August 8, 2007

Antioch College Alumni Association

A Proposal for Governance and Fundraising
to the University Board of Trustees

2007 - 2008
I. Introduction

This proposal was written by a group of alumni on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Antioch College Alumni Association to be presented to the University Board of Trustees in advance of its emergency meeting to be held in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 25-26, 2007. This document represents the alumni commitment to secure the future of Antioch College as an undergraduate, residential, liberal arts college, on its historic campus in Yellow Springs.

This is a good faith effort to save Antioch College. We call upon the University Board of Trustees and all those who care about the College and its unique place in American higher education to assist us with the efforts outlined in this proposal. Remembering the legacy inherited from Horace Mann, Arthur Morgan, and countless others, we assert that Antioch College, having faced financial adversity many times throughout its history, will again thrive.

II. Mission Statement

To rebuild Antioch College as a financially stable and vibrant liberal arts college providing a model education based on its traditional values of academic rigor, celebration of diversity, community governance, cooperative education, free and open inquiry, intellectual freedom, and mutual respect.

III. The Shared Challenge

The Board of Directors of the Antioch College Alumni Association can lead a broad based effort to raise sufficient financial support to ensure the future health of College. This financial support is only available to an Antioch College with independent administrative leadership in charge of its own future and with its own Board of Trustees. The current model of governance has not served the needs of the students and faculty of Antioch College or the University.

IV. Priority Goals

The goals, objectives, and implementation steps below comprise our approach to moving the process of saving Antioch College along quickly in order to avoid prolonging the effects of the proposed closure. These priority goals establish our firm commitment to independent governance for Antioch College and our full acknowledgment that the alumni must take principal responsibility for raising the funds necessary to secure the future of the College.

1. To re-establish Antioch College as the autonomous institution it was for more than 130 years.

Objectives:

A. To transfer governance of the College from the University Board of Trustees to the Board of Directors of the Antioch College Alumni Association on July 1, 2008.

Implementation steps:

1. As instructed by the Antioch College alumni at Reunion and as defined in the unanimously accepted Revival Resolution, our elected Alumni Association Board of Directors is charged with negotiating the transfer of governance with the University Board of Trustees.

B. To secure the assets of Antioch College and separate them from those of the University.

Implementation steps:

1. Obtain an independent and complete audit of the restricted and quasi-endowment, and document any and all restrictions attached to those funds for the use of Antioch College.

2. Identify and negotiate the transfer of all assets historically and programmatically associated with Antioch College on its campus in Yellow Springs, Ohio, including, but not limited to: its historic name and reputation, restricted and quasi-endowment, campus land, campus facilities, auxiliary programs, Glen Helen, WYSO, teaching faculty, staff; and, where deemed appropriate, the assets of all Antioch University campuses where the establishment of those programs and the development of those facilities was achieved with the financial support and direction of Antioch College leadership.

3. Obtain an independent and complete audited financial statement for Antioch College including any and all liabilities that are directly associated with the administration and operation of the College.

C. To establish a temporary Governance and Administrative Transfer Council (GATcil) to negotiate the process with the University Board of Trustees over the next ten months led by the President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Implementation steps:

1. The elected Alumni Board of Directors will determine the size and composition for GATcil and the scope of its duties related to negotiating and preparing for the transfer, including the appointment of the new Antioch College Board of Trustees for July 1, 2008 and the search for a College president to be appointed on the same date.

D. To clarify and define any future relationship of Antioch College with the University, and specifically with University programs in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Implementation steps:

1. GATcil will negotiate with the University Board of Trustees and the Chancellor of the University, the future of the programs in Yellow Springs. In particular, great effort will be exerted to respect and meet the needs of students, staff, and faculty in all programs.

2. Continue current fundraising efforts while planning for the launch of a comprehensive and sophisticated five-year fundraising program emphasizing capital, annual, and planned giving.

Objectives:

A. To develop fundraising goals based on our aspirations for the future of Antioch College, not simply the present emergency born of the plan for suspension of operation.

Based on study of a cohort of 10 liberal arts colleges of similar stature and with which Antioch College traditionally has shared applications for admission, the Alumni Association projects the need to secure an endowment of $100 million by FY13 to be competitive for students and faculty. However, these projections need to be informed by a transparent and thorough audit and review of the current state of institutional finances.

Implementation steps:

1. The Alumni Association Board of Directors will select a small group of experienced alumni fundraisers to conduct a feasibility study and a specific fundraising plan to be presented at the October meeting of the University Board of Trustees.

2. Alumni Association Board of Directors will investigate the potential value of retaining professional fundraising counsel.

3. Upon successful completion of governance negotiations, fully integrate College fundraising staff and resources with the Alumni Association’s College Revival Fund.

B. Ensure that the current funds raised for the College Revival Fund earn income.

Implementation steps:

1. Form an investment committee of the Alumni Association composed of experienced finance talent who can provide oversight of current funds raised.

V. Other Goals Related to the Transition

During our planning process and in our conversations with supportive alumni and other stakeholders, additional overarching goals emerged for the immediate future.

These goals are:

• To end the continuing damage to the historic and valuable reputation of Antioch College by quickly resolving the issues of governance in order to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of Antioch College as in institution of higher education with a tenured faculty.

• To request that the University Board of Trustees instruct the Chancellor of the University to cancel the plan to establish a “Design and Development Commission” and to cease any present or ongoing efforts to develop or liquidate assets.

• To quickly undertake a concerted effort to repair the damage done to the reputation of Antioch College by developing a comprehensive public relations response to the recent events, presumably by engaging a professional communications firm.

• To undertake a marketplace study in preparation for launching a new and comprehensive enrollment planning model for Antioch College, presumably by engaging a professional admission recruitment marketing firm.

VI. Vision of Antioch College

Having avoided any suspension of operations and having retained its students and fine faculty, Antioch College celebrates the 160th year since its founding in 1852. It is a stable and financially healthy residential liberal arts college ably led and with an enrollment of 800 students and a small but, dramatically increased endowment of $100 million or $125,000 per FTE. The physical plant of the College has been greatly improved through a combination of fundraising and fiscally responsible planning.

The Antioch College curriculum, led by a tenured faculty, provides a rigorous academic program of study in the context of important real-world issues and it exposes students to a variety of transformative processes for positive change. The curriculum is delivered through the three cornerstones of an Antioch College education: academics, co-op, and community.

Antioch College attracts a diverse student body and maintains a civil environment with respectful debate in which students learn how to engage and make meaningful change in the world. An Antioch College that embodies the historic mission of Horace Mann in educating students to win victories for humanity is truly a reality once again.

VII. Business Plan

Under development as of 08/08/07.

Last Modified : October 4th, 2007 Filed under : Alumni_Board, announcements, news, to the Community Navigate : Previous post / Next post