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College Trustees Pledge $9M to Antioch College

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – June 17, 2011 – In a show of support to the continued revival of Antioch College, the trustees of the College have pledged to give $9 million over the next three years to help cover the College’s operating costs, Board Chair Lee Morgan announced today.

“When we all sign on as trustees of Antioch College, we commit ourselves to doing what we can to assure its success. These gifts are a demonstration of how strongly we believe in the importance of reviving Antioch College,” Morgan said.

Since 2007 when major fund-raising began for what would become an independent Antioch College, members of the board have made considerable contributions of time and resources to the revival effort. The announcement of these new gifts comes just three months before the College welcomes its first class of students.

The $9 million board pledge will cover more than one-third of the college’s three-year, $27 million operating budget, President Mark Roosevelt said.

“I’m fortunate to be able to work with a board that is fully invested in the success of Antioch College,” Roosevelt said. “This board is passionate about liberal arts education and about Antioch College. Together, they offer leadership and often strong advice about the direction of the College. And the support they give to the faculty, staff and administrators who are working to bring Antioch back is never in question. For that, I’m grateful.”

Antioch College is governed by a 14-member Board Pro Tempore that includes educators, academics, entrepreneurs, civil rights leaders, and industry professionals. Most are alumni of Antioch College. Their individual contributions to meet the $9 million pledge are anonymous.

Since 2007 when the University announced Antioch’s closure, the college advancement team has raised $22.4 million. The College’s annual fund has brought in $1.5 million this fiscal year; about 26 percent of college graduates have given to the fund this year.

Roosevelt, a former superintendent of Pittsburgh Schools and Massachusetts legislator, started his term as the College’s president in January. He recently announced the appointment of Stephen W. Sturman as the vice president of advancement, to lead the College’s fund-raising efforts.

About Antioch College

A private, independent nonprofit liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Antioch College will offer a four-year, undergraduate residential experience to a new class of students. The College curriculum puts emphasis on rigorous liberal arts learning, work (cooperative education), and community engagement. Students will complete individualized majors based on one of 11 concentrations, a language minor, and six full-time work experiences. The institution, originally founded in 1850, is now completely independent of Antioch University, the multi-campus system it created.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gariot P. Louima ?
Chief Communications Officer
Office: 937-319-6131
Mobile: 937-581-8201
glouima@antiochcollege.org

College Trustees Pledge $9M to Antioch College

The $9 million board pledge will cover more than one-third of the college’s three-year, $27 million operating budget, President Mark Roosevelt said.

About Antioch College

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gariot P. Louima ?
Chief Communications Officer
Office: 937-319-6131
Mobile: 937-581-8201
glouima@antiochcollege.org

Antioch Alumna Edythe Scott Bagley Has Died

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – June 13, 2011 – Antioch College alumna Edythe Scott Bagley, the older sister of Coretta Scott King and one of the first African American students recruited through the College’s Interracial Education Scholarship, died in her Pennsylvania home, the Associated Press reported Sunday. She was 86.

Bagley had been an active member of the board of directors for the Atlanta-based King Center since it was founded in 1968 and was also a retired professor of theatre arts at Cheyney University, the AP reported.

"Our Aunt Edythe was a vibrant, brilliant woman and always a source of strength and wisdom for our mother during the difficult challenges of the civil rights movement," said Martin Luther King III, her nephew, in a statement to the AP. "We will miss her dearly, and she leaves a great void in the hearts of our family and her many friends and colleagues."

Antioch College was the first predominantly white college in America to admit students of color. The first black students enrolled at the college in the 1850s. The earliest black graduate, Alfred Hampton, earned his degree in 1888.

Edythe Scott, the valedictorian of her high school class, was recruited to Antioch in 1943 as part of the Interracial Education Scholarship, the College’s first effort to actively recruit black students. Her sister, Coretta, followed two years later. A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. and U.S. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton are among some notable black alumni of the College.

Bagley transferred to Ohio State University and after graduating taught students in Alabama and North Carolina, the AP reported.

After Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, Bagley worked with her sister, Martin's widow, to promote civil rights. She occasionally represented Coretta Scott King at events, and made radio and TV appearances on behalf of the Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the AP reported.

In 1971, she joined Cheyney's faculty and was charged with developing a theatre arts major. The program was approved in 1980.

She is survived by her son Arturo, who is teaching at a Delaware school, a brother and several nieces and nephews. Arthur Bagley, her husband of 56 years, died in February 2011. The funeral will be June 17 at 1 p.m. in West Chester, Pa. Her family is also planning a memorial service celebrating her life in July in Marion.

Last summer, the alumni of Antioch College honored Bagley with the Walter F. Anderson Award, which recognizes students, alumni, faculty and friends of the College who have made significant and courageous contributions to the Antioch College mission. Bagley received the award with William David Chappelle III and Jim Dunn will, who were honored posthumously for their contributions to the college.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gariot P. Louima ?
Chief Communications Officer
Office: 937-319-6131
Mobile: 937-581-8201
glouima@antiochcollege.org

Antioch College June 17 Science Panel Includes Nobel-Winning Geneticist Mario Capecchi

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – June 9, 2011 – Five noted scholars, including Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Mario Capecchi, will discuss the history of the sciences at Antioch College, as well as their research and careers, during a moderated discussion at the College’s Alumni Reunion at 10:30 a.m., Friday, June 17, in McGregor Hall on Antioch’s campus, One Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, OH 45387.

Moderated by former Antioch College President Joan Straumanis (Antioch class of 1957), the panel includes Capecchi (class of 1961), physicist Michael Barnett (class of 1966), molecular biologist Ellen Fiss (class of 1976), and geoscientist Stephen Meyers (class of 1996).

“Antioch College is famously productive of doctorates, having been in the top ten colleges on that measurement,” Straumanis said. “What is less well known is the large number of chemists, physicists, biologists, earth scientists, psychologists and engineers whose undergraduate origins were at the college.”

This year’s Alumni Reunion, held from June 16-19, has “Science & Invention” as its theme. Capecchi will deliver the keynote address to reunion attendees at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 18. In his talk, he is expected to speak about the Antioch College he encountered when he arrived in the late 1950s and its impact on his career as a researcher and educator.

The June 17 panel discussion sets the tone for the entire weekend, the first large-scale gathering of alumni at the College since last summer when Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke about the College’s tough road toward independence. After three years of negotiations and the closing of the college, the alumni of Antioch College bought back their campus and its assets from Antioch University, a five-campus system it founded.

In recent months, the College has recruited a class of 35 students who will enter as first-year undergraduates in the fall; attracted faculty to teach; and earned the approval of the Ohio Board of Regents to offer the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

The sciences figure prominently at the revived Antioch College. Two of the 11 study areas are science specialties – health and environmental sciences – and all students, regardless of major, must take a distribution of Foundation courses that include three courses in the sciences. A chemist, Dr. David Kammler, was among the first faculty hires at the new college. Additionally, all of the new Global Seminars on world issues have a science component.

About the Panelists:

Joan Straumanis ’57 (moderator) has been a high school teacher, college faculty member, dean, and president of Antioch College and Metropolitan College of New York. Straumanis, who has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, promoted fundamental research on neuroscience and the nature of learning while at the National Science Foundation and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. As president of Antioch, she helped found the Eco League, a consortium of colleges committed to environmental education.
Michael Barnett ’66 is a senior physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Barnett, who earned a Ph.D. from University of Chicago, is head of the international Particle Data Group, founder of the Contemporary Physics Education Project, and founder of QuarkNet. He is also the coordinator of the education and outreach program of the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, a project that includes 3,000 physicists.
Mario Capecchi ’61 is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Best known for pioneering the technology of gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem (ES) cells, Capecchi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2007. He received his B.S. in chemistry and physics from Antioch College and his Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University.
Ellen Fiss ’76 is the research leader at Roche Molecular Systems in Pleasanton, California. Previously, she held positions as lead researcher for projects at the University of California Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, and the Chiron Corporation. She holds six patents in the field of molecular biology and biochemistry of infectious diseases. After completing her undergraduate studies in chemistry at Antioch College, she went on to earn her doctoral degree at the University of California at Berkeley.
Stephen Meyers ’96 is an assistant professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is the author of numerous publications on the mechanisms of climate change, the controls on the global carbon cycle, and the measurement of geologic time. His research is motivated by the use of ancient Earth System perturbations as natural climate “experiments,” to provide a context for understanding modern and future climate change. Stephen received a B.S. degree in Environmental Science from Antioch College, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geological sciences from Northwestern University.

