Meeting with Yellow Springs players

Some 30 Antiochians met last Sunday, April 20 at the Oak Park Library with two key players in the ongoing struggle for the future of Antioch College: Lee Morgan ‘69, board member of the Antioch College Continuation Corporation, and Ellen Borgerson ‘72, president of the College Revival Fund.  Lee and Ellen represent two major fronts in efforts to save the college.  Lee gave a first-hand account of the ACCC’s first-ever face-to-face negotiations with the Antioch University Board of Trustees (which continued this week).  Lee felt the majority of the trustees wanted a solution that would keep the college open, but that the trustees remained wary of the the ACCC’s offer of $10 million for a controlling share of board seats.  The trustees have promised an announcement on the outcome of the negotiations by this Saturday, April 26, which is also the day of the college’s commencement.

Regardless of the negotiations’ results, Ellen reported that the College Revival Fund is moving forward with Non-Stop Antioch, building an academic program that will offer classes in alternative venues in Yellow Springs if the college campus is not available. Faculty had filled 11 of 27 planned positions as of last weekend, and a handful of students had signed on, with most waiting for a more concrete curriculum before committing.  Alumni and friends of the college are also encouraged to enroll.  The CRF has three legal avenues to regain control of the college, and $1 million dedicated to Non-Stop Antioch so far.

May Fundraising Drive

During the May 1-5 period, the CRF is launching a fundraising drive for Non-Stop Antioch, aiming to exceed the $5 million that was raised during last August’s funding drive.  Money raised will be dedicated to supporting the academic program and to cover the costs of litigation against the University.  Donors can also make tax deductible donations to the Faculty Legal Fund through the CRF.  If the negotiations between the ACCC and the trustees are successful, all money raised by the CRF will support the continuous operations of the college.

The Chicago Alumni Chapter is holding a phonathon May 1-5 to support the CRF.  We need to reach out to as many of the 600 known Chicago-area alumni as we can, and enlist their support during this crucial turning point for Antioch College.  It’s time for Chicago, a major alumni center, to take responsibility for our share of Antioch College’s wellbeing.

If you can volunteer to participate in the phonathon, please email me, Ed M. Koziarski ‘97, at this address.  Tell me how many calls you can commit to, and what range of class years you’d like to focus on.  Thanks for your help!

For more information see www.antiochians.org

You’re invited to these local Antioch College alumni events. It’s a great time of year to get out and get together. More important, fundraising for the College Revival Fund and Nonstop Antioch is urgent – hence the flurry of activity. Join us at one or all!

Posh Dinner Party, $100 per person (All proceeds will go to the College Revival Fund)
Saturday, May 3, 7:00 p.m.
320 Dudley Street, Brookline
Hosted by Barbara Wallraff ’72
RSVP to me (barbara)

Potluck Brunch/Lunch and Silent Auction, $10 per person
Sunday, May 4, 12:30 to 5 p.m.
Nagog Woods Clubhouse, Acton – a great place either to hang out and schmooze or to take a walk
Hosted by Niela Miller ’57
RSVP to Niela (nielam or 978-264-4565) to sign up for the event, tell her what dish or beverage you will bring, and let her know if you have something (nice!) to contribute to the Silent Auction.

Dinner Party and Photo Show, $50 per person
Saturday, May 10, 7:00 p.m.
34 Grapevine Avenue, Lexington
Hosted by Roy and Serena Crystal ’72
RSVP to Roy and Serena at the3crystals
Roy’s professional landscape photos will be on display and available at a discounted price, with the proceeds above cost going to the College Revival Fund.

Buffet dinner and a conversation with Richard Couto, editor of Courses in Courage, and our own Gordie Fellman, a contributor to the book, about the groundbreaking work of Antioch social scientists. Admission TBA.
Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 p.m.
Dudley House, Harvard University, Cambridge
Hosted by Everett Mendelsohn ’53
RSVP to me (barbara)

Thursday April 17, 2008, the Antioch College NYC Community Chapter staged
an action. Here’s some photos of the fun!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antioch_nyc/sets/72157604592083399/

Non_Stop Antioch!!!

VIVA!!!

Chicago Event 04/11/08

Chicago alumni of Antioch College, along with one current student on co-op in Chicago, leafleted Friday outside the annual conference of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (of which Antioch University is a member) to draw the national educators’ attention to ongoing efforts to keep Antioch College open. Conference attendees, who were trustees, administrators, and professors from colleges and universities across the country, expressed support for the college’s continuous operations. Representatives of at least seven institutions, including one college president, signed postcards to Antioch University trustees, encouraging the trustees to remain open to all avenues to save the college. Many of the educators were unaware of Antioch’s plight before the event, expressing concern and surprise over the situation – others mistakenly believed that the college had already closed. Numerous Ohio educators were very familiar with the situation and expressed solidarity with the college (“this could happen to us” said a representative from the University of Dayton).

Dear Comm Committee,
The New York Chapter is planning a direct action this Friday at 8:30 in the morning. We are targeting the Carnegie Corporation, the employer of Dan Fallon. Or message is simple though a little prankish:

Action Flyer

DAN FALLON —SAVE ANTIOCH COLLEGE

* Dan Fallon, chair of the education division at Carnegie Corporation, is a member of the Antioch University Board of Trustees executive committee.

