President Anne F. Harris will visit Grinnellians in China, Japan this August
July 23, 2026 — Grinnell College’s global alumni engagement is thriving and will receive another boost the first week of August when Grinnell College President Anne F. Harris visits the Chinese cities of Nanjing and Shanghai as well as the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Accompanying her on the trip are Bernadine Douglas, vice president for development and alumni relations, and Adam Laug, assistant vice president of development.
“We are grateful for the strong affinity that Grinnellians living abroad and in Asia have for the College, and we cannot wait to connect in person,” Douglas says. “Under President Harris’ leadership, the College has led increasing participation and engagement among international alums.”
President Anne F. Harris is pictured with attendees during a 2024 event in Shanghai, China.
Douglas notes there were admitted student receptions in March and April in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai. Additionally, a group of alumni volunteers put together a Scarlet & Give Back Day Challenge in April for Grinnell’s annual giving days. Their goal of having 100 donors from their region make a gift to Grinnell was achieved.
“The upcoming events in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Tokyo will be a wonderful chance to build on this success and strengthen our global alumni network,” Dougals says.
The Grinnell-in-Shanghai Reception will take place from 8-10 p.m. CST Thursday, Aug. 6 at the C Club. Hosted by Mel Yin ’99, the event will include a conversation between Yin and Harris reflecting on Grinnell’s impact and its global alumni community. Yin is a technology entrepreneur who worked at Microsoft and later became the corporate vice president of Tencent, where he grew the Chinese messaging platform QQ to millions of users.
Shanghai also will offer Harris the opportunity to welcome newly admitted students and their families into the College.
Mel Yin ’99, left, took a group photo with Dylan Yu ’30, Adam Laug, and Grace Robertson-Lloyd ’16, associate director of admission, at the Shanghai admitted student reception this spring.
The Grinnell-in-Tokyo Reception will be on Friday, Aug. 7 starting at 7 p.m. JST at the International House of Japan in Tokyo, where Harris will share updates from campus, discuss the College’s global engagement, and reflect on the impact of Grinnell’s international alumni community.
“These events underscore the commitment to Grinnell’s global community, including our alumni, parents, students, and friends.” Laug says. “Prioritizing international travel is an extension of the good work we have happening domestically. Shanghai is certainly a growing area of engagement, and we’re thrilled to have a presidential event in Tokyo for the first time in many years. This is a way to more tangibly connect with alumni in the region.”
While in Nanjing, Harris will meet with Nanjing University President Tan Zhemin. The Grinnell-Nanjing Exchange was founded in 1987, when it brought a Chinese language professor to Grinnell from Nanjing to support Grinnell’s emerging Chinese language program and sent a Grinnell College student to Nanjing after graduation to teach English at a Chinese middle school. This will be the first in-person meeting between the two college leaders since 2017.
—by Jeremy Shapiro
For your information:
Grinnell students held the College’s first Asian Night Market last spring, introducing foods and games from their native countries. Watch a pair of Grinfluencer Instagram videos to see what took place before and during the event.
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