  • Keith A. Jantzen ’80, Co-chair of the Inauguration Steering Committee
  • Eva Hill ’22, Student Representative
  • Vida Praitis, Chair of the Faculty, Professor of Biology
  • Julie Gosselink, Trustee, President, Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, Co-chair of the Inauguration
  • Sarah Smith, Staff Council Representative, Director of Outreach Programs and Events
  • Lester Alemán ’07, President, Alumni Council
  • Michael Kahn ’74, Chair of the Board of Trustees
  • Trish Fitzgibbons Anderson ’80, Honorary Marshal, Trustee, Co-chair of the Selection Committee

President Harris wishes to offer a special thank you to her children — Oliver, Iris, and Roman Mackenzie — for their participation in the program as readers.

Michael Kahn ’74, Chair
Sheryl Walter ’78, Vice Chair
Angela Onwuachi-Willig ’94, Vice Chair

Current Members

  • Lester A. Alemán ’07
  • Trish Fitzgibbons Anderson ’80
  • David B. Braman ’75
  • R. Christina Cutlip ’83
  • Odile Disch-Bhadkamkar
  • Jeetander Dulani ’98
  • Shelley Floyd ’72
  • Julie Gosselink
  • Keith A. Jantzen ’80
  • John H. Kispert ’85
  • Kimberly A. Kuncl ’87
  • Tobi Klein Marcus ’87
  • David E. Maxwell ’66
  • Kathryn J. Mohrman ’67 and D.H.L. ’05
  • George E. Moose ’66 and LL.D ’90
  • Jeanne Myerson ’75
  • Saumil Parikh ’99
  • Nancy L. Radermecher ’83
  • W. Edward Senn ’79
  • Karen E. Shaff
  • Joel R. Spiegel ’78
  • Kristin Stout ’89
  • Matthew E. Welch ’96
  • Eric E. Whitaker ’87
  • Connie Wimer

Read more about the current board members.

Life and Retired Trustees

  • Robert F. Austin Jr. ’54 and D.H.L. ’96, Life Trustee
  • Elizabeth Ballantine, Life Trustee
  • J. Robert “Bob” Barr ’57, Life Trustee
  • Richard W. Booth ’54, Life Trustee
  • Ann Bowers
  • Nordahl L. Brue ’67, Life Trustee
  • Carolyn Swartz Bucksbaum ’51 and D.L. ’12, Life Trustee
  • Warren Buffett
  • Janet Carrig ’79
  • Thomas R. Cech ’70 and D.Sc. ’87
  • Mary Sue Coleman ’65 and D.Sc. ’04
  • Henry Cornell ’76
  • David Crosby
  • George Drake ’56
  • John F. Egan ’57, Life Trustee
  • Florence Fearrington
  • Laura M. Ferguson ’90
  • Patricia Jipp Finkelman ’80, Life Trustee
  • Patty Lou Floyd
  • Harold “Hal” W. Fuson Jr. ’67
  • Ronald T. Gault ’62, Life Trustee
  • Charles E. Gottdiener ’86
  • Atul Gupta ’88
  • I. Craig Henderson ’63 and D.Sc. ’94
  • Steve Holtze ’68
  • Kihwan Kim ’57 and D.H.L. ’00, Life Trustee
  • Clinton D. Korver ’89
  • Sylvia Kwan
  • Ron Lavender ’50
  • Todd C. Linden, Life Trustee
  • Caroline H. Little ’81, Life Trustee
  • James A. Lowry ’61 and LL.D. ’08, Life Trustee
  • Paul A. McCulley ’79
  • Susan Holden McCurry ’71
  • Frederick L. “Fritz” Maytag III
  • Randall C. Morgan Jr. ’65 and D.Sc. ’92, Life Trustee
  • Stephen G. Moyer ’79
  • Robert C. Musser ’62, Life Trustee
  • Patricia Meyer Papper ’50, Life Trustee
  • John Roy Price Jr. ’60, Life Trustee
  • Marian Friend Pritzker ’45
  • Ronald B.H. Sandler ’62, Life Trustee
  • Penny Bender Sebring ’64 and LL.D. ’15, Life Trustee
  • M. Anne Campbell Spence ’66 and D.Sc. ’99
  • Barrett W. Thomas ’97
  • Kenneth J. Thompson
  • Lawrence W. Towner
  • David P. White ’90, Life Trustee
  • Henry T. Wingate ’69 and LL.D. ’86, Life Trustee

Learn more about our retired and life trustees.

