The Oberlin Parents Fund, together with the Oberlin Alumni Fund, serves as a vital resource for meeting the unrestricted day-to-day needs of the college, which include— most importantly—student financial aid and scholarships. The Parents Fund supports and enhances the educational experience of current students, allowing families to make gifts that directly benefit their own children while they are students at Oberlin.
Tuition covers just 50 percent of the cost of a year at Oberlin; even students not receiving financial aid benefit from the generosity of parents and alumni. Gifts to the Parents Fund are used during the fiscal year in which they are raised. By making a gift to this fund, you will help bridge the gap between tuition and the cost of providing an Oberlin education, while amplifying your son’s or daughter’s educational experiences.
Each year, parents are asked to support the Parents Fund. Some examples of the Parents Fund in action include:
- Funding internships that allow students to engage in meaningful experiential learning opportunities;
- Offering generous financial aid to talented students regardless of their ability to pay;
- Supporting student life through extracurricular organizations, counseling services, athletics, and recreation; and
- Providing funds for conservatory student travel.
Giving to the Oberlin Parents Fund means you’re investing in the things that make Oberlin extraordinary – its students and the programs that serve them. Fund. Our goal is to have 100 percent participation among parents of current students.
During the 2010-2011 fiscal year, parents donated more than $642,000 to the Parents Fund. This year, our goal is to raise $700,000, and surpass a 30-percent participation rate.
Help us meet our goal. Make a gift on our secure website, and make a difference in your student’s life.
The Parents Executive Committee (View the list of committee members)
The Parents Executive Committee seeks to involve the parents of Oberlin students in campus and regional activities that promote the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. The committee does this by supporting the financial needs of the college, increasing communication between the college and parents, enriching their student’s experience through fostering student career opportunities, and making the college experience a positive one for parents.
Committee members are asked to participate in one of the following areas, and in the following ways:
- Fundraising and Development: Leading by example, making an annual gift to the Oberlin Parents Fund that places you in the John Frederick Oberlin Society of donors, contacting parents and asking them to support the Oberlin Parents Fund, and thanking parents who have already made a gift.
- Career Development: Offering internships and winter-term opportunities, housing Oberlin students for winter term, or mentoring students in a chosen career field.
- Oberlin Outreach: Hosting a regional Oberlin parent’s event.
If you would like to volunteer with the Oberlin Parents Fund or serve on the Parents Executive Committee, send e-mail to Sharon.Williams@oberlin.edu, director of Parent and Family Giving, or call (440) 775-5672.
