Grinnell College | Campus Wellness

As a key anchor institution in a small town in rural Iowa, Grinnell College routinely makes mission-critical decisions with impacts felt beyond the borders of campus. This presents an opportunity to engage authentically and transparently with campus neighbors throughout the decision-making process. When the Grinnell Country Club fell on hard times in 2015, the College stepped in to purchase and save this local treasure. Seeing the potential of this property as a resource for promoting wellness broadly–on campus and among neighbors including historically underprivileged communities–the College undertook this study to engage with both groups in a series of conversations about its future. The team considered the facility as part of an “ecosystem” of wellness, an infrastructural system spanning town and gown, and structured the engagement process holistically to engage community partners in deliberative dialogue while remaining transparent about the institution’s goals and ambitions. Using lavish environmental graphics and interactive exercises, our team constructed a process conducive to authentic engagement and substantive dialogue–while keeping it fun.