President's Office Welcomes New Staff Members</h1> <article> <h1>President's Office Welcomes New Staff Members</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:47:14 +0000</p> <span>President's Office Welcomes New Staff Members</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-08-27T12:47:14-04:00" title="Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 12:47">Thu, 08/27/2020 - 12:47</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Office of the President is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Gravens and Emily Speerbrecher in their new roles overseeing the college's layered health care strategy in responding to COVID-19.</p> <p>Kathleen (Katie) Gravens, PhD, RN, is joining the office as the COVID-19 Campus Health Coordinator. Gravens has extensive experience in higher education and as a program director and nursing faculty member serving Lakeland Community College. Among other relevant positions, Gravens also held positions as a nurse practitioner with the Lorain County Public Health Department. Gravens will play a key role in helping the college navigate our health strategy in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p><a href="/node/32216">Emily Speerbrecher</a> is joining the office as the COVID-19 Project Coordinator and is helping support the office in other areas as Ginny O’Dell moves into retirement. Speerbrecher has been with the college since 2014, first as the assistant director of public programs. Most recently, Speerbrecher held the position of associate director of donor relations in the Office of Advancement. </p> <p>The campus community will be seeing and hearing from Gravens and Speerbrecher as we move forward with the six-pillar health care strategy and respond to the ever-changing world of the pandemic.</p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-08-27T12:00:00Z">Thu, 08/27/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3342">Coronavirus Updates</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> <article> <h1>Arriving in Fall 2020: New Tool to Enhance Students’ Academic Journey</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 21:22:30 +0000</p> <span>Arriving in Fall 2020: New Tool to Enhance Students’ Academic Journey</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-12-10T16:22:30-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 16:22">Tue, 12/10/2019 - 16:22</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In fall 2020, the college will launch new software that will be used to communicate and manage connectivity with students. The software platform, Engage, is a communication and relationship management tool that will improve the student experience with academic advising, support student academic success, and make communications between students and the college more efficient and effective.</p> <p>Engage was selected after a year-long evaluation process with a cross-functional team of campus stakeholders who work closely with students in academic advising, course registration, and academic support services. </p> <p><strong>Who will this new software benefit, and how?</strong></p> <p><strong>Students</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>It’s easily accessible.</strong> The self-service portal gives students a quick way to interact with their personalized support team, starting with their academic advisors. </li> <li><strong>It allows students to expand their communication preferences</strong>. Students can select their preferred method of communication from a variety of options (such as: text messaging, self-service workspace, email, etc.), making it less likely a student will miss important messages or key deadlines.</li> <li><strong>It’s personalized, based on each individual’s academic needs.</strong> It provides custom information tailored to each student’s specific college journey, including to-do lists and automatic reminders when they need to take action. This means that students won’t have to sift through information that’s not applicable to their specific needs, saving them time. </li> </ul> <p><strong> Academic Advisors</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>It expands communications options.</strong> It offers a variety of methods to communicate with students, such as using the software to send a text message, providing advisors a more effective means of communication.</li> <li><strong>It displays academic advising resources in one place.</strong> It makes it easier for advisors to find resources online by linking academic advising resources in one workspace location. This replaces some paper forms, displays relevant academic advising Banner data, and links to other systems such as Degree Works and OnBase. Advisors will no longer have to track down resources in multiple locations</li> <li><strong>It makes referring students for additional support and raising early alerts easy</strong>. Advisors can easily make referrals to other student support services and view a case’s status.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Administrative Staff</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>It simplifies communications. </strong>The software will provide a means to identify a target audience and build a personalized communication plan.</li> <li><strong>It aggregates data used for decision making.</strong> The software can be used to analyze data to gain new insight into processes, course and program offerings, and student outcomes, allowing for informed decision making.