Cars and Parts Springfield Swap Meet
Carroll Commencement
Fairborn commencement
Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > July > 11 > Entry
Editorial: Maybe reports of Antioch’s death were exaggerated
There was a lot of celebrating last week after an announcement that just a year ago seemed like a long shot:
Antioch University and an alumni-backed group have forged a deal intended to reopen the Yellow Springs campus. As hard as it was for all sides to work this out, that challenge was nothing compared to what’s ahead.
To be ready to reopen in the fall of 2011, the Antioch College Continuation Corp. needs a spruced-up campus, faculty, a curriculum and a steady enough financial foothold to inspire confidence with creditors, funders and prospective students.
Matthew Derr, the corporation’s chief transition officer, said making all that happen depends on the generosity of Antioch’s 17,000 alumni. The next step for a future Antioch is a $50 million, five-year fundraising campaign, and Mr. Derr is counting on the powerful story of the rebirth of their old school to convince alumni to open their wallets even in the worst economic downturn in a generation.
“We have a large and accomplished alumni population,” Mr. Derr said. “If the capacity wasn’t there, we wouldn’t be able to do this. But this is our moment in history. This is the time when they can step forward and help the college get back to the level it was.”
The corporation has raised $10 million — one fifth of its goal — in just six months. (It has since borrowed an additional $6 million that it plans to use to buy the campus from Antioch University when the deal closes.)
Mr. Derr estimates that a campus re-sized to suit 400 to 600 students, rather than up to 1,200, will cost about $25 million for repairs and demolition. Then the school plans an annual operating budget of about $4.5 million.
For the first several years, the college would be mostly dependent on philanthropy, he said. The goal, however, is creating a business plan that requires the college to quickly become self-sustainable.
Still, that is a long way off, and there’s lots of cash that will be needed. To have any chance to get off the ground in 2011, Antioch will need to already have in place academic leaders who inspire confidence, an inviting curriculum, workable facilities and adequate student services.
The beginnings of a curriculum inspired by Antioch’s tradition of liberal arts experimentation have been shaped. Mr. Derr describes a school that incorporates a work co-op tradition, but uses an alternative, year-round academic calendar to get students to graduation in four years. Students, he hopes, will work abroad and around the country, keeping connected to each other and the campus via social networking as an Internet-based “community” and completing some course work online.
A viable Antioch College back in business in Yellow Springs would be good for everybody, even if the operation is considerably slimmer than its former self and even if a chunk of its students are studying online from elsewhere. Last week’s agreement is an important, but small, step in that direction.
But an even harder push is needed before the school’s doors will reopen. A good choice for president (a hire expected sometime in the next year) will be crucial. The prospect — in every way — is dependent on alumni’s money.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Education, Rural Communities, Scott Elliott
Comments
By Rick
July 20, 2009 12:15 PM | Link to this
If the resurrection of Antioch is to be successful one issue needs to be addressed head on and upfront: its past toxic culture of political correctness that drove even liberal students away.By Ice Bandit
July 21, 2009 10:06 PM | Link to this
Instead of re-making Antioch as a carbon copy of its’ old, failed, Marxist self, why not identify the four or five areas most sought by business and emphasize those disciplines. Identify the demand, hire a small yet respected faculty, and watch the students flock to Yellow Spring. Will this happen, my guess is no……