The folowing was just released by the Board of Trustees:
Antioch College Suspends Operations to Design 21st Century Campus
State-of-the-Art Campus projected to open in 2012
YELLOW SPRINGS, OH- On June 9, 2007, Antioch University's Board of Trustees voted to suspend operations on July 1, 2008 of Antioch College, the University's undergraduate residential program in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with the intention of reopening a state-of-the art campus.
The Chancellor will establish a Design and Development Commission to determine the long-term future of the College with the intention of opening a re-developed undergraduate campus. An Academic Design Team will be appointed to design a new undergraduate curriculum reflecting the College's strong traditions and values while meeting the needs of today's students.
The College will continue to serve its current and newly accepted students with a strong academic program for the 2007-08 academic year.
For the 2008-09 academic year, all students will be offered degree completion opportunities at Antioch University McGregor which is moving to a new facility in Yellow Springs in September, 2007. In addition to the McGregor opportunity, students who have successfully completed the first two years of their bachelor's degree will be offered reasonable opportunities to complete their degree at Antioch University's other degree completion programs in Seattle, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Students wishing to transfer to other colleges and universities based on the requirements of the other institutions will be assisted in doing so.
Over the past several years, Antioch College has experienced a continuing decline in its student enrollment. Given its small endowment and heavy dependence on tuition revenue, this low enrollment has threatened the College's survival. Efforts to balance the College's budget over the years through faculty and staff reductions, programmatic changes and deferred maintenance of the physical plant have eroded the confidence students and parents have in the College's academic program. After careful analysis the Board determined that the College's resources are inadequate to continue providing a quality education for its students beyond July 1, 2008.
The College's low enrollment and lack of adequate funding led to the decision to suspend operations and declare financial exigency as required by the faculty personnel policy.
About Antioch University: The University is founded on the principles of a rigorous liberal arts education, innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship. These campuses all nurture in their students the knowledge, skills and habits of reflection to act as lifelong learners, democratic leaders and global citizens who live lives of meaning and purpose.
In addition to the College, Antioch University is comprised of five nonresidential campuses in Keene, NH; Yellow Springs, OH; Seattle, WA and Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, CA, all accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. These campuses attract students wishing to complete BA degrees, seek graduate degrees and/or prepare for new careers.
Antioch College, founded in 1852, is part of Antioch University, which includes Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire; Antioch University Seattle in Washington; Antioch University Southern California in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; and Antioch University McGregor in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The University's administrative offices are also located in Yellow Springs. For more than 150 years, Antioch has been a leader in higher education, long known for its commitment to educational innovation and social justice.










Comments
Close the school, bust the Union and let go tenyear Professors?
This closing might be a way for the College and University to get rid of Professors with ten-year. I didn't think of this but while at lunch with Brian Aker he brought it up. It makes sense since once a Professor get tenyear its hard to remove them but I could also see another reason, Union employees. If the college were to close there might be some Professors let go for sure but it would also allow the college to get rid of its Union employees and start over without them. The college could then break any and all of the Union agreements they have. The college could once again become Union free and hire non Union at lower wages.
If I recall back in the 1990's at the time some Union staff or maintenance staff that were making more then the highest paid Professor. I don't recall the actual numbers but if thats still true closing the College may allow them to restructure that cost. The Union on Antioch campus is a strong one that is allied with other Unions working at much larger schools. Because of that Antioch has to pay the Union works the Union wage for the area. The Professors don't fall under that and individually or through there own isolated Union can establish wages. I could be completely wrong here. If I am please post a comment and tell me where I'm wrong.
Union busting
I am not sure that logic regarding the union is sound considering McGregor has a union (a different one at that!) as well. I would guess that any transition back to operation would include some union representation. Though I should pint out that the majority of private colleges that have unioins are usually limited to security and maintainance personnel, not the administrative support staffs as they are at McGregor and Antioch.
This is quite different from public schools that are almost all union for their support staffs. But that is the AFSCME union I believe.
Lawry on NPR this morning
I got a call from a friend that Steve Lawry was on NPR this morning. Here is the link to hear the interview.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11012257