Save Antioch College - The Portal

June 22, 2008

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni Association, the College Revival Fund (CRF), the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (AC3), the Antioch College Faculty and Staff, Community Government (CG), Antioch College Action Network (ACAN), and residents of the Village of Yellow Springs have worked diligently over the last 12 months to save Antioch College by  building a business plan, negotiating principles of agreement and letters of intent, signing petitions, marching, protesting and meeting numerous times with the Antioch University Board of Trustees to reach agreement for a separate and independent Antioch College with its own board of Trustees, tenured faculty and unionized staff; and

Whereas, the College Revival Fund staff and volunteers have raised over $18 million in pledges and cash donations from generous alumni and friends to support the operations of an independent Antioch College; and

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni Association has come together across generations and across the world in support of saving Antioch, and

Whereas, the College Revival Fund has committed resources to hire Institutional Advancement staff and set up a Nonstop Antioch office; and

Whereas, the Antioch College faculty, CG and staff and the College Revival Fund have initiated, developed and committed $1 million to support the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute as a way to sustain a core faculty and continue the “DNA” and spirit of Antioch College until the College is independent and under the authority of its own Board of Trustees and President; and

Whereas, the College Revival Fund and in support of Nonstop Antioch has embarked upon three concurrent strategies to win back Antioch College: 1) a response, with all due haste, to the Antioch University Board of Trustee’s Keene resolution to establish an independent residential Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio; 2) the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute and 3) the investigation, preparation and support of litigation; and

Whereas, the Antioch College tradition of self governance is continuing through the establishment of Excil to take the place of Adcil and the continuation of Comcil during this transition time; and

Whereas, the Antioch University Board of Trustees is following through on its plan to close Antioch College on June 30, 2008 and has laid off the majority of faculty and staff; and

Whereas, Over 400 Antioch College Alumni attended the 2008 Antioch College Reunion representing the classes of 1946 through 2011, and

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni Association recognizes the role and value of the Antioch University campuses in adult higher education and believes that the independence of Antioch College from the University affirms their mission in adult education and strengthens both institutions; and

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni call upon the legacy of Horace Mann, Arthur Morgan and the thousands of Antiochians who have passed through this institution of higher education, known today as one of the colleges that produces leaders and innovators who change the world; and

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni believe that Antioch College is worth fighting for and deserves every effort of its alumni and friends to rebuild the institution, making it whole and vibrant and able to provide a liberal arts education based in the values of community governance, cooperative education, challenging academic course work, mutual respect, intellectual freedom, free and open inquiry, social justice and celebration of diversity, and

Whereas, the Antioch College Alumni would be ashamed to let Antioch College die;
Therefore, be it Resolved that:

1.    The Antioch College Alumni are committed to the uninterrupted continuation of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio as a residential institution of higher education with a tenured faculty, respected adjunct faculty and unionized staff to provide a liberal arts education based in the values of community governance, cooperative education, challenging academic course work, mutual respect, intellectual freedom, free and open inquiry, social justice and celebration of diversity .

2.    The Antioch College Alumni Association instructs its elected Board of Directors to continue conversations, with all due haste, with the Antioch University Board of Trustees on the following:

a.    The complete separation of Antioch College from Antioch University.

b.    The transfer of the assets of Antioch College from Antioch University including but not limited to: the name “Antioch College,” its academic and cooperative education curriculum, Glen Helen, Antioch College’s restricted endowment, Antioch Education Abroad Program, Antioch Review, the Coretta Scott King Center, the Library and Antiochiana and all its holdings, the College’s electronic data bases and other electronic documents,  WYSO radio station,  the Antioch College’s physical plant, land and all other tangible and intangible assets to an independent Antioch College non-profit corporation.

3.    The Antioch College Alumni in attendance at the 2008 Reunion call upon all Antioch College alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, members of the Yellow Springs Community, colleagues in higher education including members of the faculty and student bodies of other units of Antioch University and other interested parties to stand with us to raise the necessary funds for our three priorities (1)funding to support an independent Antioch College, 2)Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute, and 3) litigation;  and call to action all necessary support to continue the operations of Antioch College.

Approved by a majority vote of the Antioch College Alumni Association Board of Directors at its special meeting at 6:00pm on June 21st, 2008.

Approved by a majority vote of the Antioch College Alumni at the Reunion Brunch on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008.