1636 Harvard University
Qiaomei Tang
Alum
 
1701 Yale University
Mariko Schmmel
Alum
 
1740 University of Pennsylvania
Carolyn Jacobson
Alum
 
1783 Dickinson College
Edward Phillips
Alum
 
1824 Kenyon College
David Lopatto
Alum
 
1832 Wabash College
Gregory Redding
Dean of Students
 
1833 Oberlin College
Amy Kalkbrenner
Alum
 
1833 Haverford College
Benjamin Le
Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Psychology
 
1833 Kalamazoo College
Karen Lowell
Alum
 
1837 DePauw University
Rebecca Schindler
Edwin L. Minar Professor of Classical Studies and Director of the Honor Scholar Program
 
1837 Knox College
James F. Ramsey
Alum
 
1839 Loras College
Scott McClure
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
 
1847 Lawrence University
Richard and Susan Ramsey
Alumni
 
1851 Coe College
Kimberly Lanegran
Joan and Abbott Lipsky Professor of Political Science
 
1852 Wartburg College
Darrel Colson
President
 
1853 Cornell College
Craig Allin ’68
Professor Emeritus of Politics, Public Policy, and Constitutional Law
 
1855 Bates College
Tina Iyer Elfenbein
Alum
 
1855 Berea College
Joseph Bagnoli
Alum
 
1860 Augustana College
Elizabeth Lawrence
Assistant Professor of History
 
1861 Vassar College
Leslie A. Gregg-Jolly
Alum
 
1874 St. Olaf College
John Rommereim
Alum
 
1881 Drake University
John Smith
Vice President of University Advancement
 
1885 Bryn Mawr College
Tamara Beauboeuf
Alum
 
1887 Pomona College
Vince Eckhart
Alum
 
1889 Agnes Scott College
Donna Sadler
Professor Emerita, Art History
 
1928 Mount Mercy University
Todd Olson
President

Lester A. Alemán ’07, President
Robert M. Gehorsam ’76, President-Elect
G. Christopher Meyer ’70, Past-President

  • Edmund E. Atkins ’66
  • Claudia J. Beckwith ’77
  • Ann Poor Cary ’81
  • Kelly E. Clements Hopfer ’96
  • Deborah B. Feir ’68
  • Kate Goddard ’91
  • Deborah I. Gottschalk ’90
  • Graciela G. Guzmán ’11
  • Phillip G. Hales ’02
  • Andrea J. Jackson ’95
  • Bernard Jackson Jr. ’86
  • David S. Jarvis ’04
  • Anton C. Jones ’02
  • Jake M. Joseph ’11
  • Eric B. Mistry ’14
  • Rebecca Reetz Neal ’65
  • Robert A. Ruhl ’76
  • Scott D. Shepherd ’82
  • Thomas J. Triplett ’69
  • Benjamin E. Vaughn Jr. ’15
  • Dawn Helsing Wolters ’87

Brass Quintet

  • Craig Swartz, trumpet
  • Andrew Bishop, trumpet
  • Guinevere Wallace, horn
  • Nathan Dishman, trombone
  • Michael Short, tuba

The Grinnell Singers

  • John Rommereim, Conductor, Blanche Johnson Professor of Music
  • Marlys Grimm, Collaborative Pianist

Soprano

  • Josie Bleess ’25
  • Maren Cooper ’22
  • Mia Eierman ’24
  • Katherine Goodall ’23
  • Anna Inghram ’24
  • Yurie Okumura ’25
  • Maren Ronald ’24
  • Aleesha Shi ’22
  • Madeline Thompson ’24
  • Kana Tsuruta ’25
  • Anna Wilson ’23

Alto

  • Rebecca Bozzo ’24
  • Adah Lange Bryan ’25
  • Olivia Carr ’23
  • Maia DeGrazia ’24
  • Finn Dierks-Brown ’24
  • James Hidlebaugh ’22
  • Eva Hill ’22
  • Zoe Tate Knoernschild ’24
  • Ariel Richards ’23
  • Dolché Sanders ’23
  • Moraine Shore ’23
  • Isabella Steward ’25
  • Haruna Suzuki ’23

