Welcome to the New Academic Year

Dear Grinnellians,

Welcome to the start of a new academic year!

It is my great honor to start this year with you in my new role as your president. It is truly wonderful to think of classes being in session and the launch of our great endeavor. I look forward to the coming weeks and months with a strong sense of confidence in our ability to create meaningful connections, both intellectual and interpersonal; inspiration from the commitment of students, faculty, staff, and alumni in our collective enterprise; determination that we will engage in the urgent societal issues of racism and inequality; and gratitude for this vibrant community.  

We know this will be an academic year unlike any other we have experienced. From wearing a mask (and a face shield within buildings!) to changing the academic calendar, to rethinking how we teach and learn, we hold our well-being in trust together. It is my hope that every one of you, whether you are a new or a returning student, faculty, or staff member, already feels supported by our caring community and empowered to achieve great things in the coming year.

This year, we will work together to fulfill our mission within a virtual realm as well as an embodied one. Together we will engage in the complexities of understanding and contributing to how, enduringly, a group of faculty, staff, students, and alumni from all over the world become and shape a community. As we do so, I invite you to enthusiastically support, engage in, and be inspired by the meaningful opportunities for civic engagement during this election year, as well as for connection provided by college-wide programs such as Writers@Grinnell, Convocation, and the Grinnell Prize, and the uniquely Grinnellian departmental and student-driven programs that will emerge over the course of this year. We support these efforts as we continue to look for innovative ways to reach and engage all Grinnellians to live and learn in community while physically distant.

Thank you to every faculty, staff, alumni, and student member of our community for the work you have done to prepare for the many challenges and opportunities this year holds. I recognize and celebrate your commitment to Grinnell and to working together to create a successful year. The Grinnell spirit of generosity and determination will stand us in good stead this new academic year.

My best to you all,

Anne

Anne F. Harris
President