* As of June 30 2008, the Antioch University Board of Trustees will suspend operations of Antioch College, a historic 156-year-old small liberal arts college with an outstanding record of innovation and academic excellence.

* Antioch College Continuance Corporation(ACCC), a group of major alumni donors had entered into negotiations with the Board of Trustees and sought to buy the College and it’s assets from the University.

* Last month, with negotiations well into overtime, talks broke down over the details of the sale and all offers by the ACCC were removed from the table. Their newest offer consisted of what is being called the 10/10 plan. They are offering the University 10 million dollars for 10 seats on a 19 seat board.

* The end of the school year nears, and the school’s tirelessly devoted staff and faculty have been laid off—including the director of the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom, which is housed at the College and would be closed along with it.

* Someone on this board needs to break the impasse and save Antioch College. We know that Mr. Fallon, a man of fierce intellect and tremendous expertise in higher education, is just the person to make this happen. The fate of a great American educational institution hangs in the balance.

We’re counting on him.

Antioch College Alumni of New York

(BOILERPLATE—famous alums, Fulbrights, etc.)

For more information on the fight to save Antioch College, please visit www.antiochians.org
http://saveantioch.org/get-informed/

The Chicago Antioch College Alumni Chapter
Invites You to Meet with

• Ellen Borgersen ‘72, Vice President, Alumni Board; & Acting President, College Revival Fund, Inc.
• Lee Morgan ‘69, President, Antioch Company; & Director, Antioch College Continuation Corporation
• Emily Kirby ‘52, Alumni Board member

Come hear the latest developments about the negotiations with Antioch University and learn how you might participate in current and future efforts to support an independent Antioch College. Mark Reynolds ‘80 will moderate the discussion.

Date:             Sunday, April 20, 2008
Time:             2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Place:            Oak Park Public Library
834 Lake Street – Oak Park IL  60301

RSVP to:       Larraine Granger ‘67 – GrangerL at sbcblobal dot net   or tel. 312-867-1629

Transit:         CTA GREEN LINE (OAK PARK AVE STA) -
WALK 0.2 MI – N ON OAK PARK AVE, W ON LAKE ST)
Driving:         Fm Chicago: I-290 (Ike) to Austin Exit, N (R) to Lake, W (L) on Lake
Fm ‘burbs: I-88 I-294 to I-290, E to Harlem, N(L) to Lake, E(R) on Lake
Parking:        Underground parking lot at library

What: ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI- CHICAGO CHAPTER LEAFLET AT the 113th Annual Meeting of The Higher Learning Commission; Exhort University Board of Trustees to Meet With ACCC and to Implement the “10-10” Plan

When: Friday, April 11, 2008

Where: 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., 113th Annual Meeting of The Higher Learning Commission, Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago IL USA 60601

Why: Members of the Antioch College alumni-Chicago chapter invite members of the media to join them as they pass out leaflets at the 113th Annual Meeting of The Higher Learning Commission at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. They are demanding that the University Board of Trustees meet with the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (ACCC) face-to-face, Board to Board, as soon as possible. The Higher Learning Commission is a regional accrediting body for colleges and universities and Antioch University is a member.

Recently, Antioch University forfeited an agreement to create an independent Antioch College by dragging out negotiations in an effort to profit from the College’s current difficulties.

“The issue is not about money – it’s about time,” said Eric Bates, co-chair of the ACCC, which was formed to negotiate independence for the historic liberal arts institution. “As a result of the University’s repeated foot dragging it would now be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to receive the necessary regulatory approvals to continue operating the College next year as a separate entity. Through its needless delays, the University has squandered a historic opportunity and created a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

While the University chose to forfeit the ACCC’s offer of $12.2 million for the College, the group emphasized that there is still one alternative that would enable the College to continue operating next year. More than a month ago, the ACCC offered to make an immediate contribution of $10 million in return for ten seats on the nineteen-member University Board of Trustees. This plan has been dubbed the “10-10” plan. The offer stands in stark contrast to the dismally low contributions by the current board, which reportedly totaled less than $25,000 in the current fiscal year.

The ACCC noted that it has yet to hear a response to its “10-10 plan,” which it is still prepared to discuss. “This is the only remaining arrangement that can enable the College to continue operating next year while creating a truly philanthropic board for the University,” Bates said. “This is not a hostile takeover – it is a remarkably generous and well-intentioned offer by an experienced and supportive group of alumni, six of whom are former University trustees. We remain mystified as to why the board has not acted on this win-win solution that could be enacted within a matter of hours.”

Ellen Borgersen, Vice-President of the Antioch Alumni Board and Acting President of the College Revival Fund, Inc. (CRF), said in a statement: “The suspicion that the University Board of Trustees was negotiating in bad faith and not interested in saving the College has, unfortunately, been confirmed. Over the past four months, the ACCC labored mightily to put together an offer that would be a win-win solution for the University and the College, as well as for the community and for everyone who believes in what Antioch stands for.”

Since the proposed closure of historic Antioch College was announced last June, the CRF has raised over $18 million to date for a continuing, independent Antioch College with tenured faculty.

Contact: press

More Info: antiochians.org