Parents of third-year have gained new perspectives about Grinnell through volunteer role
November 13, 2024 — “I first saw Grinnell on one of those beautiful October days,” says Susan Anderson, as she recalls taking her son, Ben Shulman ’26, to visit campus.
A sociology major at Grinnell, Ben plays with the Ultimate Frisbee team. Susan and her husband Doug Shulman appreciate the opportunities they’ve had to see Ben’s games, as well as their visits to campus through the Parents and Families Leadership Council. Joining the Council during Ben’s first year, both Susan and Doug have benefited from the experience. They are serving this year as Council vice chairs.
Doug Shulman and
Susan Anderson P’26
“I have enjoyed my time on the leadership council,” says Doug. “In addition to getting to know the great team at Grinnell, I’ve enjoyed getting to know other parents.”
The Council supports the whole Grinnell community through new family welcome outreach, philanthropic leadership, hosting regional events including career networking, and helping to advertise care packages to students around finals time. Last spring, Susan was instrumental in leading a parents fundraising challenge during Grinnell’s Scarlet and Give Back Day, and for the last two years, she has participated on a family panel during We Are Family Weekend that shares advice with fellow parents.
Susan and Doug hail from the Midwest, but they met at the Harvard Kennedy School where both were pursuing master’s degrees in public administration. They lived in Washington, D.C. for nearly two decades, where Ben and Eve, his twin sister, were born and attended elementary school. They then made their home in New York City where their children attended middle and upper school, and now they reside with a dog named Charlie, who was rescued just before the pandemic hit. “He’s a big part of our lives,” Doug says. “Our story wouldn’t be complete without him.”
Both Ben and his sister had truncated college visit experiences since they were emerging from the COVID-19 lockdown during their junior year of high school. “Ben was interested in seeing schools in the Midwest, having spent part of every summer there visiting both sides of the family,” Susan explains. She grew up in Michigan, “one generation off the farm,” so knows the Midwest culture well. Doug’s upbringing was in Ohio. “When Ben discovered Grinnell, he liked the idea of someplace new that also had such a diverse group of students,” Susan says.
Susan has had a varied career in the nonprofit world beginning with a non-government organization called the African-America Institute. As the Southern Africa programs director for almost 10 years, she was around during the fall of apartheid and the subsequent election of Nelson Mandela. “I had the opportunity to take Mayor Dinkens from New York City and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo to South Africa for those first elections,” she recalls. “It was so inspiring.”
Susan Anderson, right, was joined by Robin Kopelman and Ken Nechin at the Parents and Families Leadership Council Panel presentation Sept. 20 during We Are Family Weekend 2024.
Turning her focus stateside, Susan began exploring ways to create a more participatory democracy back home.
“I have a one-person show now,” she says about her current work. She’s an advisor and advocate on political campaigns for state legislative and gubernatorial races around the Midwest. She finds this both fascinating and fulfilling as she works with other like-minded individuals to promote candidates throughout all levels of elections and not just top-of-the-ticket races.
Doug’s career has spanned the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. Soon after graduating from Williams College, he helped co-found and set up the first teacher training institute for Teach For America. He has also been an entrepreneur, government official, and currently runs a business based in New York. When he isn’t at work, he loves to hike, ski and see live music, especially with family and friends.
When they come to campus, Susan and Doug love staying at Hotel Grinnell with its unique features that give a nod to this former school building. Susan also highlights the Humanities and Social Studies Center (HSSC) and how much it has incorporated the history of the original Alumni Recitation Hall (ARH) building while also being a more inclusive space. “The intentional design of the building is something I really appreciate,” she says. “I feel it’s indicative of the community that Grinnell always wants to make sure is there.”
“I have a soft spot for Grinnell,” Susan adds. “I like to help newcomers to the Council understand that, while you are in the middle of the country, there is diversity and inclusivity because students come from so many different parts of the country and regions of the world as well as from the Midwest. There is a good, fertile mix of community and inquiry.”
—by Melanie Drake ’92