About Antioch College
A private, independent nonprofit liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Antioch College will offer a four-year, undergraduate residential experience to a new class of students beginning in the fall of 2011. The College curriculum puts equal emphasis on rigorous liberal arts learning, work (cooperative education), and community engagement. Students will complete individualized majors based on one of 11 concentrations, a language minor, and six full-time work experiences. The institution, originally founded in 1850, is now completely independent of Antioch University, the multi-campus system it created.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gariot P. Louima ?
Director of Communications
Office: 937-319-6131
Mobile: 937-581-8201
glouima@antiochcollege.org

Antioch College June 17 Science Panel Includes Nobel-Winning Geneticist Mario Capecchi

About the Panelists:

Joan Straumanis ’57 (moderator) has been a high school teacher, college faculty member, dean, and president of Antioch College and Metropolitan College of New York. Straumanis, who has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, promoted fundamental research on neuroscience and the nature of learning while at the National Science Foundation and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. As president of Antioch, she helped found the Eco League, a consortium of colleges committed to environmental education.
Michael Barnett ’66 is a senior physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Barnett, who earned a Ph.D. from University of Chicago, is head of the international Particle Data Group, founder of the Contemporary Physics Education Project, and founder of QuarkNet. He is also the coordinator of the education and outreach program of the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, a project that includes 3,000 physicists.
Mario Capecchi ’61 is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Best known for pioneering the technology of gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem (ES) cells, Capecchi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2007. He received his B.S. in chemistry and physics from Antioch College and his Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University.
Ellen Fiss ’76 is the research leader at Roche Molecular Systems in Pleasanton, California. Previously, she held positions as lead researcher for projects at the University of California Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, and the Chiron Corporation. She holds six patents in the field of molecular biology and biochemistry of infectious diseases. After completing her undergraduate studies in chemistry at Antioch College, she went on to earn her doctoral degree at the University of California at Berkeley.
Stephen Meyers ’96 is an assistant professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is the author of numerous publications on the mechanisms of climate change, the controls on the global carbon cycle, and the measurement of geologic time. His research is motivated by the use of ancient Earth System perturbations as natural climate “experiments,” to provide a context for understanding modern and future climate change. Stephen received a B.S. degree in Environmental Science from Antioch College, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geological sciences from Northwestern University.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gariot P. Louima ?
Chief Communications Officer
Office: 937-319-6131
Mobile: 937-581-8201
glouima@antiochcollege.org

Antioch College — Head fundraiser appointed

Steve Sturman has been hired by Antioch as its new vice president for advancement. (Submitted photo)

Steve Sturman, the new head fund raiser for Antioch College, sees similarities between the school where he most recently worked, Culver Academies in Indiana, and Antioch College. Both schools are small and old, with aging physical plants. Both have passionate alumni. And both schools see themselves as having a unique approach to preparing young people for the world.

Specifically, Sturman said, he’s impressed with Antioch College’s singular educational model, with its three-fold emphasis on academic excellence, co-op work experience and an emphasis on community.

“To incorporate all that into an academic program means developing well-rounded individuals who are prepared for real life,” Sturman said in an interview this week.

On Friday, May 27, Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt announced that Sturman would serve as the college’s new vice president for advancement, heading up the school’s fund-raising efforts.

