The Oberlin Collegiate Institute was built on of land, founded in 1833 and became Oberlin College in 1850. In 1867, two years after the Oberlin Conservatory's founding in 1865, the previously separate Oberlin Conservatory became incorporated with the college on a similar grant. In tandem, the administration claimed that "Oberlin is peculiar in that which is good," notable as the first college and first conservatory in the United States to regularly admit African-American students. Oberlin College's role as an educator of African-American students prior to the Civil War and thereafter is historically significant. Notable is the graduation of
William Grant Still, a student who widely became regarded as the "dean of African-American composers." These efforts have helped Oberlin remain committed to its values of freedom, social justice, and service. It is also the oldest continuously operating
coeducational conservatory, since its incorporation with Oberlin College,
the first coeducational college. The college and conservatory were listed as a
National Historic Landmark on December 21, 1965, for its significance in social progress. Due to the conservatory's affiliation with
Elisha Gray, inventor of the
electromechanical oscillator, and
Thaddeus Cahill, inventor of the
telharmonium, Oberlin Conservatory plays a role in the origins of
electronic music. The
TIMARA (Technology In Music And Related Arts) program was the world's first conservatory program in this field, established in 1967. Oberlin Conservatory was the recipient of the 2009
National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States government to artists and arts patrons in recognition of the wealth and depth of their creative expressions. The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the only professional music school to be so honored by President Barack Obama. ==Admissions==