Oberlin College Awarded $750,000 to Support Connected Learning

OBERLIN, OHIO — The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Oberlin College a grant of $750,000 to support curricular revision and enhancement through programs focused on the connected learning experience. The grant will be used over the next four years.

“We are grateful for the support of the Mellon Foundation and the opportunity to develop an educational experience that helps students bring greater coherence and intentionality to their studies, co-curricular experiences, and preparation for post-college life,” says Tim Elgren, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Connected learning is a promising model for building connections among departments and across campus and for allowing students and faculty to engage in deep, multidisciplinary exploration of critical challenges facing this generation of undergraduates.”

Providing students with a connected learning experience with more effective advising, mentoring, and post-graduation support is one of three main implementation areas that comprise the Oberlin College Strategic Plan 2016-2021: Institutional transformation through an inclusive approach to academic and musical excellence.

Connected learning emerged from the strategic planning process as a central theme to help students develop a greater understanding of the connectivity among their studies, co-curricular experiences, and preparation for post-college life. Connected learning engages students within and beyond the classroom and in exploration of the impact of meaningful interaction among peoples with a wide variety of identities, ideologies, cultures, and perspectives. It instills in students a deeper understanding of the ways in which knowledge is created and the world is understood, forging a pathway between the college years and meaningful personal and professional lives.

The foundation also recently awarded Oberlin College a $150,000 grant to strengthen and expand the study of music in the context of liberal arts, a priority identified by President Marvin Krislov. It will allow for the piloting of a full-time faculty line in Musical Studies designed to increase the number and diversity of course offerings. More information about this grant can be found here.

About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. Additional information is available at mellon.org.