Project Lead: Karen Edwards (Dean of International Student Affairs, Grinnell College) & Georgia Proestopoulou ‘01 (Associate Director of US College Counseling, Anatolia College, Greece)
Vivero Fellow (2023-2024): Raj Jhanwar
Vivero Fellow (2022-2023): Lena Wiebe
Two separate institutions, on two sides of the world, share deep and lasting connections through wars, trans-national migration, and shifting governmental regimes. The liberal arts ethos of Grinnell College served as a guiding force in the development of Anatolia College in Thessoloniki, Greece – helping to shape it into the bustling international institution it is today. George E. White and his wife Esther (Robins) White (both graduated from Grinnell in 1882) played a pivotal role at Anatolia’s founding, and many Grinnellians have followed in their footsteps over the years. The path from Anatolia to Grinnell is also well trodden — as the 33rd recipient of the George E. White ’82 scholarship just joined the Class of 2026. The long-term educational ties between these two institutions continues to impact the lives of countless students and alumni, in Greece and the U.S.A. Both institutions remain grounded in liberal arts values of critical thinking and social responsibility – helping to shape Anatolia and Grinnell College across sea & time.
This project aims to highlight the timeline and milestones of the relationship between Grinnell and Anatolia. We hope to study and share the fascinating story, and to get to know the people and the places that set it in motion. The Vivero Fellow will help collect and sort archival materials; conduct interviews; and help to create a story-board timeline to trace and celebrate the Grinnell-Anatolia relationship from the late 1800’s to today. Staff at Grinnell and Anatolia are mutually invested in this project, so the fellow can anticipate engagement from both institutions. This project will highlight a long term historical relationship, but it also offers the potential to spur new and innovative collaborations across both institutions for years to come. We hope that this project will inspire others the way George and Esther White inspired both of our communities.
