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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > June > 13 > Entry
Antioch: Future is scary for Yellow Springs
The big talk in our readership area today is about my colleague Stephanie Irwin Gottschlich’s story that Antioch University will close its doors in 2008 because of financial problems. (Stephanie is seeking to talk to alumni today. Contact her at sirwin@daytondailynews.com or call her at 937-225-7404.)
Antioch is a small liberal arts school with more than 150 years of history in Yellow Springs. It is part of a unique eco-system here in Southwest Ohio — a bustling liberal bastion nestled in quaint small town surrounded by an otherwise conservative rural area about 20 miles east of Dayton.
There are many questions to be answered about how and why this happened. But there are some truly scary possibilities for this popular college town.
The school probably has to come up with the money to keep Antioch going before the end of next school year. Their current plan is to close in 2008 and try to reopen in 2112 after a massive fund-raising and restructuring effort. That seems like a long shot. How do you raise money for a school that isn’t open?
If Antioch does close for good, of course it hurts simply because of the lost history and traditions. But what happens next could irreparably change the community. What would happen to the campus? Some possibilities:
—Development. Yellow Springs is a red hot real estate market and the campus is a gorgeous property. Developers are probably already drooling over the possibilities of building homes there. But the town has a strong tradition of preserving its history. I suspect developers would have a fight on their hands.
—A new college. It would seem like there would be buyers for a ready-made college campus. But imagine what that could mean for the culture of the community. For instance, suppose nearby Cedarville College — a conservative Christian school — wanted to expand with a second campus? What sort of impact would that have on this liberal town?
Another possibility is a new college catering to working professionals, like University of Phoenix or Indiana Wesleyan University. Again, this would seem like to have an impact on the culture of the community.
What are the chances of these things coming to pass? Slim, I’m told. Antioch’s campus needs significant rehabilitation, enough that any new college locating there might have to mostly rebuild the campus. And schools like University of Phoenix and Indiana Wesleyan tend to locate closer to major highways to make their schools very accesible. Yellow Springs’ cloistered, insulated rural location is a great draw for homebuyers, but less so for commercial developers.
—Could the campus just sit there and rot? If the school goes down for good and there are barriers to redevelopment, this strikes me as a real possibility. This would seem like a terrible outcome for the town.
—Something else? What else could go there? A small corporate headquarters? A non-profit operation? Let me know what you think. If Antioch goes, is there anything that could replace it that would maintain the quirky culture that the school brings to the town?
UPDATE: Over at the Book Nook blog, Vick Mickunas talks about the Antioch news through the lens of his deep connection to the community.
(Image credit: Jim Witmer, DDN)
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Colleges and Universities
Comments
By rich
June 24, 2007 10:01 PM | Link to this
The big new building? How is it involved in this? Is it separate? will construction on it stop? Why no news on it?By laura
June 14, 2007 9:31 PM | Link to this
I think that the comments by Janette and Randy pretty much sum up the reason Antioch is closing. The majority of wealthy Americans are more conservative than liberal and some of the things that Antioch endorsed, condoned and encouraged did not sit well with the majority of money holders. The commencement speakers they chose, in and of themselves kept a number of people from considering enrolling in the school. I myself would not want to admit I had gone there. If they want the financial resources, they need to be more mainstream. Sorry if that goes against what the college stands for. It is reality.By Eddie
June 14, 2007 1:29 PM | Link to this
The school has a long history of being the school that dose not conform to the what we may call normal. That is what makes this school a stand out. I’m not a liberal but more, a conservative. The two ways of thinking do not mix but they do provide the checks and balances we need to keep this country going. I would hope and pray that the school does come back stronger and full of life. Good luckBy Randy Cepuch
June 14, 2007 9:51 AM | Link to this
I’m a 1977 Antioch grad who visited the campus a year or so ago. I was appalled when I walked through the halls of the Union Building, which were covered with urban-style spraypainted graffiti that apparently had been not only condoned but approved by the administration (faculty and students)! It was hard to imagine that any prospective students (and/or their parents) who visited wouldn’t run away screaming. Antioch’s always been big on collective governance, which unfortunately tends to translate to collective neglect (and financial irresponsibility). I’d always been troubled by the way the administration favored socialism over capitalism, because the bottom line for a college is that it needs money to operate. I’ll miss my alma mater, which was a unique and wonderful place.By Greg Hunter
June 14, 2007 7:03 AM | Link to this
Janette Burns - You are a shining representative of the Dayton area attitude. Lovely sentiments.By Richard C. Cline
June 13, 2007 10:04 PM | Link to this
I think that it would be a shame, to let this oasis dissapear. The service this institution has provieded to humanity is a model for the rest of us. How many of us can say that we have taken the time to accept, enrich, and free. That person that makes you feel uncomfortable. Too let such an place of legacey subscum to the vagrencies of our times. Would be a diservice to our children.By Janette Burns
June 13, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this
A few years ago, the big talk in my readership area was Antioch’s plan to solicit a convicted murderer to address their graduation ceremony. During the Vietnam War era, Antioch was noted for its anti-American war protests, its hippies and drug use. This college (?) has been rotting for decades and yes, it is scary that some people will try to save it. Maybe the convicted felons they have embraced over the years will send funds to bail them out.By Walt
June 13, 2007 4:28 PM | Link to this
I heard that Wal-Mart is looking for another area to development. This would be perfect for YS.