The CTLA sponsors Community Friday luncheon learning opportunities during the fall and spring semesters. These events are designed to give faculty and staff the chance to enjoy lunch with colleagues, learn from presenters, and engage in conversation and reflection. Topics for discussion will focus on pedagogy, teaching and learning, faculty development, and student success. Announcements are sent out on a weekly basis with a request for RSVPs and lunch options. Unless otherwise noted, Community Fridays take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Humanities and Social Studies Center, Room A1231, with lunch service beginning at 11:45 a.m.
Spring 2025 Community Friday Schedule
Over the past several decades, "affirmative action" has generated a lot of comments and litigation, particularly for institutions of higher education. Professor of History Emeritus Dan Kaiser joins us to take a look back at affirmative action and how, in 1918, Grinnell College anticipated the idea by identifying and recruiting to Grinnell African American men. Professor Kaiser will outline the College's plan, the support of a Chicago philanthropist, and the demise of the project whose ambitions later efforts attempted to revive.
Please join us for the next Community Friday on February 7th. This session showcases the robust network of advisers that students have access to at Grinnell. Panelist pairs Kate Ferraro, Academic Advising and Monty Roper, Anthropology; Mary Jane Shroyer, CLS and Jim Swartz, Chemistry; and Alicia Stanley, IGE and Kristen Burson, Physics, will demonstrate how advisers from different areas of the college have communicated and collaborated to meet student needs.
Through table dialogue, we seek to build capacity for effective communication across both faculty and staff advisers, so when you join us, please sit with people you know less well to get to know them and their work. This session is hosted by Joyce Stern, Dean for Student Success and Academic Advising, and is inspired by the work of the Quality Initiative on Advising, which has raised our awareness of the need to provide more professional development to advisers.
The CTLA thanks Academic Advising for their generous support of this event.
Please join us for the Community Friday on Feb. 14. As part of the College’s commitment to academic excellence AND financial sustainability, there is renewed interest around building the role philanthropy can play in shaping the future of Grinnell. You are invited to join President Anne Harris and the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Bernadine Douglas, for a conversation around building a culture that inspires and nurtures giving to support mission of the College.
The CTLA thanks DAR for their generous support of this event.
For Community Friday on Feb. 21, we are pleased to welcome Monica Chavez-Silva, vice president of community engagement and strategic planning; Ross Haenfler, professor of sociology; Roger Henderson, field placement and licensing coordinator in education, and Mike Guenther, associate professor of history.
Chavez-Silva will discuss the role of volunteers in meeting the needs of our communities, share information about rural nonprofit leadership, and talk about specific ways that the Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research can support employees interested in volunteering. She currently serves as a commissioner for Volunteer Iowa, the state’s commission on volunteer service.
Haenfler will share his experience serving on the board of Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA). He will discuss how this service has influenced his teaching, helped him build relationships in the community, and has been a source of joy.
Henderson will talk about how serving on the board of directors of the Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation and the Grinnell School of Music has informed his work as a teacher and in his current position with the education department.
Guenther will talk about his experiences on the board of the new Grinnell Historical Museum.
We are delighted to be joined by Alexis Steele, the manager of student health and wellness. Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour training. Join Steele to learn why this training is important for everyone, what the training covers, and valuable information about mental health. There will be handouts with resources and fun activities.
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