Respectfully submitted by:
Catherine Jordan, ‘72
Member, Antioch College Alumni Association Board of Directors and AC3

The last time I stood with you in a tent at Reunion, in 2007, we came together not only to reminisce and catch up with old friends, but also to construct the Resolution that has inspired us and informed our actions over the past year since the University  boldly announced that it was suspending operations at Antioch College. The College Revival movement lived up to its name that night as we gathered under that tent, testifying to our Antioch experiences, to our beloved community, sharing stories that were so inspiring that we raised $400,000 in about two hours to support the uninterrupted continuation of the College we love and value so much. Your actions, ideas, fundraising, tenacity and passion are a constant inspiration, and I thank each and every one of you.

It was a bittersweet year; students wrote senior papers, went on co-op, worked in the Glen and garnered Fulbrights, while facing the spectre that this year could be our College’s swan song.  Now, the landscape has completely changed yet again. As you probably know, I was in Keene, New Hampshire two weekends ago at the first Board of Trustees meeting since the talks broke off between the University Board and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation. Alumni, students and staff also attended the meeting.

At that meeting, the University Trustees and administration, Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and the Presidents of the other campuses affirmed their commitment to a healthy and independent Antioch College and acknowledged that could not happen without the College’s alumni.  The Trustees unanimously passed a Resolution calling for the Alumni Association to create the process, plans and resources to secure Antioch College’s independence from Antioch University, with its own board of trustees. The resolution also calls for the alumni to craft a plan for the transfer of assets from the University and a timetable for implementing that plan. Immediately, my multiple phones started ringing off the hook. Shortly thereafter, my email inbox completely filled up. Everyone wanted to know: what’s the next step? What are we doing? Here’s my idea, can we act on it? Here’s my plan, can we adopt it? Can we believe this? SHOULD we believe this?

I don’t have all the answers. I understand the skepticism many of you may have. This has been an exhausting year, filled with ups and downs, and more twists and turns than a midnight walk through the Glen. We thought that by now the College would well on the road to recovery, or at least in re-hab. But we’re on Antioch time…and it will take more time, more work, more invention and reinvention, working together in community, to revive Antioch College.

Even though I appreciate your skepticism, I remain optimistic. We have achieved so much, so quickly. Alumni have become re-engaged as never before. Donations and pledges arrive daily at the College Revival Fund.  The future of Antioch College is in our hands.  Working together with the incredible faculty, dedicated staff, eager Trustees and the supportive Yellow Springs community, the alumni community has demonstrated its commitment to Antioch College.  Together we will ensure that the next generation of leaders will graduate from Antioch.

It is once again time for fortitude and oceans of caffeine. It is time to complete the movement we launched under the tent at last year’s Reunion—the task of securing Antioch College’s independence as a liberal arts, residential college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with a tenured faculty and vigorous curriculum, based on our values of shared governance, experiential learning, and community.

That’s great, you’re saying. But what are we DOING?

Here’s what’s going on right now: The Alumni Board is crafting a letter of intent with the Board of Trustees for the transfer of the historical assets of Antioch College to an independent College Board of Trustees. This letter will embody the principles of the Resolution passed unanimously by the alumni at last year’s Reunion. Once this letter is approved, it will be posted on antiochians.org and put out on the lists, so keep your laptops handy.

Once a letter of intent has been signed, the next step is to put in place a Board of Trustees for an independent Antioch College.  The Alumni Board’s Governance Committee has been developing qualifications for board members and identifying candidates for the past year.  The new Board will take responsbility for initiating a national search for a new College president and oversee the renovation of the College buildings and curriculum.   Also, after the letter of intent is accepted by the University Board, the incredible staff of the College Revival Fund—Risa Grimes, Aimee Mayurama, Fred Kraus, Wendy Ernst, Chelsea Martens, Robin Heise, Eric Miller, Cheri Robbins, and Stephen Duffy—will be going into full-on fundraising mode.

As the President of the Antioch College Alumni Association, I sit on the University Board of Trustees.  I know that the Trustees want us to succeed.

Make no mistake about it–no matter what happens, we are going forward.  You will have the opportunity this weekend to connect with faculty, to strategize in breakout groups, to attend Community Meeting, as well as to have fun, connect with your classmates and, of course, hop til you drop at Div dance. I can’t believe I’m saying this to Antiochians, but please remember to have fun this weekend.

I’m now going to turn over the floor to Ellen Borgersen, Vice-President of the Alumni Board and Acting President of the College Revival Fund. She’ll talk about Nonstop Antioch, her work with the faculty and staff and how it will fold into the revival of Antioch College. After her talk, we will be available for a question and answer session. I look forward to your questions and suggestions.

Nancy Crow

Alumni Board President