Fall 2008 News Releases

National Experts to Discuss “Setting National Priorities: Economic Challenges Facing the New Administration” November 13 at Oberlin College
OBERLIN, OHIO – Five national economics experts will take part in “Setting National Priorities: Economic Challenges Facing the New Administration,” an economics roundtable to be held at Oberlin College on Thursday, November 13 at 8 p.m. in the Science Center’s West Lecture Hall, 119 Woodland St. The program is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Department of Economics and the Office of the President.

Oberlin College, UAW Agree on New Contract
OBERLIN, OHIO—Oberlin College and the United Auto Workers, which represents 175 service employees, have reached agreement on a new three-year contract.  Service employees, represented by UAW Local 2192, voted on a tentative agreement on Friday, October 17 and ratified the contract, which is effective September 30, 2008.

Race and Resistance, 1858 and 2008: Activists and Allies Symposium, November 7 and 8 at Oberlin College
OBERLIN, OHIO – Scholars, activists, students and community members will gather at Oberlin College the first weekend after the 2008 presidential election to explore the history and legacy of struggles for racial justice before the Civil War and their resonance and relevance for America today.

Acclaimed Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and Students From the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Collaborate on Recording; a Portion of the Proceeds Will be Donated to the Environmental Defense Fund
OBERLIN, OHIO (September 30, 2008)—Yolanda Kondonassis, Assistant Professor of Harp at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and one of the most recorded harpists in the world, has combined her passion for music with her joy in working with young musicians to produce Air, her newest recording for Telarc. Performing on the disc, which will be released on October 28, 2008, is Joshua Smith, principal flute of the Cleveland Orchestra; Cynthia Phelps, principal viola of the New York Philharmonic; and the string orchestra Oberlin 21, an ensemble of Oberlin Conservatory students conducted by Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Music Director of the Oberlin Orchestras.

Oberlin College Gets Highest Grade on Green Report Card
OBERLIN, OHIO – Oberlin College is 1 of just 15 schools to achieve the highest grade of A- on the new College Sustainability Report Card 2009. announced Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, the Report Card’s publisher. Founded in 2005, the institute is a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Oberlin received a B+ on the 2008 report card. Other schools with top marks include Stanford and liberal arts colleges Carleton, Dickinson, and Middlebury.

Community + College Events Celbrate Oberlin’s 175th Anniversary
OBERLIN, OHIO -- On October 3 and 4, the Oberlin community will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the city of Oberlin and Oberlin College with a series of events that are free open to all. This anniversary celebration is made possible by the participation of various organizations and individuals, including Oberlin College, the Oberlin City Schools, the Oberlin Heritage Center, Oberlin Shansi, and the Community Music School.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer David Lang Joins the Faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
OBERLIN, OHIO — Composer David Lang, founder of the boundary-pushing new music collective Bang on a Can and recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music, will join the Oberlin Conservatory of Music this fall as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Composition and Composer in Residence.

County Coalition to Present “Poverty Symposium: Help Erase Poverty” Sept. 25-27
OBERLIN, OHIO – Do you know what it’s like to be poor in Lorain County? “If you care and want to learn what can be done about it, come to Poverty Symposium: Help Erase Poverty,” say the organizers, a countywide coalition comprised of Oberlin College, concerned citizens, agencies, and officials. They began forming nearly two years ago to address the issue and plan the multi-event program, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, September 25-27 at various sites in Oberlin.

Northern Ohio Hymn Festival Goes Green
OBERLIN, OHIO – Earth’s Rhythms Restored is the theme of the fourth biennial Northern Ohio Hymn Festival to be held in Oberlin Friday through Sunday, September 19-2l under the auspices of The Dictionary of American Hymnology and the Oberlin College Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Constitutional Revision in Japan: Security in East Asia and the United States
OBERLIN, OHIO – Four national experts will discuss “Constitutional Revision in Japan: Security in East Asia and the United States,” in a symposium to be presented by the Oberlin College East Asian Studies Program on Saturday, September 20 from 1 p.m. to   5 p.m. in the Hallock Auditorium, located in the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, 122 Elm St.

Avery Brooks Stars in Oberlin College’s Radical New Interpretation of Death of a Salesman, September 18-21, 2008
OBERLIN, OHIO – Avery Brooks, the distinguished stage, film and television actor known for his celebrated performances in roles from the classics to science fiction, will portray one of the American theater's most tragic figures, Willy Loman, in a radical new interpretation of Arthur Miller's modern classic, Death of a Salesman, presented by Oberlin College at Hall Auditorium in Oberlin, Ohio from September 18 to 21, 2008.

Oberlin College Day of Service Participants Learn and Labor
OBERLIN, OHIO – For 175 years, Oberlin’s “Learning and Labor” motto has inspired its students to engage in hard work both in and out of the classroom.  On Saturday, August 30, more than 300 new students will continue the tradition of participating in the annual Day of Service (DOS) sponsored by the Bonner Center for Service and Learning. Now in its 12th year, DOS provides incoming Oberlin students an opportunity to perform community service at various area sites during Orientation Week.

“Sister President” Johnnetta B. Cole to Help Celebrate Oberlin’s 175th Anniversary
OBERLIN, OHIO – On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of Oberlin College and community, “Sister President” Johnnetta Betsch Cole ’57 will give a special convocation talk in Oberlin on Wednesday, September 3, at 8 p.m.

Art Museum Receives $590,900 NEH Grant
OBERLIN, OHIO – The Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) has been awarded a grant of $590,900 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to expand and improve storage for its important permanent collection of nearly 13,000 works from virtually every culture and from prehistory to the present. The NEH grant will improve access to works of art held in storage, making them more readily available for use by educators, students, and researchers.

Ohio Historical Society Honors Illustrious Oberlin Graduate
OBERLIN, OHIO – The Ohio Historical Society will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Oberlin alumnus Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000), an internationally renowned mathematician and philosopher, with the dedication of a historical plaque on the College campus. “He was the most distinguished American philosopher/logician of the second half of the 20th Century,” says Al MacKay, Oberlin provost and a professor of philosophy. The dedication will take place Wednesday, June 25 as part of the Oberlin College and community’s 175th Anniversary Celebration.