FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

April 29, 2008

GRINNELL COLLEGE ELECTS 1987 GRADUATE AS NEW TRUSTEE

GRINNELL, IA - The Grinnell College Board of Trustees elected Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, a 1987 Grinnell graduate and executive vice president for strategic alliances at the University of Chicago Medical Center, to a four-year term on the college’s governing board at its spring meeting last weekend.

Whitaker, who is a public health authority and expert on minority health issues, joined the medical center in 2007, after four years as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health where he oversaw 1,200 employees in 200 programs. Prior to his public health appointment, Whitaker was senior attending internal medicine physician at the former Cook County Hospital. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University.

Whitaker’s medical research interests include HIV/AIDS prevention and minority health, particularly for black males. In 1998, he helped found Project Brotherhood: A Black Men’s Clinic on Chicago’s south side. The innovative clinic, which promotes holistic wellness among a population that is often reluctant to seek medical care, was recognized in 2000 by the National Association of Public Hospital and Health Systems. His joint appointment at the University of Chicago includes community-based research to build a network of partnerships to broaden urban medical services.

The Grinnell board also re-elected the following board members to four-year terms: alumni trustees Russell G. Allen, Harold "Hal" Fuson, I. Craig Henderson, Caroline Little, Gregg Narber, Henry Wingate; also, Florence Fearrington and Todd Linden. Grinnell graduates J. Robert Barr and Nordahl L. Brue were elected to life trusteeship.

Grinnell College is a nationally recognized, private, four year, liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. Founded in 1846, Grinnell enrolls 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries in more than 25 major fields, interdisciplinary concentrations, and pre-professional programs.

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