August 5, 2007
Dear Antiochian,
Your elected Alumni Board opposes the announced plans of the Antioch University Board of Trustees to suspend operations at the College in June 2008. The Alumni Board is dedicated to preserving Antioch College as a “school that changes lives” and intends to reverse this edict. An Alumni Resolution, passed unanimously at Reunion 2007, states: “The Antioch College Alumni are committed to the uninterrupted continuation of Antioch College as an institution of higher education with a tenured faculty.”
As you may have heard, the trustees plan to close the college, dismiss staff and faculty (breaking labor contracts and academic tenure), and reopen four years hence with a “state of the art campus for the 21st century” (despite claims of not having the financial assets to keep the College open or refurbish its buildings now). What you might not know is that the University Leadership Council’s stated plans for reopening the College as “Antioch University Yellow Springs” include opening the campus to real estate development (specifically, as a retirement community) and subjecting the curriculum to yet another unnecessary redesign process by consultants and focus groups. There is no evidence of the University’s commitment to preserving Antioch’s distinctive model of undergraduate education (Academics, Co-op, and Community Governance) or its legacy of creating active citizens for a democratic society.
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