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Our world desperately needs intelligent, passionate, engaged young people -- people who are educated in a way that equips and inspires them to change the world for the better. Liberal arts colleges have long embraced social justice within their academic missions and educational approaches. They prepare and celebrate graduates who work for non-profit organizations, educational institutions and government agencies, as well as those who infuse perspectives of positive social change in other settings such as the business world.</p>
<p>As a nation, we should treasure and support our liberal arts colleges, as they produce a disproportionate number of socially conscious innovators who have the capacity and motivation to change the world.
<p>Yay Dr. Kington! I love this guy!! I know I"m not on campus to interact with him (I’m a parent) but I find him so inspiring and interesting. it just makes me admire Grinnell to think that they thought outside the box to bring in someone like him, that Grinnell inspired him to consider becoming a college president (he turned down head hunting forays from other colleges) and for him to come in and have the courage to start with the big picture: advancing Grinnell’s mission to promote social justice. He did not take the safe or easy path and I think sets a wonderful model for the students there.</p>
<p>I also am impressed with how Grinnell has a real sense of mission and applies its resources accordingly. I have read alot of the planning documents online, and see how it supports its threefold mission of diversity, excellence in liberal arts and promoting social justice. I know there may be bumps along the way in the day-to-day implementation, but it is very impressive how well the institution knows itself and thinks clearly about how it should move forward. </p>
<p>I used to work in corporate communications and sometimes helped businesses develop mission statements; most of the time, these ended up being a bunch of buzzwords strung together. I really get the sense at Grinnell that it has developed a mission statement that is at the foundation of everything it does. </p>
<p>I remember when we were visiting colleges, a “higher ranked” LAC on the East Coast had as its slogan something about liberal arts for a 21st century world, and when I asked the director of admissions during the information session what this meant, he was stumped!</p>