From sporting events to volunteer hours for Miami students, Glee Club concerts on site and more, for the last two decades the two have shared opportunities that saw participation of students and senior residents in the Butler County city and home of the university’s main campus, said school officials.
“We deeply value our partnership with the Knolls of Oxford,” said Dr. Crawford.
Crawford described his school’s long relationship with the Knolls as “the perfect partnership.”
“We enjoy our regular visits to the Knolls and the various activities we participate in together,” said Crawford, who shared the partnership signing ceremony with Timothy McGowan, president of Maple Knolls Communities.
“They always welcome us with open arms, and we absolutely love our collaboration.”
Cheryl Hampton, sales and marketing director at the Knolls, said the initial agreement signed in 2005 was one of the first of its kind in the country.
Hampton noted that 65% to 70% of Knolls residents are connected to Miami, whether as alumni or former faculty or staff members.
“They always want to come back to the quintessential college experience – the cobblestone streets and to be on campus,” Hampton said. “It’s a peaceful place to retire, and because of that, we are very, very devoted to the Miami relationship.”
“It allows for an intergenerational component, which is a huge part of the culture at the Knolls that sets us apart from basic continuing care communities,” she said. “Our residents love continued education and learning, whether it’s faculty or students presenting. It keeps our folks active and also breaks down some stereotypes. It is very beneficial for both of us.”
School officials said Miami’s Men’s Glee Club regularly holds concerts at the Knolls, along with other activities with residents.
Recently, the Knolls sponsored commissioned pieces focused on intergenerational relationships and memory loss with Miami’s composers-in-residence, Katerina Gimon of Vancouver and Faith Zimmer from Springfield, Missouri.
Both pieces were performed last month during concerts held at the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Innovation College@Elm and Hall Auditorium. Gimon’s work was based on a new poem, “I Will,” told from the viewpoint of a young woman whose mother was slipping away due to dementia. Zimmer performed “How Great Thou Art,” a popular hymn selected from a survey given to Knolls residents.
“It was a very powerful experience that deepened the relationship between the Knolls and the Glee Club,” said Jeremy Jones, the Fisher-Holoviak Endowed Professor of Music and the director of the Miami Glee Club. “As our students reflected back on the process the following week, they were so grateful because of the relevancy of the topics we were dealing with.
“I’m just so happy and pleased that our students and the residents can engage and learn from one another. Our students learn from them, and the residents at the Knolls learn what our students are able to offer the community. It’s very inspiring and heartwarming to see.”
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