</li> </ul> <p>The project team will be giving frequent updates about the implementation of this software as the project progresses, including FAQs, a project timeline, and other information. If you have questions, please email <a href="mailto:engage@oberlin.edu">engage@oberlin.edu</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-12-11T12:00:00Z">Wed, 12/11/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Engage Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2359">Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2597">Faculty and Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2401">Resources for Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">An aerial view of the �鶹��Ƶ College campus.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">William Bradford</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Thank you, �鶹��Ƶ</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:34:35 +0000</p> <span>Thank you, �鶹��Ƶ</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-06-22T11:34:35-04:00" title="Thursday, June 22, 2017 - 11:34">Thu, 06/22/2017 - 11:34</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It is hard to believe this will be my final "President’s Desk" column. But in August, I will become president of Pace University in New York. While I am excited by that challenge, leaving this incredible place is hard. �鶹��Ƶ will always be part of my heart.</p> <p>It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president. Getting to know and become friends with so many of you in this amazing community has been deeply meaningful to me. I will cherish those friendships for as long as I live.</p> <p>The extraordinary education �鶹��Ƶ offers is produced by the combined efforts, ideas, and generosity of thousands of individuals—faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents, and the people of this town. All of you contribute to advancing �鶹��Ƶ’s distinctive educational mission. I wish I could personally thank every one of you.</p> <p>Working together, we have accomplished much over the past decade. �鶹��Ƶ, like other liberal arts colleges, faces significant challenges. But we should be proud of our many achievements. I know you and generations of �鶹��Ƶians to come will continue to build on them.</p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ’s greatest asset is its people. I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many of you. I am deeply grateful for all your support, advice, counsel, and generosity. We have advanced �鶹��Ƶ’s mission in profound ways. I leave knowing that �鶹��Ƶ will continue to grow and flourish under the leadership of your new president, Carmen Twillie Ambar. And I know you will help her every way you can.</p> <p>Again, it has been an honor and a privilege to have been your president these past ten years. I look forward to watching �鶹��Ƶ progress, to staying in touch, and to seeing you when next our paths meet. From the bottom of my heart, thank you one and all.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-06-22T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/22/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Marvin Krislov</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2380">Marvin Krislov</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2555">President's Desk</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">John Seyfried</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Celebrating President Marvin Krislov</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 19:48:29 +0000</p> <span>Celebrating President Marvin Krislov</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-06-06T15:48:29-04:00" title="Tuesday, June 6, 2017 - 15:48">Tue, 06/06/2017 - 15:48</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After a <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/president/a-decade-of-leadership">decade of leadership</a>, Marvin Krislov will step down as the 14th president of �鶹��Ƶ on June 30, 2017.</p> <p>Watch <a href="https://youtu.be/VP5nYzM0ZdM"><em>Marvin Krislov: A Celebration of His Decade of Dedication and Service</em></a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-05-24T12:00:00Z">Wed, 05/24/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2380">Marvin Krislov</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">John Seyfried</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Marvin Krislov Named Pace University President</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 01 May 2017 14:53:18 +0000</p> <span>Marvin Krislov Named Pace University President</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-05-01T10:53:18-04:00" title="Monday, May 1, 2017 - 10:53">Mon, 05/01/2017 - 10:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Marvin Krislov, the president of �鶹��Ƶ College, announced today that he has agreed to become president of Pace University in New York City, on August 1, 2017. Mr. Krislov, who has served as �鶹��Ƶ’s 14th president since 2007, had previously announced he would be leaving �鶹��Ƶ at the end of the current academic year.</p> <p>“I have been honored to serve �鶹��Ƶ, and I have tremendous affection for this great College, Conservatory, and community,” Mr. Krislov said. “Working with our outstanding faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni to further �鶹��Ƶ’s mission and to honor �鶹��Ƶ’s values has been the most educational and fulfilling experience of my life. Together we have done so much to strengthen �鶹��Ƶ. I offer my heartfelt thanks to you all, and I know �鶹��Ƶ’s next president will build on our efforts. Until the day I depart, I will keep working hard to help create a brilliant future for �鶹��Ƶ.” </p> <p><a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/president/a-decade-of-leadership">President Krislov’s Decade of Leadership</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.pace.edu/sites/default/files/files/university-relations/Presidential-Announcement-Marvin-Krislov-021417.pdf">Official Pace University Announcement</a></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-02-14T12:00:00Z">Tue, 02/14/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2380">Marvin Krislov</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Strategic Plan 2016-2021 Available Online</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>Strategic Plan 2016-2021 Available Online</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Strategic Planning Steering Committee has posted “The �鶹��Ƶ College Strategic Plan 2016-2021: Institutional transformation through an inclusive approach to academic and musical excellence” to the Strategic Planning website.