Leland Brandt Papers, 1970-1990
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Leland Brandt was born on April 1, 1970 in New York City. His father, Coleman Morton Brandt, was born in Brooklyn, New York and worked as an investment counselor. His mother, Grace Louise Brandt, grew up in Taunton, Massachusetts. She moved to New York to attend graduate school, and was later employed as a psychotherapist.
Leland Brandt attended the Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York from 1984 to1988. At Oberlin College, Brandt earned a B.A. in History, and completed a thesis as part of the honors program. His thesis, titled, “The Evolution of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics at Oberlin College,” was completed under the direction of Professor of History, Carol Lasser.
After graduating from Oberlin, Brandt moved back to New York to pursue a career in marketing. He worked for ESPN and the New York Times as a marketing manager. In 1999, Brandt started his own company, The Research Department, Inc., located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is a small consulting firm that provides marketing research and services. In the same year, Brandt married Lynne Sara Tapper. They continue to live and work in the Hartford area.
Sources Consulted
Student file, Oberlin College Office of Stewardship.
Leland Brandt. LinkedIn account, accessed April 13, 2015.
Author: Haley Antell Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationBrandt, Leland. “The Evolution of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics at Oberlin College.” B.A. Thesis, Oberlin College, 1992. Oberlin College Archives, RG 19/5, Student Papers.
Oberlin College Archives, RG 9/6, Physical Education Department Records.
Oberlin College Archives, RG 30, Fredrick D. Shults Papers.
This collection represents the research Leland Brandt conducted for his thesis, “The Evolution of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics at Oberlin College,” in 1992. The materials originated in the Oberlin College Department of Physical Education predominantly during the 1970s and 1980s. The collection does not contain any information on Leland Brandt’s life or experience at Oberlin. Instead, the documents illustrate how the Department of Physical Education evolved in response to the Title IX investigation conducted in the early 1980s.
Title IX, legislation passed in 1972, requires that federally funded educational programs ensure gender equity. In order to be considered nondiscriminatory on the basis of sex, Oberlin College, like many other institutions in 1970s and 80s, had to make significant changes to its Physical Education program to comply with Title IX. This included expanding locker room space for women, and providing equal financial support to women and men. The correspondence and memos in Series VII indicate the depth of the investigation by the United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, and the controversies it sparked within the department and the college.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Correspondence, 1972-73, n.d.
This series contains correspondence between members of the Department of Physical Education, a significant portion of which pertains to the director and chairman of the department, Jack Scott.
Series II. Memos, 1972-88, n.d.
These memos were written primarily between 1972 and1974. Included are handwritten drafts of memos. The content spans a diverse number of issues.
Series III. Minutes and Notes, ca. 1970s-80s
This series consists of minutes from meetings in 1972, 1988, and some undated minutes. It also holds some handwritten notes, which were most likely written in the 1970s or 80s. The bulk of materials, however, comprise the minutes from meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on Organization and Governance of Athletics and Physical Education.
Series IV. Faculty, 1970-89, n.d.
The documents in this series represent activities carried out by faculty members. The first folder in the series contains the records of faculty searches for candidates for vacant positions. The second contains a report authored by the faculty of the Department of Physical Education. Finally, the third folder contains a paper written by Department of Physical Education member, Joe Gurtis, while he was a student at the University of North Carolina.
Series V. Women’s Athletics, ca. 1970-90
This series comprises the bulk of the collection and is divided into two subseries. The first contains memos, correspondence, and reports pertaining to Women’s Athletics at Oberlin. The second subseries holds the records related to the Title IX investigation that occurred in the early 1980s. Included in the correspondence are communications between the College and the United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.
Series VI. Physical Education Program Reviews, 1969-88, n.d.
This series contains program reviews of the Department of Physical Education, conducted both internally and by external parties.
Series VII. Staff Issues, ca. 1973 RESTRICTED
These documents are restricted. Please see the Archivist for more information.
Series VIII. Clippings, 1972-78, n.d.
These newspaper clippings were most likely collected by Leland Brandt during his research. They pertain to the Department of Physical Education, predominantly during Jack Scott’s tenure as director.