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Printed by: Marianne Whelchel w Wednesday, January 5. 2005 2:42:13 PM
Title: Dan Kaplan’s letter : Antioch Page 1 of 5
& Sunday, December 26, 2004 3:14:59 PM
Message
From: 9 Donna and Al Denman
Subject: Dan Kaplan’s letter
To: 9 Hazel Latson
9 Harold Wright
9 jim rose
9 wally sikes
9 bob parker
9 Anne Bohlen
9 cy tebbetts
9 irwin abrams
9 dimi reber
9 connie pelekoudas
9 karen shirley
9 Dorothy Scott
9 Walt Tulecke
9 Robert Fogarty
9 Bill Houston
9 Philip Rothman
9 Elaine Comegys
9 Marianne Whelchel
9 ramesh patel
9 Steve Schwerner
9 vie ayoub
9 Victor Garcia
9 al denman
Cc: 9 al & donna denman
December 20, 2004
Dear Al and Antioch Friends,
Thank you for your letter to the Board of Trustees concerning the plans
for Antioch University McGregor to move their campus to the west side
of Yellow Springs. You raise legitimate concerns, and the list of
people who signed the letter reads like a Who’s Who of distinguished
faculty and alumni.
Let me begin my response by affirming your last paragraph: “we are
concerned as you are about the future welfare of Antioch College and
the Village that has been its home since 1852.”
You and the Board share that common goal. If actions speak louder than
words, then the Board’s deeds speak at full volume. In the past three
Printed by: Marianne Whelchel Wednesday, January 5, 2005 2:42:13 PM
Title: Dan Kaplan’s letter : Antioch Page 2 of 5
years, trustees (current and former) have contributed $29 million to
the College. The Board’s contributions make up 75% of the $42 million
raised to date in the campaign specifically for Antioch College.
As you know, in June 2003, the Board created the Renewal Commission,
which spent a year designing a plan for the rebirth of the College. The
Plan for Antioch is now being implemented.
The Plan has been described by leaders in higher education as “an ^
opportunity for Antioch to reasseTnTiThistorical leadership role in
American hMier_exlucation.” Ron Crutcher, the new-president of Wheaton Ufct*i
College, said of the Plan, This is a bold and innovative plan to * l^^^S^’s 7
transform Antioch College.” ^Q
I share this with you so that you will appreciate my perspective. With
a plan, and with the funds in hand to launch the plan, Antioch College <
is in better shape than it has been in a generation. Our future is tar
•from assured, but I feel good about the huge progress we have made in
the past three years.
I know many of the people who signed the letter to trustees have sat in
from time to time on Board meetings. You have seen that we literally
spend 90percent of our time pn the challenges and opportunities that
Antioch College faces. We do so because we believe in Antioch College,
and we are committed to it.
At the same time, we are also r°cp"nQiN° f™ five other campuses
besides the College. Indeed, we have a fiduciary responsibility to all
of the campuses of Antioch University. And so, at its last three
meetings, the Boardtackled the critical space needs of the McGregor
campus. The founrJafion of these discussions was recognition thaf
McGregor needed more space. In the past few years, McGregor has been
turning away qualified students because they were simply out of space
to accoffiTTTUdHte'ine demand.
I want to reassure you that Board members asked virtually all of the
questions you raise. The Physical Facilities committftp anH tha Finanr»«*
Committee met numerous-times, over many months, spending hours wocking
on McGJegb^s-proposal, asking probing questions and requesting
additional background. The concept was vetted.
So, your questions are good ones, and they deserve a response. Below, I
want to go through your points, one by one.
Was4here adequajeconsij'tatir>n with nth^r intftrpgtecLpartiftft, e.g. the
administrators, faculty, students and alumni of Antioch College?
McGregor and the College are separate institutions. Their governance is
separate, their budgets and administrations are separate. Nonetheless,
Printed by: Marianne Whelchel Wednesday, January 5, 2005 2:42:13 PM
Title: Dan Kaplan’s letter : Antioch ^^— Page 3 of 5
the administration of the College (bcMJoan and RicQ has been fully fa
apprised from the very beginning onh^prtitteiss uf Examining McGregor’s C/jvt. v-
plans. In addition, ot course, Villagejrfficials and the CIC were ^C^,
engaged in the discussion.
