Welcome

The Oberlin College Office of Community and Government Relations builds and maintains relationships with local, state, and federal governments, as well as with local community members and organizations. Through the office, the college seeks opportunities to foster economic development, and to uplift the community, county, and region in an environmentally sustainable manner. These efforts are rooted in the college's long-standing tradition of academic and artistic excellence, and its core values of access and inclusion, promoting positive social change.

Contact our office for more information.

The Office of International Students is seeking volunteers to serve as Community Friends for International Students during the 2011-2012 academic year.

This voluntary program, formally known as the Host Program for International Students, pairs people in the Oberlin community with incoming international students who have asked to participate in the program. The purpose of the program is to enrich the experiences of international students at Oberlin College and to provide a deeper understanding of international peoples and cultures in the broader community. The program is informally structured so as to allow each Friend/Student pair to determine level of interaction that is appropriate for them. Community Friends are not expected to board their students at any time. 

The Office of International Students would like to serve as many incoming international students as possible, and hope that you will consider becoming a Community Friend.  The office will organize an event in the fall where you will be introduced to your student and will send you occasional emails throughout the academic year highlighting a variety of possible activities.

If you would like more information about the program or to volunteer as a Community Friend please visit  http://new.oberlin.edu/office/international-students/incoming-students/Community_Friends_Program/; the electronic application for can be found on the left side of the page.  We’d like to have all applications in by May 1, 2011, so that we can determine how many students we will be able to serve. If you have any questions about the program, please email Amy Moniot at amoniot@oberlin.edu.

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News & Announcements

Winter Term in Oberlin

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

In January of 2011, Oberlin students took part in winter term, a yearly opportunity for students to pursue academic interests outside of Oberlin's regular course offerings. Winter term projects included interning for elected officials, giving aid to Haiti, participating in theater productions, learning how to print with a letterpress, and volunteering with a children's theater.
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Oberlin student helps elementary school students experience geology first-hand

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Kids at nearby Westwood Elementary School in Wellington have the opportunity to discover ancient brachiopods and trilobites because of Brittnei Sherrod ’11. Sherrod brought fossils from Oberlin’s paleontology collection into local elementary school classrooms in the form of geology kits. She chose the fossils for the kit, created a curriculum and activity ideas, and, in January, brought it to second-graders for a trial run and plans to bring it to two more classrooms this semester.

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Stanley Nelson presents screening of civil rights film Freedom Riders

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Award-winning filmmaker and producer Stanley Nelson, a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, visits Oberlin on Monday, March 14, for a screening of his recent documentary Freedom Riders. The screening will be held 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Science Center, West Lecture Hall, Room A 162, and is free and open to the public. A question and answer session will follow.

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Congressional Art Show February 28 - March 20

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Ninth Congressional District High School Juried Invitational Art Exhibition will be on display from Monday, February 28 – Sunday, March 20, 2011 in the George R. and Ruth Schoeni Bent Corridor in the Science Center. This is a free, non ticketed event and is open to the public.
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International Women's Day Luncheon

Monday, March 07, 2011

The luncheon will begin at 12:00 pm on on Saturday March 19 in the Main Dining Room at Kendal at Oberlin. Please contact Ovidia Guarderrama by March 12 to make your reservations. Ovidia can be reached at (440) 775-3711. Tickets are $12 each and payment will be accepted at the luncheon.
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Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty Appointed Visiting Professor

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Former Washington, D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty ’92, who rose to office by responding to constituents’ needs and brought the D.C. public school system under mayoral control, will return to campus as a visiting professor of politics and advisor in the Department of African American Studies.
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Oberlin College recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for community engagement

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has selected Oberlin College for its 2010 Community Engagement Classification. Only 311 U.S. colleges and universities have achieved the classification since it was initiated in 2006, and Oberlin is one of only 27 baccalaureate colleges nationally to be awarded the classification.
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Cinema studies program teaches local youth how to produce video

Friday, December 10, 2010

Students and faculty in Oberlin’s cinema studies department spent two weeks earlier this fall teaching local second-graders how to write, shoot, and produce their own videos. The workshop was part of the Apollo Outreach Initiative, which places Oberlin College students in classrooms and gives children of all ages access to cameras and advanced editing tools.
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Spanish In The Elementary Schools highlighted in Language Educator magazine

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Spanish In The Elementary Schools (SITES) program is highlighted in the November edition of Language Educator magazine. Follow the attached link to see the article and read more about the history of SITES and its bright future.
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Community Giving Campaign 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

For the past few years, Oberlin College has engaged in a friendly competition with the Oberlin City Schools and the City of Oberlin to determine which organization can achieve the highest participation rate in the Community Giving Campaign. Participating in the campaign is now easier than ever before. Oberlin College employees can donate to the Community Giving Campaign through PRESTO during the month of October.
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Updates

2010 Community Bike Festival - September 12

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Please plan on attending the the 2010 Oberlin Bike Festival on September 12th from 1:00 - 3:30 pm in Tappan Square! Bike giveaways! Bike helmet, lock, and light giveaways! Free food! Inflatable jungle gym and obstacle course! Bike safety training! Free bike maintenance!

College Nights include special deals at downtown businesses

Friday, August 27, 2010

Local businesses are offering special deals and savings to anyone with an Oberlin College ID. The deals are available from 6:00 pm to close and will be offered once a month through next May. Below is a listing of the dates of the College Nights.

Ohio House of Representative Candidate Debate at Mount Zion

Monday, April 19, 2010

Mount Zion Baptist Church is hosting a debate for Democratic State Representative candidates in Ohio's 56th District. Ohio's 56th District consists of Oberlin, South Amherst, Lorain, Elyria, and Sheffield Lake. The debate will start at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 26th at 185 South Pleasant Street in Oberlin. The debate is sponsored by the Lorain County Urban League, Lorain County Young Democrats, and the League of Women Voters

Dr. Howard Fuller to visit Oberlin on April 9, 2010

Friday, February 12, 2010

Dr. Howard Fuller is coming to Oberlin on April 9, 2010. Dr. Fuller is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. He will be presenting a lecture titled “How Do We Collectively Revitalize the Educational System”. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. on April 9, 2010 at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School in Activity Room B. A continental breakfast will be provided.

Apollo Theatre Receives Historic Preservation Tax Credit Award

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Oberlin College received a significant boost in its effort to revitalize the Apollo Theatre with the announcement of a $2 million historic preservation tax credit award from the State of Ohio.

Airport Oberlin Shuttle Service

Friday, September 18, 2009

In lieu of the Lorain County Transit lines, which cancelled its routes from Cleveland Hopkins Airport to Oberlin due to budgetary constraints, the Airport Oberlin Shuttle Service is now available! Located in the Oberlin Inn, the service is available 24/7. Special arrangements have been made for shuttles to leave for the airport three times a day during the week. On the weekends they will leave twice a day.

Bench by the Road Project

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Oberlin College and community hosted a dedication program on April 23, at the Corner of North Main and Lorain streets, in honor of Lorain, Ohio, native, Toni Morrison, a 1998 Nobel Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Morrison, along with college and city leaders, installed the second commemorative bench as part of Morrison’s Bench By the Road Project. Established in 2008, the project calls for the placement of steel benches at unmarked sties that have significance in African American history or in Morrison's novels.

The Kohl Building

Monday, January 14, 2008

"A building should broadcast its purpose to the world” is the philosophy behind The Kohl Building, the soon-to-be new home for jazz studies, music history, and music theory at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. The building, scheduled for completion in spring 2010, will include a state-of-the-art recording studio and the largest privately held jazz recording collection in the United States.