The Office of Communications leads Oberlin’s institutional marketing and communications, setting direction for how the college is expressed and experienced across audiences and platforms.
We define messaging, shape audience strategy, steward the brand, and align communications with institutional priorities. Through coordinated planning and execution, we strengthen Oberlin’s visibility, reputation, and engagement.
We operate as a centralized, strategic communications office organized around areas of expertise. While each team brings specialized capabilities, our work is highly integrated across strategy, storytelling, digital, creative, and distribution.
We align on shared goals, audience, and messaging, and orchestrate work across teams. Most initiatives span multiple disciplines, from strategy through execution. Our project process begins with a structured brief and kickoff meeting to ensure clarity and alignment.
We prioritize work based on institutional goals, audience impact, and available resources.
We partner with campus leaders, departments, and programs to advance institutional priorities through strategic communications.
Our role is to shape the right approach, not simply execute requests. Engagement begins with clarifying goals, audiences, approach, and outcomes.
Depending on the initiative, this may include:
Because our work is focused on institutional impact, not all requests result in full project support. We determine the appropriate level of engagement based on goals, impact, and resources.
Explore our areas of expertise below to learn how we contribute to this work.