</p> <p>Also newly posted to the website is a summary of the changes made to the aforementioned document as a result of feedback received about the draft strategic plan dated October 26, 2015. The second newly-posted document is an FAQ about the strategic planning process.</p> <p>To read the Strategic Plan and/or accompanying documents, see <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/strategic-plan/findings/index.dot">this webpage</a>. The General Faculty will consider this plan at its February 17 meeting. If more time for discussion is needed before a vote to approve, time for another meeting on February 24 has been reserved.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/11/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2568">Strategic Plan</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2359">Administration</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Nancy Schrom Dye, 13th President of �鶹��Ƶ College</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:41 +0000</p> <span>Nancy Schrom Dye, 13th President of �鶹��Ƶ College</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:41-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Nancy Schrom Dye, the 13th president of �鶹��Ƶ College and a historian of modern America, died October 28, 2015, at her home in Lakewood, Ohio, after a lengthy illness. She was 68 years old.</p> <p>Dye served as �鶹��Ƶ’s first female president from 1994 to 2007.</p> <p>As �鶹��Ƶ’s president, Dye spearheaded wide-ranging initiatives to rejuvenate the college. She led a successful capital campaign that raised $175 million, the largest fundraising effort to that date at �鶹��Ƶ. She oversaw the construction of a $65 million science center and the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, which won numerous prizes for sustainability and design. She also initiated the restoration of the Cass Gilbert-designed Allen Memorial Art Museum.</p> <p>Devoted to student welfare, Dye worked tirelessly to improve �鶹��Ƶ admissions and saw significant gains in student selectivity and record numbers of applications. She helped orient the �鶹��Ƶ experience to be more student-centered, in both the classroom and campus life. She created the Office of Dean of Studies to amplify the college’s advising and academic intervention for students. She built a new residential community with small, homestyle residence halls. She worked tirelessly for the welfare of all underrepresented students, including partnerships with the Posse Foundation and QuestBridge to enhance diversity in admissions. Dye avidly attended student activities—athletic events, concerts, plays, and dance programs.</p> <p>She loved the give and take of academic life, but rarely got angry or took things personally. She believed in civil discourse and always talked to people who disagreed with her, but she would not let people bully her. Once, when the third person in a week came into her office and threatened to sue her, she told him, “Better take a number.”</p> <p>She prized her accessibility. She became a familiar figure in the community, steering her dogs through the campus. She was at home in all settings, whether meeting with trustees, chairing faculty meetings, or sitting on the floor with students in residence halls.</p> <p>Drawing on her experience as a historian and as academic dean at Vassar College from 1988 to 1994, Dye was committed to improving �鶹��Ƶ’s academic program, long known for excellence. New programs were established in cinema studies and comparative American studies. She expanded the size of the faculty and brought commitment to hiring a diverse faculty. An advocate for concert music, she strengthened the conservatory’s international reputation and supported the expansion of the new jazz program. Rebuilding athletics became a priority. An intrepid traveler with unflagging curiosity, she expanded �鶹��Ƶ’s historic commitment to international education, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. She was a fervent advocate of free speech and academic inquiry.</p> <p> </p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Photo Courtesy of Griffith Dye</figcaption> <figcaption class="caption"><em>Photo Courtesy of Griffith Dye</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>In 2004, she became the first American college or university president in more than 25 years to visit Iran. She met with government and university officials, faculty, and students to discuss reestablishing educational exchanges between the two countries. She received an honorary doctorate of letters from Tokyo’s Obirin University in March 2005.</p> <p> </p> <p>Recognizing the college’s vital role in the community, she established the Bonner Center for Service and Learning, which coordinates and promotes student service projects and civic engagement. She was instrumental in saving the local hospital and established a partnership with the �鶹��Ƶ City Schools. She initiated a scholarship program that enables qualified graduates of �鶹��Ƶ High School to attend �鶹��Ƶ College tuition-free. Her campus dialogue center, recently renamed the Yeworkwha Belachew Center for Dialogue at �鶹��Ƶ College, promotes conflict resolution through mediation and community building.