Daniel Malarkey ’08

From a small college comes a big perspective on the world.

“Grinnell is not just a four-year experience. It’s a community of people who share something. We are striving to create connections for a global community that is working together toward common goals.” 
— Daniel Malarkey ’08

Figuratively and literally, studying at Grinnell College transported Daniel Malarkey ’08 to different worlds.

Malarkey knew right off the bat that Grinnell College was serious about global education when he was allowed to defer his admission for a year so he could travel to France. During that year, Malarkey became fluent in French, which set the table for learning about literature, theatre, art, and history at Grinnell.

“My professors were so influential by giving me a global viewpoint,” Malarkey says. “The classroom in Grinnell is already in a way a study abroad experience through the active exchange of ideas, language, and history. My French degree certainly gave me the right background for my career path even though I did not know it at the time.”

The path for Malarkey has taken him to London’s art world. He served as director of the David Gill Gallery in London before founding the Daniel Malarkey Art Advisory. Working with galleries, curators, artists, secondary market dealers, and auction houses, Malarkey finds rare and emerging works of art for collectors. He also serves on the Leadership Council of the Grinnell College Museum of Art.

“I meet individuals in the art world where things come up in conversation that relate to my experiences at Grinnell,” he says. “What Grinnell did is give me a platform with super intelligent professors to create a lot of knowledge and ideas, which I use every day.”

More than 50 percent of each graduating class of Grinnell students participate in semester- or year-long off-campus study. For Malarkey, the study abroad experience helped him perfect language skills and adapt to different cultural norms and experiences.

“Studying at Cours Florent in Paris meant that I was studying with French students, many of whom are now famous actors in French cinema and TV,” he says. “I have used French throughout my career and it was the determining factor in securing the positions I achieved in London.”

Grinnell aims to build opportunities that enable students to deepen their understanding of the world through a global curriculum and opportunities, such as internationally-focused students and faculty research, course-embedded travel programs, and intensive language learning. Since being established in 2016, the Institute of Global Engagement (IGE) has served as the College’s international hub.

Grinnell offers courses in nine languages, and a number of majors and interdisciplinary concentrations pursue international topics in depth.

One of Grinnell’s longest standing international academic programs is Grinnell-in-London. Every fall, Grinnell-in-London students take a semester of rigorous, engaging courses that delve into Britain’s rich culture.

Malarkey has hosted events in London bringing together alumni, Grinnell-in-London students, and College staff members. In June 2019, the London Regional Network became the first alumni regional network outside the United States (and 13th overall). Regional networks strive to promote the College’s spirit, mission, and vision, as well as build camaraderie among alumni, students, parents, and friends.

Malarkey and Julia Bottles ’08 are serving as co-coordinators for the London Planning Committee, which coordinates events and volunteer engagement.

“Discourse and debate is part of our education, so I love all the impassioned opinions and ideas about the education of the future,” Malarkey says. “Grinnell is not just a four-year experience. It’s a community of people who share something. We are striving to create connections for a global community that is working together toward common goals.”