Minutes of Boston Area Meeting, June 26, 2007

This special informational meeting was called in response to the announcement that Antioch College would suspend operations in July 2008. The stated purpose was to learn why the trustees made that decision, the short and long-term implications, and ways in which alumni can help the college now. The meeting was held at Barbara Wallraff’s house in Brookline. It was called to order at about 6:30 pm and adjourned at about 9:30 pm.

Dan Fallon, vice-chair of the Antioch University Board of Trustees, and Steve Lawry, president of Antioch College, attended the meeting, which was chaired by Barbara Wallraff (chair of the local alumni group) and Mike Brower (member of the board of the Antioch College Alumni Association). Forty-nine people recorded their names on the sign-up sheet.

Report on reunion

Mike reported on this year’s reunion, which he described as “incredible,” attended by close to 500 alumni. He cautioned that while we are all probably “puzzled, confused, disturbed, and angry,” we should not blame individuals; the suspension is the result of “a long set of historical circumstances.” Mike reported that by the end of reunion weekend, the new College Regeneration Fund, which is controlled by the alumni board, had collected $410,000 in cash and pledges. Mike also said that the college needs an endowment of $400-500 million but now has an endowment of only $32 million.

Mike explained that the Boston alumni chapter might serve as a model for the entire country. He expects there to be as many as 12 alumni chapters within a few weeks. Mike also announced that there is a new, unofficial alumni web site: antiochians.org. This is intended to serve as a central communications board. An effort is underway to have a link to this site appear on the official Antioch College  web site.

Report by Dan Fallon

Barbara introduced Dan Fallon and Steve Lawry.

Dan responded to questions that Mike had sent him:

There is no satisfactory answer to the question of why faculty, students, and alumni were not informed of the suspension before the news was announced in a press release. The trustees received accurate financial information only shortly before they made the decision, and this convinced them that the situation was dire. In the past, benevolent alumni have been willing to cover shortfalls, but this is no longer the case. Even “liquidating other campuses wouldn’t make a significant dent” in the problem, Dan said.

Although the new curriculum was “gaining traction,” student attrition continued to be “severe.” And attracting new students has been difficult. The major reason students are not enrolling at the college, according to Dan, is the poor physical facilities, “a serious, serious problem” resulting from 30 to 40 years of deferred maintenance. A new student center will cost at least $12 million, library renovation will cost at least $6 million, and much else remains to be done.

The college faculty is “an extraordinary faculty” but among the lowest paid in the U.S. Antioch College must increase faculty salaries by 40 to 50 percent. “We have been losing capable, motivated people.” Most academic areas are now represented by only one faculty member. Faculty members can no longer afford to live in the village of Yellow Springs, so often none are around after 3 or 4 pm.

Antioch has few liquid assets. The college cannot sell the Glen, because according to Hugh Taylor Birch’s bequest, if Antioch cannot support it, the land is to be given to the State of Ohio.

In response to a question about why the new curriculum didn’t succeed in attracting many more students, Dan said his opinion now is that it was too ambitious and came too late. The board’s priorities may have been wrong and not enough thought went into implementing the new curriculum amid the circumstances on campus. Steve added that declining faculty numbers and the college’s inability to offer conventional majors also presented problems. According to Steve, the second most important reason cited by admitted students for not attending Antioch was the curriculum. Attending Antioch thus was often seen as “something of a social experience” rather than rigorous intellectual training.

In response to a question about student and faculty involvement in developing the new curriculum, Dan explained that the Renewal Commission included two faculty members and one student. The commission met in Yellow Springs and canvassed faculty and students.

Dan assured the group that the trustees are dedicated to re-opening Antioch College and said that the “new” Antioch must “be committed to Antioch’s core values” as articulated by Horace Mann and Arthur Morgan. The new Antioch will aim for between 1,200 and 2,000 students.

Audience questions

Dan said that in designing the new Antioch College one must consider demographics that are different from those of the past and also new ways of delivering course content.

Dan emphasized that we must all work together on a unified plan to regenerate the college.  If different groups pursue different paths, he is convinced the college is doomed. For there to be a new Antioch College, $100 million or more must be raised. We must identify key philanthropists. Steve said “we must build a viable financial structure.” He reported that one percent of college’s budget comes from its endowment. This compares with 24 percent at other members of the Great Lakes College Association (GLCA).

In terms of the prevailing culture at Antioch, Steve said that a “wrong pathway to follow” is to refer to Antioch as “the boot camp of the revolution.” He reported that the retention rate between first and second years is 58 to 62 percent at Antioch compared with 85 percent for the GLCA. According to Steve, the culture is “too polarized.”

Steve also said he feels that the current “franchise model” for the university is unsustainable. He and the university chancellor both feel that each university campus should have its own board of trustees.

Dan said he understands that before Antioch alumni contribute money to the college, they need “clear legal guarantees and benchmarks.” And the new Antioch must have “a clear focus.” “If it doesn’t look like Antioch,” he said, “it’s not worth doing.”

Someone pointed out that by law, money contributed to Antioch cannot be returned to the donors if the college does not re-open. It must be earmarked for another nonprofit organization. [Whether this is actually the case was subsequently called into question.] Another meeting participant reported that the consensus at reunion was that Antioch should not close in 2008 but should be kept open at least one additional year. If the library, for instance, does not renew its journal subscriptions, Antioch will lose its accreditation. However, someone said that the library has been instructed not to renew its subscriptions.  Dan said we must find a way “to come together” and that the trustees are willing to consider “realistic options.” What is the strategy to forge a consensus? Dan replied that we are at the beginning of this process. Steve said that fundraising and planning must be done by “people alumni have faith in.”

Steve said he favors a merger of the college with McGregor (McGregor was established as a separate entity in 1988), but the matter is complex. Dan said the trustees expect there to be only one Antioch in Yellow Springs in future. If the college ceased to be part of the university, he said, there would be many more obstacles to its reopening than there now are.

During the interim period, the college will retain a skeletal administration and planning staff. Accrediting agencies have been kept informed of current activities and plans.

Further comments

Lester Lee said he continues to be happy he attended Antioch rather than Oberlin. Addressing Steve, he said, “For 35 years I’ve been waiting for someone to say what you’ve been saying” about the culture on campus. He also said that the existence of the university has always been a problem for many college alumni.

Harris Sussman explained that there are precedents for closing and then reopening an academic institution. He gave the example of Prescott College, in Arizona, and pointed out that there are organizations that will fund the sort of “think tank process” required to reopen a school.

Jessica Lipnack, a former member of the board of trustees, commended the current board for making the decision to close the college.

Mike and Barbara declared the meeting adjourned.

Stan Morse ’65
Secretary

The next meeting will be held on July 16, 2007 at 7 pm, at Barbara Wallraff’s house.