Features

Part of the series “Internships Help Grinnellians to Launch”
Part of the series “Internships Help Grinnellians to Launch”
How a curious English major with musical interests forged a career in radio
Part of the series “Internships Help Grinnellians to Launch”
The lasting impact of a student-powered environmental advocacy group
Global seminar merges best aspects of Grinnell curriculum to examine issue of tolerance

In 2019–20, we are excited to gather alumni and friends together for a series of events around the globe, so we can connect and reconnect, discuss, celebrate, and share ideas for empowering Grinnellians.

Clair "Pat" Patterson ’43 was a scientist's scientist. He cared about basic research, knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Although he may be best known for being the first to accurately date the Earth, his discoveries about how lead was polluting air and water and poisoning plants, animals, and human beings defined his career.
In the basement of Burling Library, in the perfectly chilled Print and Drawing Study Room, on an even chillier February afternoon in Grinnell, students eagerly crowded around Jiayun Chen ’19 and Susan Wood, professor of art history at Oakland University. Their attention remained fixed upon a small marble head, resting on a soft white pillow. Chen had examined the portrait before, but this time, she found something new.
For students whose parents didn’t complete a four-year college degree, getting into Grinnell is just the first hurdle. Figuring out how to survive, much less thrive, is a whole series of hurdles. And it’s less a sprint over a brightly lit track than a marathon through a dark tunnel with blind curves, switchbacks, and alarming obstacles.
When she was an expectant mom, Monique Hagan knew the risks that she faced: African-American women are twice as likely to experience pregnancies that result in early delivery, low birth weight, or even infant death, according to National Vital Statistics.
In his previous life as a professor of Russian history, Marshall Poe ’84 enjoyed reading as many scholarly works as he had time and inclination to digest.