Marci Sortor obtained a B.A. in history from Revelle College at the University of California at San Diego in 1980 and earned the doctorate from the same institution in 1988. While some members of her family unkindly suggested that she was living the carefree life of a beachcomber, she was busy studying the history of medieval and early modern Europe, paying special attention to economic developments. She came to Grinnell College in 1989 after serving two years as a teaching and research fellow at Stanford University. She continues to investigate issues pertaining to the economy of Europe in the later Middle Ages, paying particular attention to the organization of the market network of Flanders and northern France. During the past few summers she has visited the municipal archives of Saint-Omer, France, looking for evidence of how immigrants settled in their new home. In addition to serving in the Department of History, she chairs Humanities 140: Medieval and Renaissance Studies. At present she is serving as Vice President for Institutional Planning and as Associate Dean of the College.