See video:
Part One
Part Two

Speakers: Matthew Derr, Lee Morgan, Beverly Rodgers, Aimee Maruyama, Julian Sharp

using arts & sciences
testing academic plan with high school students

Beverly:
a week to ten days in between each term
no summers off
flipped educational model upside down
begin forming relationships with faculty in first year 1:5 teacher ratio

lee: target to have tuition equal or below state school out of state, do it in 3 years.
we just lost a work quarter
seven academic quarters, five coops

the question is can a human being develop properly in 3 years. I don’t have a good answer.

sandy macnab: do you have entering class in back pocket?

lee: we can just about offer a free ride to the first 25 students
recruitment will be more about finding the proper diversity mix

beverly: want alumni chapters to help interview prospective students
in last year school closing had 62 students

susan greene: similar calendar took me five years.

three years may only attract more sophisticated students than our target diversity

kathy huff: how’s annual fund going?
aimee: it’s 2.8 million. we’re just over half way
kathy huff: wouldn’t it be wise to keep the endowment?

11.4% currently giving (aimee)

lee: since announced closure 16 million raised
2 million in the bank
4-5 million in outstanding pledges

lee: operating budget 400k/month $5 million/year
2 million to rehab gym

south gym will accommodate 250 seat black box theater shared facility with village

beverly level out at 600 students half on campus half remote

tour of building at antiochcollege.org

howard cort: is there enough flexibility in the program?

beverly: we’re presenting program for three years it may take four

derr: first class planned to come in at 100% discount
reduced discount rate to about 30%
hover around 20% after received accreditation
26,000 tuition and 10,000 in fees first year

beverly: not negating governance but having a director of community

jim hobart: what if this design doesn’t work?
I never would have made it through this program
where’s the fun?

derr: it works according to credits and math.
we have to invest in student life, gym, glen to have rich experience
we have to look at this empirically at how it plays to 17 year olds

we have to decide what our admission criteria are. works better when students have had work experience

first entering class 25 second 50 third 75

involve community mangers in year long curriculum in community
give new community agency of its own
have to plan for governance on campus or they’ll rebel against it

roger: where would you recruit transfer students?

derr: public university students who want liberal arts education but don’t have access
start hosting prospective students this fall

lee: if this doesn’t work we’re going to go down in a blaze of glory. we’re not going to do something half-ass

prexy: our legacy is risk taking. when I say antioch lives people say “are you serious? you came back again?” this is our legacy.

susan: I take you at your word student body won’t be all white.
the first year is where we must recruit the class that looks different. must have working class students.

prexy: we’ve begun going places antioch never went to (in terms of diverse recruitment).
lee: we’re devoting a day to this subject at our may board meeting

beverly: I’m chair of morgan fellows

julian: eight OSU students came on spring break to do work
4/24-25 big volunteer weekend on campus

derr: we need you to talk to disconnected and angry alumni and turn them around

note: the fundamental academic subjects- it’s unclear to some alumni how they fit in.

derr: board meeting will be in yellow springs may 24-25. Details to come.

It’s a year and a half until the first entering class of the reopened Antioch College is scheduled to begin classes in fall 2011.

The Chicago Chapter of the Antioch College Alumni Association welcomes interim president Matthew Derr ‘89, board chair Lee Morgan ‘68, Morgan Fellow Beverly Rodgers, advancement director Risa Grimes, and volunteer coordinator Julian Sharp ‘08, to present the college’s evolving academic plan and opportunities for alumni to get involved.

Saturday, April 10
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Bucktown Library
1701 N. Milwaukee
2nd floor meeting room
Parking Lot, limited metered parking
1 block northwest of North/Damen Blue Line

Optional dinner at Piece Pizzeria
1927 W. North
5:15-8:45 p.m.
Two blocks southeast of library
limited metered parking
Please bring $15 cash for dinner. Drinks are additional.

Please RSVP (yes only) by 4/2 by email or Facebook
Indicate whether you plan to attend dinner.

Meet the Antioch College Board Pro Tempore and see them lay the groundwork for the reopened college at a special meeting and reception on Saturday, January 16 at the O’Hare Hilton, at airport terminal 2.

The Board meets in open session from 8:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. in Room 2049
The Board goes into closed session at 2:30 until adjournment at 5:30 p.m.
Then at 7 p.m. the Board hosts dinner and reception for alumni in the Dublin/London Room on the mezzanine level.

Open session agenda items include:
9:00 A New Design for Liberal Education
10:00 Accreditation & Enrollment
10:45 Board Committees & Organization
11:45 Fundraising: Annual Fund, Annual Campaign, Planned Giving
1:00 Finance & Operations: Financial Dashboard, Buildings & Grounds Improvement Update
2:00 Report from the Continuation Fund

All times are subject to change. I’ll post updates as I get them.