Tenor

  • Maia Battis-Wyatt ’23
  • Ben Curran ’25
  • Aidan Danbury ’22
  • Lukas Bruihler ’23
  • Jacob Johnson ’23
  • That “Phukao” Prommolmard ’25
  • Elliot Swaim ’25
  • Han Xie ’25

Bass

  • Evan Albaugh ’25
  • Marty Allen ’24
  • Rexford Essilfie ’22
  • David Gilbert ’22
  • Will Green ’24
  • Beau Leavenworth ’25
  • Mushadda Morocco ’24
  • Minh Nguyen ’25
  • David Rothfusz ’23
  • Sam Sirna ’25
  • Zach Spindler-Krage ’25
  • Joshua Turner ’22
  • Phillip Tyne ’24
  • Oliver Wolfe ’25

Trish Fitzgibbons Anderson ’80, Co-chair
George Moose ’66, Co-chair

Trustee Members

  • Shelley Floyd ’72
  • Julie Gosselink
  • John Kispert ’85
  • Jeanne Myerson ’75
  • W. Edward Senn ’79
  • Joel R. Spiegel ’78
  • Matthew E. Welch ’96

Faculty Members

  • Todd Armstrong
  • Caleb Elfenbein
  • Karla Erickson
  • Lakesia Johnson
  • Vida Praitis

Staff Member

  • Erika Jack

Student Member

  • Regina Logan ’20

Alumni Member

  • Ryann Haines Cheung ’93

Julie Gosselink, Co-chair
Keith Jantzen ’80, Co-chair

Committee Members

  • Lester Alemán ’07
  • Delphina and Scott Baumann
  • Rachel Bly ’93
  • Jayn Bailey Chaney ’05
  • Monica Chavez-Silva
  • Nameera Muhammad Dawood ’23
  • Jay Dick ’93
  • Randye Jones
  • Tess Kulstad
  • Kim Kuncl ’87
  • Regina Logan ’20
  • Peter-Michael Osera
  • Mary Knuth Otto ’63
  • Jim Powers
  • John Rommereim
  • Janet and Kevin Stutz
  • Connie Wimer

Sub-committee Members

  • Chris Bair ’96
  • Meg Jones Bair
  • Jeff Blanchard
  • Mike Burt
  • Heather Cox
  • Karen Dillon
  • Sarah Gearhart-Anderson
  • John Hammond
  • Britta Meints
  • Jeanette Moser
  • Nino Parker ’07
  • Jim Swartz
  • Scott Turley
  • Jenelle Veit
  • Cassie Wherry
  • Rick Whitney
  • Tilly Woodward
  • Laurel leaves on gate column

    About Grinnell

    Founded in 1846, Grinnell College is a private, coed, residential liberal arts and sciences college in Grinnell, Iowa. Around 9,000 people live in our town. About 1,700 students attend the College. We call ourselves Grinnellians. We’re committed to contributing to the common good, and we’re consistently ranked among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges.

    Learn more about us
  • Grinnell College President's Medallion

    The President’s Medallion

    When participating in official occasions, the president of Grinnell College wears full academic regalia, which includes the President’s Medallion as the visible symbol of office.

    A gift from Harold G. Horn ’33 and Dorothy Salisbury Horn ’34, the medallion was first presented at a special convocation in February 1967, when Robert N. Noyce ’49, chair of the board of trustees, invested Glenn Leggett, the eighth president of the College, with the new symbol of office.

    The design of the medallion and the heavy chain that surrounds it blend traditional and contemporary elements that reflect Grinnell’s long tradition of excellence and its continuing service on behalf of contemporary educational and social needs. Central to the design is the seal of the College, which is appropriately surrounded by a laurel wreath, the traditional symbol of excellence. The medallion and chain are made primarily of sterling silver, with yellow gold as a complement.

    The late Louis Glenn Zirkle, a distinguished American artist and Grinnell College professor of art, designed and crafted the President’s Medallion.