With so much open land already owner! hy the nnllege/University, why go
a mile away to the edge of the Village? *
The University hireo^aictuteats and land_pjanners to answer these exact
questions. One of the big challenges-was^hat all of McGregor’s
students drive to the campus, and so^arkinaJwas a major issue. Even
if the space could be.found, was it desirable to “have to build large
parking lots near the College, or tohaye literally hundreds ofcars
nnnwpnTmr^on thp Cniiprp? in addition, the Village of Yellow Springs
actively courted McGregor to be the cornerstone of the new “Educational
Village being built across from the High School.
^~
What will the impact on the College’s fundraising in the Miami Valley
with McGregor’s needed funding to launch the new building?
This question came up numerous times during the course of our debates.
We’re on the same page with you, that McGregor’s fundraising cannot
harm the College’s campaign. McGregor has and will continue to vet the
namesjrfanyone it wishes to approach with thp cniiogQ rieueinpmpnt
nffineann with the Campaign, Cabinet. In the past several years,
McGregor has built relationships with numerous corporations in the
Miami Valley, relationships thafguitefrankly ihe~Coiiege has never
been able To build. So I do not foresee that there will be a
fundraising conflict. Indeed, ray-view is that the doors, which McGregor
has opened, are an opportunity for the College to mend relationships in
its own backyard. ~^
Why duplicate facilities in a new location when consolidation of
existirig~b~uildings in the center of Yellow Springs is an available
option?
The challenge was and is that the “availajlg^_buJlgJrjgs-4Q- not match
McGregor’s needs. Extensive research”and due diligence was done on this
very question and, in the end, it would have cost significant more to
“retcofit” existing buildings to match’the needs of McGregor.
Interestingly, tnejEeJs building which McGregor will be vacating, may —•,
be a good fit for the College’s needs in the early years of the roll-—— r out ofThe Plan for Antioch. because the space needs or~beafning
Communities can be quite different that the space available currently
at the College.
Why not consider a joint task force to consider the utilization of
space on the central campus in the heart of Yellow springs’?
Printed by: Marianne Whelchel Wednesday, January 5, 2005 2:42:13 PM
Title: Dan Kaplan’s letter : Antioch Page 4 of 5
In many ways, this is exactly what the Board did. Because the Bnarrl is
the “university” board, it must act in the best interests of all the
campuses. In this case, the Physical Facilities committee of the Board ^
and the Finance Committee, meeting numerous times, with significant /1<
There is a final question which you did not ask, and that is: **
How will the McGregor move help the College?
Let me answer my own question by telling you what I said tdCPan Younc^
and the Village officials who attended our Board meeting. I reminder,
them that Antioch College was the Village’s largest employer as well as
the cornerstone of why Yellow Springs is Yellow Springs. Aoriladded,
“I hope that this relationship with McGregor opens doors for Antioch
College, with the Village and with tne community.” And I asked them to
consider ways in which they could, as they~were doing with McGregor,
support the~Coilege, eitner financially, or through bonds. I want the
Village to help iiTthe renewal of Antioch College, and J1think they
will, because a revitalised Antinnh College is good forTelfow^prinqs,
forooth its quality-of-1tteliiwell as its fiscal health.
Dan Young assured me, in front of the Board and the community
attending, that he saw the same opportunities and tharthe Village was
very open to-woHdrrg with the College in(a similar way.
Now, it’s up to us – as a Board, as Antioch College alumni and friends
– to take the Village up on its offer.
Al, and all the other letter signers, thanks for taking the time to
address your concerns to the Board. I hope by this response you will be
assured that your questions have been raised, that there are
opportunities out there, and that our commitment to Antioch College is
shared.
Sincerely,
Dan Kaplan
Chair, Antioch University Board of Trustees