</p> <p>After her retirement from �鶹��Ƶ, her commitment to international education led her to become the first vice chancellor for the Asian University of Women in Bangladesh. From 2009 to 2011 she served as vice provost of the United Arab Emirates University, where she established a residential college for women.</p> <p>Dye graduated from Vassar College in 1969. She earned a MA and PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her historical research focused on American women and American workers. She wrote two books, <em>As Equals and As Sisters: Feminism, Trade Unionism, and the New York Women’s Trade Union League</em>, and, with Noralee Frankel, <em>Gender, Race, and Class in the Progressive Era</em>. She also authored numerous articles for such publications as <em>Journal of American History</em>, <em>Feminist Studies</em>, <em>Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society</em>, <em>New York Times Book Review</em>, and <em>Washington Post Book World</em>.</p> <p>She began her academic career at the University of Kentucky, where she became a professor of history and an associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She moved to Vassar College in 1988 as academic dean and chief academic officer.</p> <p>Dye was born in Columbia, Missouri, of academic parents. Her father, Ned Stuart Schrom, served as dean of students at Montclair State University and SUNY New Paltz. Her mother, Florence Elizabeth Ahrens, was for many years assistant to the dean of the New York University Law School.</p> <p>President Dye is survived by her husband, Dr. Griffith Dye; their two children, Molly, of Lakewood, and Michael, of Evanston, Illinois; two granddaughters, Kennedy and Madeline; and her brother, Michael Schrom, of New York.</p> <p>In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Nancy S. Dye Scholarship Fund at �鶹��Ƶ College. Please read the <a href="/node/14391">reflections from President Krislov</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-10-28T12:00:00Z">Wed, 10/28/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">�鶹��Ƶ College</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Griffith Dye</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Students Chat with President Over Ice Cream</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:41 +0000</p> <span>Students Chat with President Over Ice Cream</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:41-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>President Krislov (left) talks with Aaron Appel ’16 at Cowhaus Creamery on October 12 during Ice Cream with Krislov. Nearly 300 students ventured downtown to enjoy one free scoop of artisan ice cream at the Student Senate-sponsored event.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-10-16T12:00:00Z">Fri, 10/16/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ’83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2015 President’s Public Service Fellows Present Summer Successes</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:57 +0000</p> <span>2015 President’s Public Service Fellows Present Summer Successes</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:57-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In an airy room of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Caylen Bryant ’17 calmly walks to a small wooden podium in front of an audience composed of fellow students, family and friends, and members of the campus and �鶹��Ƶ communities. She smiles, takes a breath, and then slumps over the podium, sprawling her arms over its edges and groaning loudly.</p> <p>Bryant, an Africana studies and jazz bass performance double-degree student, is re-enacting a scene from earlier this summer. She had served as a president’s public service fellow (PPSF) for the FireFish Arts Camp, a visual arts training program for Lorain youth ages 14-22 that provides creative arts experiences while developing skills for the workplace and success in higher education. A guest speaker had been invited to instruct campers, but they were disinterested and defiant. Their body language was closed off, and their melodramatic sighs (not to mention the music playing from the headphones many had snuck into their ears) were highly audible.</p> <figure> <p></p> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p>Helping young adults understand the importance of showing (and thereby receiving) respect in professional and academic settings was just one goal of many that Bryant and peer 2015 PPSF fellows Aaron Appel ’16, Rewa Bush ’16, and Lillian White ’16 set out to achieve this summer.</p> <p>The 11-week PPSF program provides funding for students to work full time with a local nonprofit or public sector agency on intensive service projects that engage and empower area teens and young adults. The program is directed by Tania Boster of the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/bonner-center/index.dot">Bonner Center for Service and Learning</a> (BCSL) and is made possible with funding from the Office of the President.</p> <p>“President Krislov started PPSF in response to a community-expressed need for support of free summer programming that engages local teens through leadership development, the arts, and ecological and economic sustainability,” Boster says. “At the same time, students had been asking for funded opportunities to remain in �鶹��Ƶ over the summer to support local nonprofit organizations.”</p> <p>Continuing her presentation, Bryant shared how she helped motivate that same group of once-apathetic campers to collaborate on the design and construction of “FireFish,” a 24-foot art installation that will be featured at the inaugural FireFish Festival on September 26, 2015. “For me this summer, the festival was not my primary concern,” she said. “My primary concern was making sure the youth had what they needed in order to grow.”