On the Evolving World of Communications

Guiding communications with Oberlin's students, faculty, and staff, as well as 40,000 plus alumni and thousands of members of the greater Oberlin community is a challenging task which requires an outstanding leader. That is why I am thrilled to announce that Edward "Ben" Jones, who graduated from Oberlin in 1996, with a BA in English and environmental studies, has agreed to return to the College as our new vice president of communications.

Ben comes to us from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where as director of communications, Office of Admissions, from 2004 to the present he built a national reputation as an intrepid innovator and a powerful communicator. At MIT, he developed a communications plan and admissions web community that has been embraced by prospective students, current students, and alumni alike and has been cited as the gold standard in admissions communications. In his four years there, MIT's applications increased 28 percent and the yield, meaning the number of admitted students who actually enroll, rose markedly. Ben is known nationally as an expert on blogging, social networking, and Web 2.0 in higher education. Previously he was a founder and partner of Blue Coda Inc, a small web design firm with clients such as Harvard University and MIT. He has also worked as director of design and production in About.com's Boston office and as director of American Prospect Online.

In a stellar pool of candidates, Ben stood out for his innovative leadership, his web knowledge, his eloquence, his strong writing, his people skills, and his grasp of the evolving world of communications. Ben will assume his duties on July 1. Please join me in welcoming Ben and his family to Oberlin.

Many thanks to the search committee who worked thoroughly and thoughtfully through a national pool of candidates. The committee, co-chaired by Albert Matlin, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Janet McNeill, '67, chair of the Alumni Council Communications Committee, had as its members Ian Hillburger, student senator; Caroline Jackson-Smith, associate professor and chair of African American Studies; Marci Alegant, associate dean of the Conservatory of Music; Leslie Braat, senior associate director of admissions; Mike Nolan, director of campaign/leadership giving in the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, and Ferdinand Protzman, assistant to the president for communications. They received invaluable assistance from Ginny O'Dell, administrative manager of my office.

Speaking of communications, I would like to thank the staff of the Office of College Relations for producing the Source every week. My office has received many compliments on the Source, which has filled a void in Oberlin's communications landscape. in the staff of college relations, soon to be renamed communications, have done a terrific job with the e-newsletter. Thanks for the fine work.

I also want to thank the Student Senate for organizing the Coffee with Krislov study breaks. I am enjoying the informal discussions and am learning so much.

Oberlin History: I was recently visiting someone in the Oberlin Inn and came across the wonderful electronic kiosk on the Path to Freedom, highlighting the many Underground Railroad sites in this area. Students, as your family and friends come to Oberlin to watch you graduate or simply to visit, please check out these sites. I also recommend steering visitors to the Oberlin Heritage Center, a terrific organization offering a wealth of Oberlin history and information. We should celebrate our rich history and share it. I know the Krislov family's visitors are amazed by the important role Oberlin has played in American and world history.

A fascinating picture relating to that history now hangs in my outer office, thanks to Dan and Marly Merrill. Dan is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Oberlin, and Marly is a documentarian and expert on Oberlin's early history. Last week, they generously gave me a print of Benjamin Robert Hayden's painting titled The Anti-Slavery Society Convention, 1840, which is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London. The depiction of the distinguished participants at the world's first anti-slavery conference is remarkably detailed. One can clearly see the faces of two prominent American abolitionists and Oberlin trustees, William Dawes and John Keep. They returned from their extended visit to England with money desperately needed to keep Oberlin College going, as well as thousands of books, which formed the core of our library.

I also was delighted this past week by a brief visit from Richard A.G. Dupuis, a freelance scholar on the life and times of Charles Grandison Finney, famed evangelist and Oberlin's second president. Dupuis, coeditor of The Memoirs of Charles G. Finney (Zondervan, 1989), was here for five days being honored for his generous donation to the Oberlin College Archives of his extensive collection of research materials relating to Finney. The collection consists of 168 letter boxes of transcriptions of Finney letters, articles and essays, research papers, bibliographic notes and citations. A small exhibit commemorating Dupuis' visit is on display at the archives until June 2.

Giving Back. This past Friday, we held the first (annual) scholarship luncheon to honor our scholarship donors and the students who received the support. Speakers included: Dick Bailey '51, Suzanne Hellmuth '68, and Frances Walker-Slocum '45, as well as students Ryann Milne-Price '08 and Shawn LeSure '10. The stories shared at the luncheon were moving and personal, and spoke eloquently of how much difference a scholarship can make in a student's life. Thanks to those who attended. We are planning to make this an annual event. All scholarship recipients should plan to attend next year to meet some of those who have helped make their education possible.

Seniors: Speaking of seniors, let me invite all seniors to visit with me on May 19th between 2 and 3 p.m., in the Science Center Commons. I'd also like to remind you that a good way of ensuring that your legacy lives on in Oberlin is by giving to the Senior Gift. Contact Geoff Peterson at Geoffrey.Peterson@oberlin.edu or 802-299-7114 for details.

The Whirlwind of Oberlin Activities: Wednesday morning, I attended the A&PS Service Award Breakfast. It was great to see the honorees receive their service pins. The ceremony put the spotlight on bright, dedicated, and talented people who have contributed so much to Oberlin's success and are working hard to make the College's future bright.

This past week also highlighted the joys of Oberlin's creativity, the antics of the First Friday troupe, the ingenuity of OCircus, and the stirring music of the Folk Festival, particularly the legendary Odetta, one of our family favorites. My daughter and I also enjoyed a tour and dinner with the SEED House folks.

As the end of the academic year approaches the pace of campus life is accelerating. Earlier this week, the Law Scholars kickoff featured Dennis Archer, the distinguished jurist, attorney, and former mayor of Detroit. The John Heisman Club's 5K race demonstrated that my wife is still faster than I am. I'll have to start training more seriously for next year!

A special callout to the incredible rock climbing leaders at Philips Gym who hold children's hours every Sunday afternoon. What a wonderful, patient, and good-humored crew. Oberlin's children and parents deeply appreciate you.

To all the students: good luck on exams and remember to take a break in the sunshine and fresh air. To the Conservatory students who earned high honors, it was a pleasure being at your awards banquet and congratulations on a job well done. To all those staff, students, and faculty who have helped make our campus look so beautiful, many thanks. Visitors repeatedly comment on how spectacular it looks.

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