A Renaissance at Antioch College
By Rachel Moulton '97 & Jordan Tamagni
'84
It is fitting that as Antioch College celebrates 150 years
of leadership in higher education, it is in the midst of a
renaissance. This renewal encompasses everything from an increased
endowment, to an exciting proposal to transform the College's
curriculum and a plan to strengthen its fiscal health for
generations to come.
The good news certainly begins with the remarkable success
of the Campaign for Antioch College. Launched officially in
October 2003, the Campaign has already raised more than half
of its target goal of $65 million, with nearly $33 million
already pledged or received.
"The Campaign for Antioch College
is off to a tremendous start in large part because of a new
enthusiasm and belief that Antioch College is still an innovative
force in American higher education."
Robert Krinsky '57, Campaign Chair
"The Campaign for Antioch College is off to a tremendous
start," Campaign Chair Robert Krinsky
'57 said, "in large part because of a new enthusiasm
and belief that Antioch College is still an innovative force
in American higher education."
The Campaign will raise new funds to enlarge the College's
endowment, improve facilities on campus, strengthen academic
programs, and support a broad range of other improvements,
including faculty development and increased scholarships to
attract the best and brightest future Antiochians.
The centerpiece of this sweeping vision to renew Antioch
College for the 21st Century is an exciting proposal to transform
Antioch College's curriculum - a plan as revolutionary as
the co-op program Arthur Morgan introduced 85 years ago.
The preliminary proposal draws upon an emerging trend in
higher education: Experiential Learning Communities. Learning
Communities are team-taught courses that use an inter-disciplinary
approach to examine a theme or problem, for example: Environmental
Justice; the Philosophy of Science; or the Intersection of
Race, Class and Gender. Cutting-edge research shows that such
learning communities can dramatically enhance learning, increase
student enrollment and retention, and support greater faculty
and staff development.
Antioch College's plan takes this concept to the next level,
using the latest technology and incorporating cooperative
education and other out-of-the-classroom work, an important
part of the Antioch tradition. This experiential element will
set Antioch's curriculum apart among institutions of higher
education.
The proposal was developed by a Renewal Commission appointed
last year by Antioch University Chancellor Jim Craiglow and
Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Kaplan
'76. The Commission includes members of the College
community, trustees, and leading thinkers in higher education
in the United States, and will make its full report in June
2004.
Antioch's plan to transform its curriculum is clearly meeting
with the approval of the funding community. The College has
already received grants from two prestigious organizations,
the Mellon Foundation and the Pierson-Lovelace Foundation,
to fund further development of the plan.
"This is the most important news to come out of Antioch
College in more than a decade, if not a generation,"
said Dan Kaplan. "This unique plan will improve student
outcomes, increase enrollment and retention, and reconfirm
Antioch's position in the forefront of American higher education."
The Board of Trustees has given its enthusiastic approval
for the plan to move into the next phase, as the Antioch faculty
works with the Commission and solicits input from the Antioch
Community.
Already there have been community meetings on campus to discuss
the plan, and new processes are being put in place to encourage
community feedback.
"Now that the rough outlines of the plan are in place,
we are asking the Antioch community for their best ideas and
questions to help refine the plan and move it forward,"
said Antioch Professor and Renewal Commission member Pat Linn.
Pending final approval, the plan is expected to be fully
implemented in time for the Antioch College entering class
of 2006. Until then, current students will continue to fulfill
their graduation requirements as planned, although they will
be able to take pilot courses as they are developed.
And the renewal effort doesn't stop there. While it continues
to develop the new curriculum and the Campaign continues to
raise new funds, the College is also putting its fiscal house
in order.
The Antioch University's Board of Trustees recently approved
the University and College management's plan to create sustainable
fiscal strength through a series of measures, including increased
revenues and operational savings, and a newly appointed College
Comptroller. Just as important, the College is putting in
place a new set of fiscal tools and improvements to enable
the College administration to better control and monitor the
budget.
Chairman Kaplan said, "With an exciting new curriculum
underway, the Campaign in full swing and ahead of schedule,
and the new commitment to financial responsibility, Antioch
College will continue to be a 'college that changes lives,'
[see Colleges That Change Lives,
2000, Penguin Books USA], offering students and faculty alike
a unique experience in American higher education for generations
to come." 
In future articles and features, The
Antiochian will continue to keep the Antioch Community informed
about these exciting plans or you can visit www.antioch-college.edu/renewal
A special information session is scheduled
at Reunion
2004.
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