</p> <figure> <p></p> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> </figure> <p>As the fellow for the city of �鶹��Ƶ, politics and law and society double-major Aaron Appel helped prepare youth ages 16-24 to enter the workforce by providing mentoring services and teaching soft job skills. Appel, who has extensive tutoring experience through the BCSL and other community service and internship endeavours, said the most challenging aspect of this fellowship was the fact that he was tutoring older teens, a group with which he had little experience. “My biggest lesson was that there would be no one-size-fits-all way to work with them,” he said.</p> <p>Lillian White, who designed her individual major of cultural performance studies, worked closely with two teens as the fellow for <a href="http://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/">�鶹��Ƶ Community Services</a> (OCS). New to OCS, White said she had to quickly learn the ins-and-outs of the organization’s operations while also serving as a mentor and friend to the teens. “Many systems target the low-income youth that I worked with,” she said. White says she helped teach the teens how to better navigate systems “not designed to help them.”</p> <p>“I feel it was valuable for Lillian to witness that the challenges to disadvantaged students’ success has much less to do with their capabilities than it does with challenges in their home and social environment,” said OCS food coordinator Alan Mitchell.</p> <p>Rewa Bush, an English major with a minor in environmental studies, served as the fellow for the Backspace at the Bridge and the �鶹��Ƶ Public Library. She was tasked with designing and implementing programs, special events, and summer camps for local children ages 10 and older. After experiencing low attendance at early events, Bush said it became her goal to solicit as much feedback as possible from area youth about what programs they would like to see.</p> <p>As a result of her efforts and interactions, program attendance and engagement increased, and a teen advisory board responsible for producing their own programs was created. “We were so fortunate to have Rewa working with us this summer,” said Amanda Guttman, �鶹��Ƶ Library youth services librarian. “She was invaluable!”</p> <p>Bush, who will continue to work with the Backspace and the library to ensure the success of the teen advisory board, said she was “happy to see youth learning, laughing out loud, and getting excited about potential fields for them in the future.”</p> <figure> <figcaption class="credit">Image by Jennifer Manna</figcaption> <figcaption class="caption"><em>The 2015 fellows pose with program director Tania Boster (center).</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Boster says the fellows served as many as 150 teens and young adults over the course of the summer. “The fellows performed brilliantly at their sites as ambassadors for the college and the community, as mentors to local youth, and by exploring broader issues that affect young people at the national level and thinking about how these concern particularly low-income youth in this community,” Boster says. “Each of the fellows, as well as alumni from last year's program, have helped build infrastructure to continue �鶹��Ƶ youth mentoring programs that are responsive to ideas and interests expressed by the teens themselves.”</p> <p>"The fellows are making a significant difference in the lives of teenagers in �鶹��Ƶ and Lorain County,” said President Marvin Krislov, who attended the presentations. “I'm very proud of the work they are doing."</p> <p>Depending on funding, the BCSL will begin seeking community partner applications for the 2016 PPSF program as early as October. Boster says she hopes to identify interested fellowship candidates during the fall 2015 semester and to make fellowship applications available in early spring 2016.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-08-31T12:00:00Z">Mon, 08/31/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Gulasy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The 2015 President’s Public Service Fellows. From left to right: Lillian White, Rewa Bush, Caylen Bryant, and Aaron Appel.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Update on Financial Accessibility and Affordability</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:57 +0000</p> <span>Update on Financial Accessibility and Affordability</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:57-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Given the decision to increase tuition at �鶹��Ƶ by 3.9 percent for the 2015-2016 academic year, we continue to update and engage the community—especially students—in a discussion of our shared concerns about the affordability of an �鶹��Ƶ education and our commitment to socioeconomic diversity. This is a national discussion and many of our peer institutions face similar challenges and tough choices. In order to continue meeting 100 percent of each eligible student’s demonstrated need, the financial aid budget will increase to an estimated $63 million in 2015-2016. On campus, we have released more information over the past several weeks about this important issue and we plan to continue this practice. President Krislov addressed the issue of affordability in his <a href="https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/source/articles/2015/04/30/affordability-higher-education">President’s Desk column on April 30</a>, and an <a href="/news/presidents-desk-qa-mike-frandsen-oberlins-tuition-increase">interview focused on the tuition increase</a> between President Krislov and Vice President for Finance and Administration Mike Frandsen also published recently in <em>the Source</em> has garnered significant attention. Mike Frandsen has presented in the last couple of weeks on the finances of the institution in several venues, including a well-attended open forum where senior administrators answered a range of very thoughtful and important questions from students. Senior administrators have met with smaller groups of concerned students and are eager to continue being highly visible and accessible as our conversations continue.</p> <p>We are committed to an open, campus-wide discussion of accessibility and affordability, an important aspect of the ongoing discussion of college finances. In fact, this conversation is already taking place not just in recent meetings with students but also within established processes and committees. Just this past week, a publicly released preliminary report from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Working Groups—which includes nine student representatives—recognized in strong language that “in a future in which there is little prospect of revenue growth from tuition due to in part the increasing demand for financial aid and in part to the public and media outcry regarding tuition hikes and student debt burdens, �鶹��Ƶ must make thoughtful choices now about where to invest our resources, determine which of our many worthy goals should have priority, and how best to position ourselves moving forward.” This sentiment was echoed by President Krislov, who observed that “the current course of endless tuition increases is clearly not sustainable” in his recent President’s Desk column. The preliminary strategic planning report also strongly reaffirms our commitment “to develop even more effective institutional structures to achieve measurable goals related to equity, diversity, and inclusion” among our core values. Student, faculty, and staff members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Working Groups are holding multiple open sessions to discuss this important draft document and solicit feedback from our entire community. All members of the community are encouraged to read the preliminary report and offer feedback through the form linked to the document.</p> <p>In his discussion with President Krislov, Mike Frandsen offered that “student voices have been indirect in the process [to this point], and there is probably an opportunity for more direct input from students.” To ensure this direct input, we continue to solicit the passionate and meaningful participation of students in the ongoing conversations on these issues. For example, there is significant representation of students in the strategic planning process. Important discussions about admissions and financial aid policy and procedures happens through the standing General Faculty Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid. We would ask that Student Senate appoint the student representatives for this important committee as soon as possible for next year. A Campus Climate Team created this semester and led by Meredith Raimondo, special assistant to the president for equity, diversity and inclusion, and Eric Estes, vice president and dean of students, will also be charged with taking up this conversation. Please contact them if you are interested in participating. Mike Frandsen is willing to meet with a Student Senate working group about these issues next year. Over the past year, students have been actively involved in numerous discussions with individual members of the Board of Trustees as well as Board committees regarding such assorted subjects as socially responsible investing, health and wellness services, and peer mentoring and education efforts. Students have also served on the Board's Impact Investment Subcommittee. We are committed to continuing to explore future possibilities for enhancing the Board's engagement with students still further, as we believe that students should have appropriate access to a range of information about institutional decision-making processes. At the same time, the decisions themselves must remain the purview of established faculty and administrative governance entities and the Board of Trustees.</p> <p>The sharing of important and appropriate information can help facilitate our discussions. Information like the average net price by income bracket is available on the <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/">College Navigator webpage</a>. Additional financial data is publicly available on the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/controller/reports/">Office of the Controller’s website</a>. Information is also included in reports we make to the federal government. Information about the operating budget and financial aid are public and have been presented in numerous settings. In order to facilitate the sharing of information—both information requested and information released by the institution—the Campus Climate Team will create a website this summer where information can be housed and made publicly available moving forward.</p> <p>Financial accessibility and affordability is a difficult but important challenge with significant implications for how we live our commitments and values as a community. It will be a challenge to identify priorities and make difficult choices about finances, but the strength of our community has always been defined by our active engagement with the most meaningful challenges of the day.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-05-13T12:00:00Z">Wed, 05/13/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Finance and Administration</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2577">Office of the President</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> </main></body></html>