Antioch College Closing?

Alumni, trustees meet over future of Antioch this week

Board of trustees meeting agenda not set The meeting agenda for this week’s Antioch University Board of Trustees meeting had not yet been finalized by Tuesday, according to spokesperson Mary Lou LaPierre on that day. While the alumni board leaders will make their presentation Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. in an open meeting at Bryan Community Center, the weekend will probably not feature any other trustee meetings open to the public, she said. The alumni board will meet again with the trustees on Saturday afternoon after the trustees have made their decision. LaPierre said she did not believe the trustees intend to meet with the alumni leaders any other time during the meeting. The trustees’ meetings will take place at the Glen Helen Building and the Bryan Community Center. Meeting organizers intended to finalize the trustee meeting schedule during a conference call between university administrators and trustees on Monday, but the final schedule was not finalized then, according to LaPierre. “They’re trying to organize the meeting in such a way so that the presidents of the other campuses have a chance to report and so they have time to both analyze and discuss the alumni proposal,” LaPierre said. According to Director of Public Relations Lynda Sirk on Tuesday, the trustees may make a public statement regarding their decision sometime on Saturday, although it’s not yet clear at what time. For updated information on the trustees meeting, go online at www.antioch-college.edu. More Antioch College weekend events for the community are listed here.

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 trustees voted on June 12 to close the campus under a plan that calls for reopening it in 2012. But since that time, 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. The presentation will take place Thursday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Bryan Community Center, according to Antioch University spokesperson Mary Lou LaPierre on Tuesday. The meeting will be open to the public, although only alumni representatives will speak.

“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.”

Since the board of trustees announced the suspension of operations in June, 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.

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.