Reporters can email press for more information.
COLLEGE REVIVAL FUND, INC.
NONSTOP ANTIOCH HAS NEW HOME AND STAFF
CRF Opens New Offices Across from Antioch College Campus
and Announces Plans for Fund-Raising
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: press
April 10, 2008– Antioch alumni working through the College Revival Fund, Inc. (CRF) announced today that they have opened new offices in Yellow Springs, Ohio for “Nonstop Antioch.” These offices are at 716 Xenia Avenue, right across the street from the Antioch College campus. The CRF is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit corporation founded by members of the Antioch College Alumni Association. Since last June, the CRF has raised over $19.5 million dollars for a continuing, independent Antioch College.
CRF Acting President Ellen Borgersen said today in a statement, “The Antioch University Board of Trustees has shown that they are unworthy to and unwilling to carry on the Antioch College educational mission. The attack on Antioch College is an attack on experiential liberal arts education, shared governance, tenured faculty, and unionized staff. It is up to the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and townspeople of Yellow Springs to carry on the historic mission of Antioch College, and Nonstop Antioch is the vehicle that will organize alumni support for that effort.”
Nonstop Antioch is a movement to organize alumni, students, staff and faculty to keep the spirit of Antioch College alive and operating in Yellow Springs, no matter how long the negotiations between the University Trustees and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (ACCC) drag on, or how they turn out. In late February, the CRF committed at least $1 million to support this movement and assure faculty that they would be financially supported if they committed to stay in Yellow Springs for the 2008-2009 academic year to teach and plan for an independent Antioch College. The faculty who have made this commitment are excited at the opportunity to reclaim the Antioch mission for themselves, after years of mismanagement and abuse at the hands of a hostile Chancellor and a distant, disinterested Board of Trustees.
The CRF has hired Risa Grimes, former Director of Institutional Advancement at Antioch College, as its Executive Director. Ms. Grimes’ first order of business is hiring the entire College Institutional Advancement staff, all of whom were laid off on April 2. Joining Risa Grimes are Aimee Maruyama, Director of Development and Alumni Relations; Fred Kraus, Director of Research; Cheri Robbins, Database Manager; and Wendy Ernst, Major Gifts Officer.
“These amazingly capable people have become a powerful fundraising machine under Risa Grimes’s superb leadership,” Borgersen said. “Their phones have been ringing off the hook. Everyone in higher education fundraising is talking about the people who raised over $18 million for an independent Antioch College in less than six weeks, even though it was scheduled to close.”
Borgersen continued, “We are very glad that the University laid them off, which allowed us to hire them, liberate them, and set them loose on fundraising for Nonstop Antioch. Just watch what they can do, now that the University administration is out of their way.”
Since the University Board of Trustees announced the suspension of operations in June 2007, alumni across the country have rallied to their alma mater’s defense. Alumni chapters have grown worldwide. The Alumni Board is continuing with its fundraising and planning efforts. For additional information on the Antioch College Alumni Association and the College Revival Fund, visit the Antioch College Alumni Association web site, antiochians.org.
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***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Leafleting Event in Chicago - Friday, April 11, 2008
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
*** MEDIA ALERT ***
What: ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI, STAFF, FACULTY AND STUDENTS PICKET ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY; Urge Trustees to stop stalling in talks to keep Antioch College open.
When: Saturday, March 15, 2008
Where: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Antioch University McGregor, 900 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Why: Residents of the Village of Yellow Springs and vicinity, members of the Antioch College alumni, students, faculty and staff invite members of the media to join them as they picket to urge Antioch University and its Board of Trustees to negotiate in good faith toward creating an independent, ongoing Antioch College.
In December of 2007, the University Board of Trustees began negotiating with the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (ACCC) to transfer Antioch College and all of its assets to the ACCC. While proclaiming the need for “good-faith negotiations,” the University Board of Trustees and the Antioch University Chancellor, Toni Murdock, undermined these negotiations at every turn.
“The University directed Institutional Advancement staff not to solicit monetary gifts on behalf of the College,” says Ellen Borgersen, Vice President of both the Alumni Board and the College Revival Fund, Inc., a 501c3 that has raised over $18 million dollars to date for a continuing, independent Antioch College with tenured faculty.
