Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Award

During Grinnell College’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1996, the Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Award was established as a tribute to the College’s 150 year tradition of social commitment. The award was named in honor of Joseph Wall ’41, professor of history and longtime dean of the College, who inspired an ideal of service in his students.

The College will award a limited number of prizes, up to $40,000 each, to either jump-start or complete a project that shows creativity and commitment to effecting positive social change. Projects may be original or supplement existing programs, address issues specific to local communities or be of wider global concern, and be carried out domestically or internationally. Any graduate of Grinnell College is eligible to apply, as long as they themselves will act as a principal of the project and they have not received the award in the past.

2024 Recipients

Three globally compassionate projects developed by Grinnell College graduates have been selected for the 2024 Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Awards.

Gary Knamiller ’61, Hansi Dean ’84, and Alexa Ryer ’20 are the award recipients.

Learn more about each of the recipient and their projects.

How to Apply

We are now accepting applications for the 2025 Wall Service Award.

If you are interested in applying, we recommend you review the Wall Service Award application requirements. Applications are due August 31. When ready, please complete the online Wall Service Award application.

Previous Winners

All previous Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Award recipient stories have been compiled onto a single page for to you to review and revisit.