June 24, 2004

EDITORIAL

Changing status quo at Antioch
The proposal from the Antioch Renewal Commission to overhaul the Antioch College’s curriculum with experiential learning communities may receive the most attention, but it is only one of a number of initiatives coming out of the commission’s report that, if implemented successfully, could lead to dramatic improvements at the college.

The Antioch University board’s decision to spend up to $50 million in improvements to the college’s campus may prove to be just as significant as the new curriculum. Such plans signal a concrete effort by the Board of Trustees to reinvest in the campus and the college community. The current state of the campus is one of disrepair and neglect. Building a new student union, renovating the library and dorms, and making other improvements, including technology upgrades, should contribute to a better environment for students, faculty and staff, which should boost morale on campus.

Significant improvements to the campus also should help with one of the other goals in the renewal plan: increasing the size of the student body to 900 by 2014. Such a plan is likely to be viewed with skepticism by many, especially those who remember past unsuccessful campaigns, like the pledge to raise enrollment to 800 by 2000. After all, four years later, the student body remains in the 600s. Antioch needs to do a better job of coordinating its recruitment efforts if it is to make any headway on increasing enrollment. The renewal plan’s strategies appears to be a start in the right direction.

Overall, the renewal plan, which was put together by the Renewal Commission and approved by the Board of Trustees earlier this month, signals a comprehensive campaign to strengthen Antioch College by improving its academic and co-op programs, building a better campus and putting the institution on a healthy financial footing. That all sounds good. Antioch certainly has countless needs. Whether the plan’s strategies will actually work, however, is another question.

The keys to implementing the plan successfully may hinge on fundraising and building a system on campus in which faculty, students and staff feel that they have a chance to contribute to the renewal effort. Rick Jurasek, the college’s vice president and dean of faculty who will become interim president next month, says that the plan will be “locally owned” and the college community will have opportunities to participate in its implementation. As the person in charge of implementing the plan, Dr. Jurasek is in the perfect position to ensure the renewal process is inclusive, which will better ensure its success.

Those involved with the renewal process describe the plan as an attempt to create a new Antioch that is financially stable. The college has suffered for years with a small student body, tiny endowment and numerous financial crises. So clearly, the status quo is not working at Antioch. The renewal plan may not be perfect, but its emphasis on renovating campus facilities and introducing new recruitment efforts should put Antioch on the right path.

—Robert Mihalek