Meeting agenda

If you plan to come please rsvp by email or Facebook
Please indicate if you plan to attend the meeting, the reception, or both.
If you have any questions email antiochrsvp@gmail.com or call me at 773.910.1444.

Public transit or carpooling are highly encouraged. Feel free to email this list to arrange carpooling.

Here’s a map
It’s steps away from the O’Hare Blue Line stop. Hotel parking is $45, with airport lots starting at $4 for up to 3 hours.

See parking rates

Reunion 2009. Photo by Dennie Eagleson.

Beverly Rodgers (anthropology) and Jean Gregorek (literature) are two of the five Morgan Fellows who have been tasked with building the curriculum for the college to reopen in 2011 and oversee faculty hiring. (Both Beverly and Jean taught at Antioch College and the Nonstop Institute.)

They’re coming to Chicago to discuss their plans, and to find out what you think, asking big questions about the value and relevance of liberal arts in the 21st Century. Antioch has a unique opportunity to apply its historic mission to today’s social needs. They are genuinely seeking alumni input into this process. This is your chance to be heard and offer your contribution to the future of the college.

Join the conversation!

Also with With Lee Morgan ‘66, Chair of the Antioch College Board of Trustees and Risa Grimes, Director of Institutional Advancement

Saturday, Dec. 5
2-5 p.m.
Columbia College
600 S. Michigan, Room 921, Chicago

Optional dinner at 5:15 p.m. at Thai Spoon, 601 S. Wabash

$10 parking at northwest corner of Harrison & Wabash
2 blocks east of Red Line Harrison Station

RSVP (yes only) to the Antioch College Alumni Association Chicago Chapter.
Let us know if you plan to join us for dinner.

Celebrating Antioch’s Independence

Antioch College is free from the university and the rebuilding has begun. You’re invited to join the Chicago Chapter of the Antioch College Alumni Association to celebrate Antioch College’s independence.

Featuring Antioch College Chief Transition Officer Matthew Derr ‘89, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Steven Duffy 77, and College Revival Fund Executive Director Risa Grimes.  DJ, dessert and light snacks, cash bar.

Saturday, Aug. 1, 7-11 p.m.

1401 South State Street, 4th Floor Sky Garden, Chicago

Get directions

RSVP on the event page

or by email

The Future of the College

On June 30 the new board of Antioch College reached a deal with the Antioch University board of governors to transfer ownership to a new independent college.

They plan to complete the transfer of assets, including the campus and endowment, by the end of August, but in the meantime they are working to hire core staff and bring parts of the campus back online.

Matthew Derr has stated the intention to hire 30-35 core employees, including 6-7 core faculty.  A search committee composed partly of board members will conduct a national search, with a strong preference for faculty and staff who have previously worked at the college.

Matthew is projecting a $4.5 million operating budget in the coming year, plus some $20 million in deferred maintenance to the campus.  The new college is seeking its own accreditation and tentatively aims to admit its first new class of students in 2011.  They’ve launched a $2.6 million annual fund to support operations and a $100 million, five-year capital campaign.

For more on the rebuilding of the college

Listen to a July 7 community meeting about plans for the college

Donate

Nonstop goes on

The Alumni Board discontinued its funding of the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute as of June 30.  Yet many Antioch College faculty, staff, and students and others who have carried on the college’s legacy of educational innovation at Nonstop are continuing the enterprise.

Working as volunteers and filing for unemployment, they have incorporated Nonstop as an independent corporation and are filing for nonprofit status. They’re seeking outside funding from government and private grants.

At its June meeting, the Alumni Board endorsed a proposal from Nonstop to the Board Pro Tem, including curriculum development, diversity and sustainability initiatives, event and conference planning, and new municipal fiber optic program in collaboration with the village of Yellow Springs,. The board has yet to respond to the proposal.

Donations can be sent to Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute, 305 N. Walnut St. Suite C, Yellow Springs OH 45387.

Alumni Board Elections

Congratulations to Chicago chapter organizer James Hobart ‘58, who was elected in June to serve on the Alumni Board.  Jim joins fellow Chicagoan Emily Kirby ‘52 on the Board.  Jim will take his seat at the Board’s next meeting in October, which coincides with Reunion ‘09, scheduled to be held Oct. 2-4 on the reoccupied campus.

35 Antioch College alumni representing classes from 1946 through 2008 as well as current students of the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute met March 29 at Chicago’s Douglas Dawson (‘73) Gallery.  Alumni Board President Nancy Crow ‘70, recently reelected for a second two-year term, spoke about ongoing efforts to reopen Antioch College independent of Antioch University.  And current Nonstop Community Manager Meghan Pergrem ‘08 and current student Shea Witzberger ‘10 spoke about the Antiochian innovations that continue to unfold at Nonstop.  

Listen to the meeting here.