She continued, “Then, on February 15, Interim College President Andzrej Bloch was sent back to campus from a University Trustees meeting and announced that the College would close on June 30, 2008. He acknowledged that negotiations with the AC3 were continuing, but claimed that the AC3 “agreed” that the College would have to close. That was absolutely not true. In addition, the University Board of Trustees unilaterally sent out a damaging and misleading press release claiming that Antioch College would be closed for the 2008-2009 school year.”
This past weekend, College alumni met with students, faculty and staff to discuss next steps. What emerged from this weekend was a plan for Non-Stop Antioch. The College Revival Fund will support students, faculty and staff, financially and otherwise, in their efforts to keep Antioch College alive and open in Yellow Springs next year. If the negotiations with the ACCC are successful, Antioch College will continue, without interruption, on its beautiful and historic campus. If no deal is reached, Non-Stop Antioch will find someplace else in Yellow Springs to operate.
Contact: Larry Rubin, 301-270-9232 (home), 301-300-0398 (cell)
For Immediate Release
ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI COMMIT TO “NON-STOP ANTIOCH”
— United Alumni Vow College Will Remain Open –
March 2, 2008– The Boards of the Antioch College Alumni Association and the College Revival Fund (CRF), Inc., met this weekend and resolved to keep the legendary Antioch College alive and open in Yellow Springs, Ohio for the next academic year and beyond. In response to the Antioch University Board of Trustees’ unilateral announcement that the College would be closed on June 30, 2008, alumni met with students, staff, faculty and townspeople to plan for “non-stop Antioch.” Alumni Board President Nancy Crow said, “We will not let it die.”
Ellen Borgersen, Vice-President of both the Association and the CRF, told students in an on-campus meeting that the alumni are ” ready to say that Antioch College will be open in Yellow Springs next year, no matter how the on-going negotiations between the University Trustees and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (ACCC) turn out. We have willing and eager faculty, a dedicated student body and. The CRF has committed at least $1 million to unconditionally support them.”
Negotiations between the ACCC and the University Trustees continue, Borgersen said, “and we are hopeful that they will succeed. If they do, we’ll be ready to run the College on this campus without interruption. If they don’t, we’ll find someplace else in Yellow Springs to operate, and we’ll to fight to reclaim the campus and the College’s other assets from a University administration that seems bent on destroying everything Antioch has ever stood for.”
“But it’s time to stop pretending that the University is negotiating in good faith with the ACCC,” she added. “The University is clearly trying to force people to abandon hope and leave, knowing that it will be impossible to bring the College back once that happens. This is not only bad faith, it is untenable, and Antioch alumni will not stand for this deceptive behavior.”
The Alumni Board also directed its Legal Committee to “explore all legal avenues to protect the name, assets and reputation of Antioch College,” and resolved to “support, financially and otherwise” any legal actions that might be brought by faculty, students, staff, donors, and others with an interest in the survival of the College. The faculty already filed a lawsuit against the University and the Board of Trustees. It was withdrawn without prejudice last October, which means that it can be re-filed at any time.
“The alumni are working to continue Antioch College,” says Alumni Board President Nancy Crow. “The alumni are resourceful, passionate, energetic, and most importantly, persistent. Antioch College provides a unique and important education for America’s future leaders. Its survival is important not just for the Antioch and Yellow Springs communities, but for everyone who values liberal arts education and the critical role it plays in producing engaged citizens and vibrant democracies.”
Vice-President Ellen Borgersen adds, “The University Board of Trustees and the University Chancellor Toni Murdock should know that we are not going away. Non-Stop Antioch means Antioch College for our time, and Antioch College for all time.”
Since the University Board of Trustees announced the suspension of operations in June 2007, alumni across the country have rallied to their alma mater’s defense. Alumni chapters have grown worldwide. The Alumni Board is continuing with its fundraising and planning efforts. For additional information on the Antioch College Alumni Association and the College Revival Fund, visit the Antioch College Alumni Association web site, www.antiochians.org.
For Immediate Release
ANTIOCH COLLEGE WELCOMES NEW TRANSFER STUDENTS; First Year Applications Will Be Accepted in Near Future.
Yellow Springs, Ohio, November 28, 2007 – After the announcement last month that the threatened suspension of operations had been lifted, the Antioch College Alumni Board announced today that the historic 155 year old College in Yellow Springs, Ohio would again be accepting transfer students for the coming academic year.
