2019 Oberlin College Community Impact Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Our Community 2019 O B E R L I N C O L L E G E C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T R E P O R T OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 1 MISSION STATEMENT Community engagement is an important part of the educational mission of Oberlin College. Our faculty and staf are dedicated to providing students with broad knowledge of the wider world—science, culture, and society—as well as the opportunity for in-depth study in their specifc areas of interest. An Oberlin education helps students foster a sense of social responsibility, strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills in communication and problem-solving, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings. Community engagement enables students to develop and hone these skills in ways that also beneft the residents of Oberlin, Lorain County, and Northeast Ohio. 2 OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 3 PRESIDENT’S GREETING A Shared History, A Shared Future Since their founding in 1833, Oberlin College and the city of Oberlin have become a vibrant community renowned for academic and musical excellence and historic contributions to Northeast Ohio, the nation, and the world. Te college and town have always been physically, socially, and economically intertwined. As befts our founders’ vision and our history, Oberlin’s campus is not set apart on a hill or sequestered behind gates or walls. It is at the heart of the city, centered around our shared village green, beautiful Tappan Square. We at the college value greatly our relationship with the city of Oberlin. We are deeply committed to being good neighbors and good citizens of the city and Lorain County, and to helping both thrive. All of us in Oberlin can take pride in the fact that this is a great place to study, work, live, and raise a family. Oberlin’s contributions to the local community take many forms. A recent study produced by the college and the IMPLAN consulting group shows that Oberlin College is directly and indirectly responsible for more than $143 million in spending annually in the local economy. Each year, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Conservatory of Music, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum present a plethora of outstanding academic, artistic, musical, and athletic programs, most of which are free and open to our neighbors from the city and region. Tese lectures, symposia, concerts, recitals, flms, events, exhibitions, competitions, and tournaments bring thousands of visitors to our community. For example, the annual Oberlin Summer Teater Festival ofers Lorain County and Northeast Ohio productions of free, family- friendly theater classics by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Tornton Wilder, and others. Te economic impact of visitors is only one aspect of the college’s contributions to the city, county, and Northeast Ohio. Te college and conservatory also attract faculty, staf, and, of course, students to Oberlin. Our students come from 49 states and the District of Columbia and 45 other countries. About 7 percent of our 2,840 students come from Ohio, including the city of Oberlin and nearby communities. Many of our graduates choose to remain in Northeast Ohio. More than 600 Oberlin graduates live and work in Lorain County, and almost 700 reside in Cuyahoga County, serving as doctors, dentists, teachers, civic leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, real estate developers, and leaders in arts, culture, and music. Oberlin’s faculty, staf, students, and alumni also commit thousands of hours to serving the community. Our students annually engage in 115,000 hours of community service, including teaching Spanish in the elementary schools, tutoring and helping high school students prepare for college, working at nonprofts, and volunteering at social service organizations. I want to thank all of Oberlin’s community and regional partners for providing opportunities for our students. I hope you will appreciate this document, which shows the many ways in which Oberlin College is committed to our neighbors in the city of Oberlin, Lorain County, Greater Cleveland, and Northeast Ohio. Carmen Twillie Ambar president, oberlin college 4 OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT | PRESIDENT’S GREETING OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 5 A SHARED ECONOMY The information in this study showcases IMPLAN data indicates that in 2019, Oberlin College’s the economic infuence that Oberlin Oberlin College will directly account for Economic Impact College has on Lorain County. The data $119,448,344 spent across fve industries: in Lorain County in the study uses 2018 dollar amounts Colleges and Universities, Real Estate, All Other Food and Drinking Places, To better understand the institution’s and populations. The dollar amounts Full-Service Restaurants, and Hotels impact on Lorain County, Oberlin refect expenses from the college’s and Motels. Indirectly, the college will contracted with the IMPLAN group unrestricted