“Steve is committed to community and to purpose — the notion of making a difference in one’s work — and it’s that sensibility that makes him a good fit for Antioch right now,” Roosevelt said in a press statement. “His work at Culver required that he get to know a specific kind of institution with a particular history and highly engaged alumni. That experience, together with his proven track record in fund raising and sales, will be an invaluable asset as we work to firm up our foundation going forward.”

At Culver Educational Foundation, which includes Culver Military Academy and Culver Girls Academy, Sturman was a senior development officer and part of a team that raised $376 million over an eight-year period. The amount, which is the largest ever raised for a secondary school, was the combined effort of a development staff that began with seven employees and grew to a staff of 30, he said.

Sturman has a long family history with the Culver academies, and both his son and daughter graduated from the schools.

Coming to Antioch College fulfills Sturman’s lifelong dream of heading his own department and having his own fund-raising team that uses “best practices to serve the institution and its alumni,” he said.

At Antioch College, Sturman will head up a nine-person group that includes Micah Canal, director of the annual fund; Wendy Ernst, senior major gifts officer; Eric Miller, major gifts officer; Fred Kraus, researcher; Steve Duffy, alumni relations; Aimee Maruyama, director of foundation relations and senior major gifts officer; Stacey Wirrig, director of alumni relations and Anna Hogarty, administrative assistant. Interim Director of Advancement Ron Napal will be leaving around the end of June, and Sturman will begin his job July 1.

President Roosevelt has repeatedly stressed that ending the “cycle of poverty” at Antioch College is critical to its revival. The school will have an $8 million a year budget when faculty and students arrive next fall, Roosevelt said recently, and aims to raise about $3 million in its annual fund drive that ends June 30. The funding gap of about $5 million will be filled by major gifts, Roosevelt has said, emphasizing that the college is especially dependent on donors in its first years in which students are not paying tuition.

Since its revival two years ago, Antioch has also raised $22.4 million in a multi-year capital campaign, according to Director of Communications Gariot Louima.

The fund-raising job he’s taking on is a huge one, Sturman knows, but he’s excited. He’s spent much of the past several years in airplanes flying to meet donors, and expects to do the same at Antioch to meet with alums to “share the news that Antioch is alive,” he said.

Since Sturman’s appointment, some concerns have been raised on an Antioch College alumni discussion board regarding his political views, since on his Facebook page Sturman expressed enthusiasm for a former Republican candidate for the Indiana state legislature.

That Facebook statement did not indicate a political endorsement, according to Sturman this week, who said he was not even aware of the candidate’s political views. Rather, he said, the man is a friend.

Still, Sturman said, political views are a “personal thing,” although he said he has “embraced progressive values — that’s important to me.”

But Sturman does not see his new job as promoting a certain political perspective.

Regarding Antioch College graduates, “We have graduates on both sides of the aisle and I have to serve all graduates,” he said. “My goal is to work toward the school’s goals, not to promote one value or another value.”

Sturman was not looking for a new job, he said, when he was contacted by the search firm Isaacson Miller for the Antioch position. But he was intrigued at the prospect, and especially interested after he came to the college and interviewed with its new president.

“Mark Roosevelt has a bright intellect and I thought it would be a fascinating place to work,” he said.

Sturman plans to move to the village soon. His wife, Paula, will join him when she can, but first the couple has to sell the farm they own outside of Plymouth. Currently, Paula Sturman manages the Culver Academy fitness center. The couple has two children, Eric, who works as a graphic designer in Columbus, and Meg, who consults for an Indianapolis business that specializes in green solutions to business problems.

In Yellow Springs, Sturman hopes to pursue his passion for gardening, and he and his wife both enjoy fixing up old houses. A potter as a young man, he said he’s excited to be joining a community of artists. He’s also looking forward to taking advantage of the bike trail.

“Yellow Springs looks to be a delightful place,” he said.

Before working as a fund raiser for the Culver Academies, Sturman for 23 years operated Sturman and Company, a manufacturer’s representative sales agency. He and his family lived then in Delaware, Ohio, where he managed the Ohio sales territory.

Sturman earned a bachelors of science in management degree from Purdue University and attended the fund raising school at the Indiana University Center for Philanthropy.