Thanks to unprecedented, last-minute efforts by loyal alumni committed to the uninterrupted continuation of Antioch College as a distinguished institution of higher education with a tenured faculty, more than $18 million in gifts and pledges has been raised. The college is the residential undergraduate component of Antioch University, whose Board of Trustees announced on June 12, 2007 to close the campus under a plan that called for possibly reopening it in 2012. Antioch University also has five nonresidential campuses around the country, all of which are to remain open.
The college is open, currently accepting transfer students, and looks forward to accepting first year students in the near future. In the meantime, all prospective students are encouraged to contact the Antioch College Office of Admissions and Financial Aid with any questions they might have. Information is available by calling (937) 769-1100 or by visiting our Future Students page.
“Antioch lives!” said Alumni Board President Nancy Crow. “In the great tradition that is Antioch, Antiochians from around the world have come together with faculty, students and staff to save our beloved institution. We raised more than $18 million and worked to craft an alternative business and fundraising strategy for the Board to consider. We are very pleased at this outcome, and look forward to working together in the days and months ahead.”
Since the University Board of Trustees announced the suspension of operations in June of 2007, alumni across the country have rallied to their alma mater’s defense. Alumni chapters have grown worldwide. Additionally, the Alumni Board also recently premiered its redesigned and reorganized Web site.
The Alumni Board is continuing with its fundraising and planning efforts. For additional information on the Antioch College Alumni Association and its Revival Fund, visit the Antioch College Alumni Association Web site.
YELLOW SPRINGS, OH – The Antioch Board of Trustees – in historic collaboration with the Alumni Board – passed a resolution today to lift the suspension of operations of Antioch College scheduled for June 30, 2008. This decision which follows intensive discussions between Trustees and members of the Alumni Board, enables the College to continue offering academic credits and degrees to current students, subject to approval by accrediting bodies.
At the same time, the declaration of financial exigency will remain in effect given the serious financial challenges facing the College.
“The decision of the Trustees is only possible because of the substantial changes that have occurred since the June ’07 Trustees’ meeting”, said Board Chair Art Zucker.
“These new developments,” Zucker continued, “included recognition by the Alumni Board of the need for financial exigency declared by the Trustees in June ’07. Other developments included: the open and cooperative relationship that developed between the Trustees and the Alumni Board; the resurgence of Alumni support; and the alumni’s ability to raise more than $18 million in cash and pledges in just a few short months. The alumni’s success in fund-raising is a fantastic and unprecedented accomplishment – particularly because it includes a large number of first-time donors.”
Nancy Crow, president of the Alumni Association, called the fund-raising effort “a magnificent start. This effort to raise a significant amount of money will preserve the very special and unique aspect of Antioch College. We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the Antioch College community, but we have much, much work ahead. With everyone working together, we will be successful.”
Continued operations of Antioch College will require the closing of some facilities, a reduction of faculty and staff, and the curtailment of some student services that are currently offered to give the College the necessary time to address the facilities and curriculum.
Furthermore, the Trustees action is dependent on the Alumni Board meeting these specific financial benchmarks:
Raising and transferring to the College the following:
10 days from the date of this agreement: at least $2 million
No later than December 15, 2007: at least $4.6 million
For a total of $6.6 million by December 15, 2007.
In addition and, with the support and full cooperation of the Antioch University Board of Trustees, to raise $12 million by May 31, 2008; $26 million by June 30, 2009; and, $19 million by June 30, 2010, for the support of Antioch College.
The Board of Trustees passed two additional resolutions: one, expressing overwhelming support of Toni Murdock in her leadership as Chancellor and two, appointing Andrzej Bloch, current COO and Chief Academic Officer, to the position of Interim President for Antioch College.
During the joint deliberations, the following agreements and understandings between Trustees and the Alumni Board were reached:
- The College will remain a residential liberal arts college committed to the principles of academic freedom and tenure;The rationale for the declaration of financial exigency was sound;
- There must be continued Alumni support—it is critical for the survival of Antioch College long term;
- The College will continue, and it will be rooted in its historic core values and mission;
- Accreditation is crucial to the future of the institution; nothing will be done to threaten Antioch University’s accreditation, or create an event of default in any existing bond, lease or other legal obligations of the University.
- The financial model must be sustainable;
- There must be a vibrant Antioch University, with fully explored opportunities for inter-campus collaboration and programs;
- The state of financial exigency will remain in place.