  • Iowa Band cane

    The Iowa Band Cane

    Carried by the College Marshal in the academic procession, the Iowa Band Cane has a silver head and a silver scroll attached a few inches below the head. The cane honors the Iowa Band, 11 Congregational ministers, all 1843 graduates of Andover Theological Seminary, who came to Iowa with a special purpose: “Each to found a church and all a college.”

    The ministers saw the latter part of their intention fulfilled with the founding of Iowa College (now Grinnell) in June 1846. The members of the Iowa Band were: Ephraim Adams, Harvey Adams, Ebenezer Alden Jr., James Jeremiah Hill, Horace Hutchinson, Daniel Lane, Eratus Ripley, Alden Burrill Robbins, Williams Salter, Benjamin Adams Spaulding, and Edwin Bela Turner.

    Benjamin Spaulding originally owned the cane, which was presented to him as a gift in 1864 by Dr. James Taylor of Ottumwa, Iowa. Spaulding had the idea that the eldest member of the Band should keep the cane until he died, and it would then pass to the next eldest member, and so on. When the cane was given to Spaulding, six of the original members survived. Their names (Spaulding, Lane, H. Adams, E. Adams, Robbins, and Salter) are inscribed on the cane. When Salter died in 1910, the cane was given to the College. The cane used today is a recreation of the original Iowa Band Cane.

  • Grinnelll College professors in academic regalia

    Academic Regalia

    The custom of wearing a distinctive dress for academic ceremonies dates to the Middle Ages. Academic dress worn at commencements and other college and university ceremonial occasions lends dignity and color and reveals academic achievements through the style of gowns and hoods, and their varying colors.

    Based on the costumes worn at universities in the 14th and 15th centuries — especially at Oxford and Cambridge in England — today’s academic dress is essentially the same as that standardized in the United States by the Intercollegiate Code adopted in 1895. It includes the familiar square mortarboard cap with a tassel that may be black, gold, or an appropriate color, such as pink for a degree in music.

    Read more about academic regalia.

  • George F. Magoun

    Past Presidents

    President Harris joins a distinguished line of past Grinnell College presidents, including our most recent, Dr. Raynard S. Kington.

    • George Frederic Magoun, 1865–84
    • George Augustus Gates, 1887–1900
    • Dan Freeman Bradley, 1902–05
    • John H.T. Main, 1906–31
    • John Scholte Nollen, 1931–40
    • Samuel Nowell Stevens, 1940–54
    • Howard Rothmann Bowen, 1955–64
    • Glenn Leggett, 1965–75
    • A. Richard Turner, 1975–79
    • George A. Drake ’56, 1979–91
    • Pamela A. Ferguson, 1991–97
    • Russell K. Osgood, 1998–2010
    • Raynard S. Kington, 2010–20
    Learn more about our past presidents
  • grotesque carved into stone columns

    Traditions

    With more than 175 years of tradition, Grinnell has a legacy worthy of its past, future, and current community. From its abolitionist roots to the incubation of the Social Gospel movement, Grinnell has a deeply meaningful history and a legacy of activism.

    Learn about the College’s history

    Meet a few of our notable alumni

    Sing along with the Grinnell Songbook

     

Plan Your Visit

Coming in person? You may find the following information useful.

Personal Planning

Visitors are welcome on campus if masked.

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations and Events, and accessible parking and facilities are indicated on the campus map.

Local Facilities

Downtown Grinnell is relatively flat and conducive to walking, as well as close to campus.

Blocks of rooms are being held under “Grinnell College Inauguration” as follow:

Check-in: Friday, May 6
Check-out: Sunday, May 8

  • Best Western Pioneer Inn & Suites — 15 rooms reserved; 641-236-6116 
    • Will be released on April 22
  • Comfort Inn & Suites — 25 rooms reserved; 641-236-5236
    • Will be released on April 6
  • Country Inn & Suites – 24 rooms reserved; 641-236-9600
    • Will be released on April 6

Travel

Grinnell College’s location in central Iowa makes it an easy drive from any major metropolis in the Midwest. Visitor parking is available on and around campus.

Campus map and directions

 For media inquiries, please contact Mattia Wells, senior content strategist—media relations.

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