Nancy Crow

Report from Nancy Crow

Nancy expressed optimism about the ongoing talks between the negotiating teams of the university and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation for the disposition of college assets.  Under the terms of a Letter of Intent signed by both parties in January, they’re aiming to conclude talks by late April, with plans that the majority of the campus, the endowment (estimated at $20 million after recent market losses), the Olive Kettering Library and the Glen Helen will belong to the college, while certain key assets like public radio station WYSO and the Antioch Education Abroad program will belong to the university.  Upon successful resolution of talks, the ACCC will become the Board of Trustees of the newly incorporated Antioch College, and Nancy will resign her ex-officio seat on the university board to take an ex-officio seat on the college board.  The ACCC is raising $15 million during this 90-pay period, with $6.5 million to be paid to the university and $8.5 million to cover transition costs in restarting the college.

“We hope the keys will be passed in the next few weeks or months,” Nancy said.  She said the reopened college will be based on the core values of rigorous academics, co-op, community governance and social justice.  She said the Pro Tem Board of the ACCC is planning for better faculty pay, a smaller campus concentrated around the core buildings of Antioch, North and South halls, with 400 students on campus at a time.  She called for an expansion of the Horace Mann Society, which includes those who donated $1,000 to the college Annual Fund, and which has recently stood at around 200 people.

Chicago Chapter

Report from Nonstop

Meghan and Shea described the ongoing project of Nonstop, which the Alumni Board committed to fund through June, but which is facing an approximately $50,000 fundraising shortfall.  

They described Nonstop as a threefold entity:

• a think tank on progressive education
• a vessel to sustain the values of Antioch College until it can be reopened
• the political movement to keep the college alive (“Nonstop Antioch”)
  

They talked about how the decentralized classes of Nonstop, held throughout Yellow Springs, have brought the educational program together with the surrounding community in an unprecedented way.  A large portion of Nonstop’s small student body is non-traditional age students, ranging from high school age to seniors, and reflecting “a progressive model including a different base of people.”  Nonstop is forging new collaborations with neighbor schools like Wright State and Central State universities to develop regional cultural programs.  Nonstop is hosting presentations by alumni media makers April 16-19, and an alumni festival and work project beginning June 14.  (The official reunion has been pushed back to Oct. 2-4, in the hopes that it can be held on campus).

Nonstop will be a featured presenter at the University of Minnesota’s April 24-26 Reworking the University conference, presenting Nonstop’s achievements in developing alternative educational models and developing open source communication infrastructure.  

Call for Support of Nonstop

Many alumni attending the meeting, and chapter organizers in subsequent conversation, expressed a desire to offer our financial and political support for Nonstop.  As was pointed out in the meeting, a $50,000 funding shortfall for Nonstop in the face of a $15 million short-term fundraising goal seems egregious.  We call for alumni to make dedicated contributions to Nonstop.  Covering this gap will mean fulfilling alumni’s existing commitment to complete Nonstop’s academic term ending in June, and also demonstrate alumni’s belief the in the value of Nonstop as a continuation of Antioch College.

You can donate here by making an online pledge and selecting “Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute” in the “Apply My Gift To” section, or by sending a check to the College Revival Fund, PO Box 444, Yellow Springs OH 45387 with “Nonstop” in the subject line.

Here’s a copy of the proposal that Nonstop presented to the Alumni Board in March for the integration of Nonstop into the reopened Antioch College.  The Alumni Board agreed to form a taskforce that will further develop the proposal for presentation to the Pro Tem Board upon resolution of talks with the University.

Concept Paper for Independent Antioch College

Last week the ACCC’s Chief Transition Officer Matt Derr ‘89 publicly released his November Concept Paper and Business Plan for the independent Antioch College, which lays out plans for:

• a 3-year academic program (with projected 25% tuition savings)
• 9 14-week trimesters including 6 on-campus study terms and 3 co-ops, the last being international
• “a small number of well-resourced academic disciplines in the arts, business, humanities, sciences, social sciences and technology”
• double degree 5-year architecture, engineering and language programs with partner institutions
• remote instruction during co-ops
• a $30 million campus renovation and construction program
  

See and comment on the plan here.

Self Promotion Warning

In a sheer coincidence, the Gene Siskel Film Center will screen two Antiochian film programs this Thursday, April 9.  At 6 p.m. Nonstop faculty member Chris Hill, an Antioch College video professor since 1997, presents SURVEYING THE FIRST DECADE: VIDEO ART & ALTERNATIVE MEDIA IN THE U.S., a selection of activist videos that she curated for Chicago’s Video Data Bank.  See the Reader review.

Then at 8:15, Ed M. Koziarski ‘97 and Junko Kajino’s international psychological drama The First Breath of Tengan Rei screens as part of the 14th Annual Asian American Showcase.  See the trailer. The Film Center is at 164 N. State St. in Chicago.