Trustees and the Alumni Board agreed on a series of action steps to move forward collaboratively, including:
1) A commitment to further develop the plans for a separate Board of Trustees for the College, which was recommended by the Trustees’ Governance Committee and during the interim to put into place a College Advisory Body. Members of this advisory body will be appointed jointly by the President of the Alumni Association and the Chair of the University Board of Trustees.
2) The Alumni Board and the Antioch University Board of Trustees will continue to raise funds to meet the benchmarks, thus ensuring that the College can continue to remain open.
3) The Board of Trustees authorized the Chancellor, in consultation with the Office of the President and other appropriate stakeholders including the President of the College Alumni Board, to establish a team to design the planning process for ensuring Antioch College’s future as a distinguished institution of higher education rooted in the College’s historic educational mission and values.
4) The Trustees also authorized the Chancellor to initiate a building assessment study and recommend appropriate actions for building refurbishment– with the intent that said construction be “green,” environmentally friendly.
5) A long term effort will be developed to ensure academic excellence, the hallmark of the College.
Chairman Zucker noted that the newfound, unprecedented collaboration among members of Trustees and the Alumni Board is “essential to the future of Antioch. I am most pleased at the transparency and openness developed over the last few weeks and months.”
Following the June vote by Trustees to declare financial exigency, the Board worked with the Alumni Board to conduct a Town Hall meeting in Cincinnati so all interested Antiochians could voice their thoughts on the suspension of operation which laid the foundation for working together.
Early in October a few Trustees and members of the administration met with a subset of the Alumni Board to review progress on their business plan and share essential financial and academic benchmarks.
“An enormous amount of work remains to be done,” said Alumni Board President Crow, “but we are energized and ready to rise to this challenge. Our goal is nothing less than the regeneration of Antioch College as a leader and innovator in liberal arts education. Antioch’s unique blend of academic excellence, real-world experience, and shared governance will continue to produce engaged global citizens trained to lead in the 21st century, just as it has for the past 155 years.”
For Immediate Release
ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION RAISES $14 MILLION TO FUND ONGOING EFFORTS TO SAVE HISTORIC INSTITUTION [DOWNLOAD]
Hundreds Expected to Return to Yellow Springs Campus This Week in Bid to Save College
Yellow Springs, Ohio, October 22, 2007 – Legions of Antioch College alumni, spanning more than seven decades, are expected to gather this week at the Yellow Springs campus for what promises to be a historic meeting between the College’s Alumni Board and the Antioch University Board of Trustees. The Alumni Association is challenging the Board’s decision to suspend operations at the 154 year old liberal arts institution known for its groundbreaking educational innovations.
The college is the residential undergraduate component of Antioch University, whose Board of Trustees voted on June 12, 2007 to close the campus under a plan that calls for reopening it in 2012. Antioch University also has five nonresidential campuses around the country, all of which are to remain open. The College Alumni Board has raised more than $14 million in gifts and pledges to date from supporters committed to the uninterrupted continuation of Antioch College as an institution of higher education with a tenured faculty.
The College Alumni Association will present an alternative business and fundraising strategy to the Board designed to keep the College open.
“In just four short months, with help from students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni all across the world, we have raised over $14 million in cash and pledges, as well as creating a new comprehensive business and fundraising plan,” said Alumni Board President Nancy Crow. “The Alumni Board will be presenting a compelling case for keeping this beloved icon of higher education open past the proposed July 2008 date. The Board of Trustees made the decision that they felt was right at the time, but the business plan is going to show them an alternative path.”
Since the Board of Trustees announced the suspension of operations in June of 2007, alumni across the country have rallied to their alma mater’s defense. Alumni chapters have grown worldwide. Additionally, the Alumni Board also recently premiered its redesigned and reorganized Web site, www.antiochians.org.
DRAFT PLAN TO KEEP ANTIOCH COLLEGE OPEN DISCUSSED BY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES [DOWNLOAD]
For Immediate Release October 4, 2007
YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO, Oct. 3 — Antioch College Alumni Association officers, Antioch University Board of Trustees members and Antioch University administrators today reviewed a preliminary draft of a business and fundraising plan to keep Antioch College open. The meeting took place in Denver, Colorado.
