Tennis, Anyone?

Oberlin College has the privilege of hosting the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships this week.  Starting tomorrow (May 25), the nation's top eight teams, as well as the top 32 individuals and top 16 doubles teams will compete for the national title.

Cleveland was chosen as one of six cities across the nation to serve as a member of the NCAA Championship City program.  Over the next few years, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and other area colleges will host NCAA championships: this year our nearby rivals Baldwin-Wallace College (cross country and outdoor track) and John Carroll (volleyball) also hosted championships.

Hakuna Matata

Tony-award winning director and costume designer Julie Taymor, OC '74 will be this year's commencement speaker.

Perhaps best known for directing the Broadway smash hit The Lion King (which celebrated its tenth year on Broadway this year), Taymor has also received accolades for her films Frida (starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo) and Across the Universe, which features 35 songs by the Beatles.

Look for her newest movie, The Tempest, to be released later this year.

SUPERstition

On May 1st, I had the unique and amazing opportunity to hear the great Stevie Wonder perform here on Oberlin College's campus in beautiful Finney Chapel.  Wonder's concert was the official dedication and opening of our new jazz studies building, the Kohl Building.

The day before, Bill and Camille Cosby were also on campus to celebrate the new building.  All three received honorary Oberlin College Doctorates for their contributions in music and philanthropic causes.

While the Oberlin College Jazz Studies Department has been in need of their own building for quite some time (they've been practicing in an old gym since 1972), the country has an ever-increasing need for "green" buildings. Environmental stewardship is central to Oberlin College's mission and the Kohl Building's goal is to be the first LEED Gold rated music building in the country.

The building will also be home to the country's largest privately held jazz collection.  And to honor Oberlin's newest PhD in music, the Kohl Building's piano recording studio will be named after Stevie Wonder.

Read a recap of the events from the Oberlin Review, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Congratulations to Sophie Schacht and the softball team for their success at Dr. Seuss Day!  Dr. Seuss Day is an annual event put on by America Reads tutors at the public library to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday.  Because of Sophie's organization and the team's participation, they all won the prestigious Bonner Center's Student-Athlete Award!

Senior Day

A big congratulations to our five seniors!  Julia Chauvin, Lauren Luther, Kate Phillips, Sophie Schacht, and Jen Sees ended a wonderful - but very short!- college softball career this afternoon against the Kenyon College Ladies.  


To highlight just a few of their career accomplishments: 
- Sophie Schacht is the career leader in games played and games started, having started every single game of her career.
- Julia Chauvin ends her career with 15 school records.
- Lauren Luther has the 3rd most at-bats (behind Sophie and Julia) and 2nd most career hits (behind Julia) of anyone in Oberlin College history.
- Jen Sees finishes her career as the program's third best pitcher.
- Kate Phillips holds the single season record for putouts and is 2nd in career putouts.


The day was made even more special with the attendance of our family, friends, and top fans: Ross Luther (who attended 119 of 129 games over four years) threw out the first pitch, Jessie Ullman (an honorary member of the softball team) shouted our team cheers from the sidelines, and Rocky (our newest mascot!) brought his boundless energy. 

Thank you to our seniors for making this another wonderful season!