funds. The results and data account for $24,383,467 spent with to conduct a careful study. IMPLAN, shown here are for 2019, using 2018 269 collaborating industries. The top a leading provider of community information. The software used for the fve industries indirectly affected are impact data and analytical software, study accounts for infation for the 2019 Real Estate, Employment Services, uses public economic and institutional dollar value. Maintenance and Repair Construction of data, along with information provided Nonresidential Structures, Electric Power by the institution, to derive economic The report frst looked at industry Transmission and Distribution, and infuence assumptions. IMPLAN breaks output that is infuenced by Oberlin Other Local Government Enterprises. down each economic infuence by three College. It found that the college’s levels: direct impacts of the institution; economic impact through student Lastly, Oberlin College has induced indirect impacts, which are related to spending, employee payroll, visitor $56,228,067 of spending into the industries that work with the institution; spending, construction, and institutional surrounding community. The top fve and induced impacts, which are related expenditures totaled more than $143 industries accounted for are Owner- to other industries in the surrounding million in annual spending in the local Occupied Dwellings, Hospitals, Real areas. All industries in this study are economy. Estate, Limited-Service Restaurants, categorized by IMPLAN. 6 OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT | A SHARED ECONOMY The majority of Oberlin’s 1,100-plus employees live and raise their families in Lorain County. and Offces of Physicians. Overall, it is Oberlin’s standing as an employer also assumed that Oberlin College will have has a signifcant impact on local, county, a total output in 2019 of $200,059,879. state, and federal tax revenues. Based on public information and other data, Oberlin College is also one of Lorain the college has infuence on nearly County’s largest employers. The $10,670,000 of state and local taxes. majority of its 1,100-plus full-time and At the federal level, the college has Economic Impact of part-time employees live and raise their an infuence of almost $17,500,000. Oberlin College families in Lorain County. IMPLAN’s In Lorain County alone, Oberlin analysis found that the college directly employees paid $941,000 in taxes. accounts for 3,393 employees across fve Overall, Oberlin College has impacted industries: Colleges and Universities, All over $29,100,000 in tax dollars. Other Food and Drinking Places, Real $941,000 Estate, Full-Service Restaurants, and Based on the gathered data and reported in tax dollars paid by Oberlin College Hotels and Motels. assumptions, it is clear that Oberlin employees in Lorain County College has a signifcant economic Indirectly, Oberlin accounts for 203 infuence directly and indirectly on the employees across 269 industries and local community. Combing through the induces nearly 470 employees in the reports, one can see that restaurants, surrounding community. Overall, hotels, real estate, maintenance $143 the college has infuenced over 4,060 professions, and medical industries are million in direct and indirect spending annually in the local economy employee positions in Lorain County. most affected by the college’s presence. The most infuenced industries by IMPLAN’s methods and data estimate Oberlin College are Colleges and that Oberlin College in 2019 has directly Universities, All Other Food and and indirectly infuenced more than Drinking Places, Real Estate, Full- $200,000,000 in expense output, created Service Restaurants, and Employment over 4,000 jobs, and impacted over 600+ Services. $29,000,000 in tax dollars. Oberlin graduates live and work in Lorain County OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT | A SHARED ECONOMY 7 SHARED SPACES The Hotel at Oberlin Nestled in the heart of Oberlin, overlooking Tappan Square and just steps from downtown Oberlin and the college, the Hotel at Oberlin demonstrates the great value in city and college partnerships. This modern, eco-friendly hotel features 70 rooms and suites, 6,500 square feet of event space, and the 1833 Restaurant, serving seasonal and locally sourced foods. Built in accordance with the Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum rating, the hotel hosts conferences and special events and sponsors travel packages that help boost the local economy. • Housed within the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, the owners decided to put the historic movie house up for sale in Hotel at Oberlin features artwork and landscape design by 2009, the college sought ways to preserve this community asset. renowned artists Maya Lin, Tan Lin, and Edwina von Gal. College Properties of Oberlin, a wholly owned subsidiary of • The William and Helen Birenbaum Innovation and the college, agreed to purchase and upgrade the theater to meet Performance Space is a club-like venue in the lower level of local business codes and enhance the lobby and concession the Hotel at Oberlin.