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Antioch Reverses Course; College To Remain Open

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The Associated Press

Published: November 4, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Trustees overseeing Antioch College said Saturday that they have reversed an earlier decision and will keep the school open.

The reversal is contingent on whether alumni and the school can meet fundraising goals during the next three years, board chairman Art Zucker said.

Antioch, which is known for its pioneering academic programs, will close some buildings and dormitories and downsize the faculty to meet budget constraints, he said.

Alumni and school officials must raise $6.6 million in cash by Dec. 15, $12 million by May 2008, $26 million by June 2009 and $19 million by June 2010, Zucker said.

The school will continue offering credits to current students, and the next class of graduates will receive degrees, pending approval of academic accreditation boards, Zucker said.

Trustees announced in June that because of declining enrollment, heavy dependence on tuition and a small endowment, the college would close after the spring term, reorganize and reopen in 2012.

Alumni formally asked the trustees last month to reverse the decision, saying they had raised $18 million, primarily in pledges, to keep Antioch going.

They feared that temporarily closing the college would scare off badly needed donors and make it difficult to recruit faculty and attract new students when the school reopened.

The resurgence of alumni support and cooperation between trustees and the alumni board made Saturday's announcement possible, said Nancy Crow, a board member and alumni board president.
ANTIOCH COLLEGE
•The college, founded in 1852 and located about 15 miles east of Dayton, Ohio, is the flagship for Antioch University, which has five other campuses in Ohio and on the East and West coasts.

•Antioch College, which costs $36,000 a year to attend, has an $18 million operating budget and a $2.6 million deficit. Enrollment is down to 230 students.

•The college is the alma mater of Coretta Scott King, "Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling and two Nobel Prize winners.

•Antioch doesn't grade classes, encourages students to develop their own study plans and combines academic learning with experience through a co-op program in which students leave campus to work in various fields.

The Associated Press

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