The final proposal will be presented here October 25 to the full University Board of Trustees. At that meeting, the Trustees could consider lifting the suspension of Antioch College they have now scheduled for July, 2008.
Alumni Board President Nancy Crow said, “It was helpful that members of the Board of Trustees and the University administration listened openly and made constructive suggestions to our draft plan. We really appreciate the candor from Trustees and their willingness to work together for the common cause of saving Antioch College.”
Last August, the Trustees resolved to “work closely with the Alumni Board to provide due diligence access to all appropriate data” needed to create the plan. College alumni and faculty with expertise in college admissions, finance, and law volunteered to work on the plan. The Alumni Board hired Tracy Filosa, a nationally respected expert in higher education finance, to assist.
Crow said, “The Board of Trustees is fulfilling our request for more information to help us put together a robust plan in a short amount of time. There was open dialogue at the Denver meeting.” Crow added that the Board of Trustees was “was pleased with the hard work and professionalism that they saw from the Alumni Board.”
Founded in 1852 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Antioch College is a community of students and faculty challenged by vigorous, inter-disciplinary academics. Students learn through campus life, real-life jobs and optional study abroad. They take part in community decision-making, gaining values and interpersonal skills that serve them well no matter what their chosen field. Students gain the self-knowledge and love of learning they need to make a difference in a world where the only constant is change.
Since the Board of Trustees announced the suspension of operations in June of 2007, alumni across the country have raised more than $12 million in cash and pledges to maintain continuous operations of Antioch College with a tenured faculty. Alumni chapters have grown to forty worldwide. Additionally, the Alumni Board also recently premiered its redesigned and reorganized Web site, www.antiochians.org.
The Alumni Board is continuing with its fundraising and planning efforts. For additional information on the Antioch College Alumni Association and its Revival Fund, visit www.antiochians.org.
ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TO PRESENT PLAN TO KEEP ANTIOCH COLLEGE OPEN
Students, Faculty, Staff, Townspeople Speak to University Board of Trustees in Community Forum
Contact: press@antiochians.org
The Antioch College Alumni Association will formally present its business plan for the continued operation of Antioch College to the Antioch University Board of Trustees this afternoon, in a meeting from 1 to 5 pm at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport, 1717 Airport Exchange Blvd.
Invited stakeholders including current Antioch College students, alumni, faculty, staff and Yellow Springs residents will also participate in the meeting.
Citing financial exigency, the University Board of Trustees voted in June to suspend operations at the College at the close of the 2007-08 school year. Since then, Antioch College alumni across the country have raised more than $8 million in cash and pledges to maintain continuous operations with a tenured faculty at the 153-year-old Yellow Springs institution. The Alumni Association’s business plan proposes the establishment of a separate board of trustees to oversee Antioch College.
Earlier this morning, more than 30 alumni, students, faculty, staff, former trustees and townspeople presented testimony to the University Board of Trustees urging the continued operation of Antioch College. Descendents of Horace Mann, the founder of Antioch College, submitted a letter pledging their continued financial support of the College only upon acceptance of the Alumni Association’s proposal.
Spokespeople will be available at the Holiday Inn Airport all afternoon. For addtional information on the Antioch College Alumni Associaiton, visit www.antiochians.org.
ANTIOCH BOARD AND UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP TO WORK WITH ALUMNI BOARD
Productive weekend results in intent to work together.
YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO – Following an extraordinary and special meeting focused on listening to the Antioch community, the Antioch University Board of Trustees approved a resolution to work with the College Alumni Board to allow the Alumni Boardto demonstrate, by the October 2007 Board of Trustees meeting, the financial and academic feasibility of the College Alumni Board’s proposal for the continued operation of the College.
The Trustees stipulated that the Alumni Board’s proposal will need to develop a realistic business plan with required benchmarks as established by the Trustees, the Chancellor and the University Leadership Council and created in cooperation with the College Alumni Board.
To assist with the plan’s creation, the Board resolved to “work closely with the Alumni Board to provide due diligence access to all appropriate data, consistent with state and federal regulations.” At the Board of Trustees’ direction, Board Chair Arthur Zucker will appoint representatives of the Board of Trustees and University administration to work in conjunction with the Alumni Board.
Chair Zucker emphasized the basis of the decision focused on the unprecedented energy,sharing of constructive ideas, and commitment of time and money to the College by its alumni and other stakeholders.
