News
Mister Rogers’ Neighbor, Francois Clemmons ’67
February 12, 2021
Yvonne Gay
When Mister Rogers invited Officer Clemmons—played by Francois Clemmons ’67—to join him in cooling his feet in a pool of water, the pair was not only spending a refreshing moment together, Rogers was proudly showing his viewers where he stood on civil rights at a time when some public pools prohibited Black swimmers.
![Two men sit with their feet in a child's pool.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/images-2021/1clemmons-rogers.john_beale_courtesy_of_focus_features_copy.jpg?itok=mC8dlyKg)
Robin Beth Schaer Receives $25,000 Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts
February 8, 2021
Amanda Nagy
Schaer will use the award to work on a new collection of poetry.
![Robin Schaer Portrait of Robin Schaer](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/image/robin_schaer-news.jpg?itok=HPfZxIQ0)
How COVID-19 and Social Uprisings are Changing Career Readiness
February 5, 2021
Communications Staff
COVID-19 and uprisings for racial justice have called for a thorough transformation of how we prepare students for the professional world, writes Dana Hamdan, executive director of the Career Development Center, in an op-ed published by Inside Higher Ed.
![Dana Hamdan Portrait of Dana Hamdan.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/image/danahamdan-trj-news.jpg?itok=nv1nIh9q)
Persistence, Practice, and Determination
February 2, 2021
Yvonne Gay
Instead of an alarm clock, the sounds of Sergei Prokofiev and Chaka Khan would waft through Caylen Bryant’s childhood home every Saturday morning. Those early days served as inspiration for the jazz bass performance and Africana Studies major. After graduating from Oberlin in 2017, Bryant went on to perfect her own sound, and head a music program handed down to her by author and musician James McBride ’79.
![A girl holds a bass guitar in a portrait.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/images-2021/caylenbryant_17._courtesy_of_cb.jpg?itok=veFwmQX6)
Art in the Archives: Works Presented for the First Time
February 1, 2021
Anne Salsich, associate archivist, Oberlin College Archives
A new virtual exhibit by the Oberlin College Archives showcases artworks with deep institutional history.
![Lucy Stone bust A bronze bust of Lucy Stone.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/images-2021/lucy_stone_bust_mstr_copy.jpeg?itok=sYXzwi7a)
Leadership for the Next Phase
January 29, 2021
Office of Communications
President Carmen Twillie Ambar shares a message with the Oberlin College community.
![Exterior of building with pillars and arches](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/images-2019/cox_administration_bldg-gregory_pendolino.jpg?itok=vNjwIfHI)
Oberlin College #13 Nationally Among Liberal Arts Schools in New College Rankings
January 29, 2021
Scott Wargo
A new college rankings source that measures the work and influence of faculty and alumni places Oberlin among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.
![Snow covered tree in front of arched windows in sandstone building](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/image/cox_winter_15_dp107_web-scr.jpg?itok=wqF3BzYX)
Conservatory Honors Black History Month Through Concerts and More
January 27, 2021
Erich Burnett
Series begins Feb. 4, continues throughout the month on Oberlin Stage Left.
![to be young, gifted, and Black. Oberlin College Black History Month 2021](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/image/bhm_2021_campus_digest_graphic.png?itok=flAedun9)
Ed Helms ’96 and Chris Eldridge ’04 Team Up for 'Red Herring Conversations' Jan. 29
January 25, 2021
Erich Burnett
Oberlin Stage Left program revolves around performers’ shared love of bluegrass and more.
![Chris Eldridge and Ed Helms.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/image/chris_and_ed.jpg?itok=LiREJjeJ)
The Business of Virtual Learning
January 21, 2021
Yvonne Gay
Nearly a year ago many businesses and schools concerned about the spread of COVID-19 relocated onsite offices and classrooms to the internet. The transition to a virtual platform took some getting used to, but for Bryan Rubin ’18 and Benjamin Steger ’18 the future was finally here.
![A college student plays a trumpet while a person on a computer screen facing him plays a trumpet.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/fp_w360_h270/public/content/news/images-2021/virtu.academy.yevhengulenko.jpg?itok=yA5iqfQg)