Grinnell College

Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its rigorous academics and tradition of social responsibility. It was founded in 1846, when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.

In its 2014 edition of "America's Best Colleges", U.S. News & World Report ranked Grinnell 17th among all liberal arts colleges in the United States, and third highest for economic diversity as measured by low-income students receiving federal Pell Grants. Grinnell had an acceptance rate of 24.6 percent in 2015.

History

In 1843, eleven Congregational ministers, all of whom trained at Andover Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, set out to proselytize on the frontier. Each man pledged to gather a church and together the group or band would seek to establish a college. When the group arrived in Iowa later that year, each selected a different town in which to establish a congregation. In 1846, they collectively established Iowa College in Davenport. A few months later, Iowa joined the Union.

College

College (Latin: collegium) is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. Usage of the word college varies in English-speaking nations. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate university, or an institution offering vocational education.

In the United States and Italy, "college" formally refers to a constituent part of a university, but generally "college" and "university" are used interchangeably, whereas in Oceania and South Asia, "college" may refer to a secondary or high school, a college of further education, a training institution that awards trade qualifications, or a constituent part of a university (See this comparison of British and American English educational terminology for further information).

Etymology

In ancient Rome a collegium was a club or society, a group of people living together under a common set of rules (con- = "together" + leg- = "law" or lego = "I choose" or "I read").

Overview

Higher education

Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani (/kuːˈmɛl nɑːndʒⁱˈjɑːni/ koo-MEL-nahn-JYAH-nee; born 21 February 1978) is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor and podcast host. Nanjani is best known for his role as a main cast member on every season of HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley, as well as for providing the voice of Prismo on the Emmy Award-winning animated series Adventure Time. In addition he's starred on the TNT series Franklin & Bash and the Adult Swim series Newsreaders. He also co-hosts the Comedy Central show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. On top of his television and film work, he hosts two podcasts: The Indoor Kids and The X-Files Files.

Personal life

Nanjiani was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He was raised as a Shia Muslim, but became an atheist in later life. He is related to the Pakistani-Scottish radio presenter Shereen Nanjiani.

Nanjiani is married to Emily V. Gordon, an author, comedy producer, and former couples and family therapist. She is the booker and producer of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, a comedy show that began airing on Comedy Central in July 2014.