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Antioch announces it will close in July 2008
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Wednesday, June 13, 2007
YELLOW SPRINGS — Antioch College will shutter its campus in July 2008 because of a lack of money and declining enrollment, the private, liberal arts college said Tuesday.
The school will regroup for four years and hopes to find the financial resources to reopen an overhauled campus in 2012.
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About 160 faculty and staff will lose their jobs when the campus goes dark, said Mary Lou LaPierre, vice chancellor for university advancement.
The undergraduate college, which has a rich history in social activism, has watched enrollment drop from its 1960s heyday of about 2,000 students to 400 today, LaPierre said.
Enrollment dropped nearly 25 percent between 1998 and 2005, according to the Ohio Board of Regents.
The decreased tuition revenue, coupled with lackluster fundraising that prevented it from building a sizeable endowment, drove trustees to close the college.
"We've had some support from other colleges in the Antioch system over the last decade, but it hasn't been enough," LaPierre said.
The college will operate for the upcoming 2007-08 academic year and concentrate on graduating seniors before it closes, college officials said.
Afterwards, remaining students will be offered a chance to finish their degrees at Antioch University McGregor, an adult bachelor's degree completion program separate from the college and also located in Yellow Springs. Students can also transfer to other institutions in the national Antioch University system in Seattle, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
The college told faculty, staff and students of the news Tuesday afternoon at a campus-wide meeting, but many weren't surprised, said college spokeswoman Lynda Sirk.
"Is this a hard decision? Yes," she said. "But this something we've struggled with for years. We're looking forward to a new campus."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7404 or sirwin@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About Antioch College
A private, liberal arts, four-year undergraduate college founded in 1852. Serves as the flagship for Antioch University system, which has six additional campuses on the East and West Coasts.
HISTORY: Antioch's first president, Horace Mann, coined its mission statement, "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
ENROLLMENT: 400 students; 60 percent female, 40 percent male; 67 percent out-of-state, 33 percent in-state.
TUITION & FEES: $28,500
AVG. FINANCIAL AID: $26,620
Source: Antioch College, the College Board.