“We want to engage the alumni,” he said, “and take advantage of the opportunity this renewed enthusiasm presents and to see if the Alumni Board can further develop their proposal to ensure the continued viability of the College.” However, Chair Zucker also cautioned “in addition to a business plan, there is much more work that needs to be done,not the least of which, is the need to raise millions of dollars in a very short time period to assure that there are sufficient funds to pay for the continued operation of the College.”
The Trustees accepted the College Alumni Board’s offer to contribute to “various costsincluding, but not limited to, the support of the efforts of the current College Development office.”
Further, the Board affirmed through their resolution that no actions will be taken by theTrustees to endanger the financial stability and academic excellence of Antioch University McGregor or any of the other University campuses.
In a separate vote, the Board of Trustees stated its commitment, through the work of its Governance Committee, to consider the possibility of establishing a board of trustees for Antioch College with significant authority within the framework of a larger Antioch University. The Committee is scheduled to provide a progress report to Board of Trustees in October.
Chairman Zucker strongly emphasized his appreciation to the entire Antioch community for their constructive input, energy and willingness to participate in support of the College.
STATEMENT FROM NANCY CROW, PRESIDENT OF THE ANTIOCH COLLEGE ALUMNI BOARD
“The Antioch College Alumni Association looks forward to working with the Antioch University Board of Trustees, University administration and the Antioch community in crafting a viable plan for the survival and continued operation of Antioch College. We especially appreciate the Board of Trustees’ candor and openness as we enter into this noteworthy partnership.
We recognize that time is short and the task is large. But the commitment and passion expressed this weekend by College alumni, students, faculty, staff and Yellow Springs residents provides an inspiring foundation as we continue our work throughout the next several weeks.”
–Nancy Crow
President, Antioch College Alumni Board
ANTIOCH COLLEGE PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN; WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH COLLEGE ALUMNI BOARD AND REVIVAL FUND [DOWNLOAD]
President Steven W. Lawry has stepped down as the President of Antioch College effective immediately. This announcement came from Antioch University Chancellor Toni Murdock. Lawry will, however, be working with the Antioch College Alumni Board to ensure the uninterrupted academic operation of Antioch College as an institution of higher education with a tenured faculty.
“We have appreciated working with Steve, his many good ideas and his efforts in working with us in developing plans for the revitalization of the College,” commented Nancy Crow, President of the Antioch College Alumni Board. “Steve has been a strong advocate for a College with its own Board of Trustees and a clearer relationship to the University.”
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Steve. There is a daunting amount of money to raise,” added Rick Daily, Treasurer of the Alumni Board. “We are going to keep Antioch College open and restore it to its proper place of prominence among American colleges.”
On July 26, 2007, Lawry had announced to the Antioch community his intention to resign from the presidency effective December 31, 2007. He had made this announcement in light of the decision of the University Board of Trustees to suspend operations at Antioch College as of June 2008.
Since the suspension was announced, Antioch College alumni across the country have raised more than $8 million in cash and pledges to maintain continuous operations with a tenured faculty at the 155-year-old Yellow Springs, Ohio institution. The Alumni Board’s plan proposes the establishment of a separate board of trustees to oversee Antioch College.
During the weekend of August 25-26, the Alumni Board presented its plan for keeping Antioch College open to the University Board of Trustees. The University Board of Trustees approved a resolution to work with the College Alumni Board to allow it to demonstrate, by the October 2007 Board of Trustees meeting, the financial and academic feasibility of the College Alumni Board’s proposal for the continued operation of the Antioch College.
The Alumni Board is continuing with its fundraising efforts and development of a full business plan for the College. As part of this effort, it is working with the university to utilize and augment the full resource of the College’s Development Office.
For additional information on the Antioch College Alumni Association and its Revival Fund, visit www.antiochians.org.
- Report on Support Antioch Weekend–Press Release [DOWNLOAD]
- Alumni Seek Opportunity to Return Antioch College to Prominence Canceled, Webcast Delays Process of Averting Suspension of Operations [DOWNLOAD]
- Antioch College Alumni Association Pre UBoT Webinar Statement [DOWNLOAD]
- Antioch College Faculty Members File Lawsuit to Keep Historic 155-Year-Old Ohio College Open [DOWNLOAD]
- Alumni Seek Answers Regarding Financial Condition of Antioch College [DOWNLOAD]
