Category: news

Future of Education Series to Present Mark Roosevelt

Mark RooseveltYELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – February 25, 2011 –  Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt, the former superintendent of the Pittsburgh Schools, will deliver a public address on Saturday, March 5, as part of the Future of Education series, a collaboration with the Yellow Springs school district.  

Roosevelt has focused his career on politics, public policy, and education for decades. As a Massachusetts state representative he guided passage of the 1993 Education Reform Act. He directed the Gordon Public Policy Center at Brandeis University and taught courses on U.S. History and public policy at Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon. While superintendent of the Pittsburgh Schools, he created the innovative Pittsburgh Promise program.

The series has featured MacArthur Genius Award winner Deborah Meier '66, Collegiate Institute assistant principal Shadia Alvarez '96, and Miami University's associate vice president for academic affairs, Michael E. Dantley.

The Future of Education, a partnership between the Morgan Fellows at Antioch College and the Yellow Springs schools to stimulate new and innovative thinking about the future of education in Yellow Springs. The series is a major component of the Class of 2020 Initiative, a process to create a strategic plan for the public schools.

Below is the schedule of remaining events.

Saturday, March 5, 3:00-5:00 p.m. – Mark Roosevelt
Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt has focused on politics, public policy, and education for decades. As a Massachusetts state representative he guided passage of the 1993 Education Reform Act. He directed the Gordon Public Policy Center at Brandeis University and taught courses on U.S. History and public policy at Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon. While Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Schools Roosevelt created the innovative Pittsburgh Promise program.
Location: Herndon Gallery, South Hall, Antioch College

Saturday, March 12, 3:00-5:00 p.m. –  Adam Howard
An associate professor of education at Colby College, Howard focuses his research on the educational impact of class and privilege, and on the concerns of gay and lesbian youth. His books include Educating Elites: Class Privilege and Educational Advantage, and Learning Privilege: Lessons of Power and Identity in Affluent Schooling. His articles have appeared in the journals Education Leadership, Democracy and Education, High School Journal, and the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
Location: Herndon Gallery, South Hall, Antioch College

Tuesday, March 22, 7:00-9:00 p.m. – Matt Fischer
Matt Fischer spent the first 21 years of his career creating award-winning campaigns for blue chip brands like AT&T, Amtrak, Time Magazine, Starbucks, Kraft and General Foods. Six years ago, persuaded by long-time friend, Greg Livingston, he decided to join WonderGroup in Cincinnati, where he and Livingston worked closely together to grow WonderGroup in size and stature with clients like Cincinnati Bell, Perfetti Van Melle's Airheads and Mentos, Kellogg's, Luxottica, Walt Disney Resorts, Topps, Evenflo, Heifer International, Dean Foods and more.
Location: Herndon Gallery, South Hall, Antioch College

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

Archivist Scott Sanders to Receive Antioch’s J.D. Dawson Award

photo of Scott SandersYELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – February 10, 2011 – Archivist Scott Sanders, the first employee hired by the newly independent Antioch College and the reigning authority on the history of the institution from its original founding to the present day, will receive the J.D. Dawson Award at Reunion 2011. The award recognizes significant contributions to Antioch College by alumni or friends of Antioch.

The theme of Reunion 2011, from June 16-19, will be “Science and Invention,” and Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi ‘61 is set to deliver the keynote address. In addition to Sanders, other honorees include alumnus Robert Greenwald ’66, who will receive the Horace Mann Award for “winning victories for humanity,” and choreographer and educator Sylvia C. Turner ’67, for for promoting racial and ethnic diversity within Antioch and beyond. Additional awards and a schedule of Reunion events will be announced in the coming weeks.

Though he never attended Antioch College, Sanders is widely considered to be, nonetheless, