Campaign Lights Way Forward 22 May 2013
Whenever passers-by on streets that border Tappan Square see brilliantly colored Japanese lanterns hanging from light posts and sturdy tree branches, they know Oberlin’s Commencement & Reunion weekend is approaching. This practice of illuminating the campus walkways first occurred in 1860. It became an annual tradition in 1903, after the college purchased several thousand lanterns.
This concept of illumination also is the theme for the institution’s recently launched fundraising campaign that so far has generated $175 million. This seven-year, $250 million effort will broaden access to an Oberlin education, enhance the campus community, enrich academics, and better position students for success after they graduate.
Photograph by Dale Preston ’83
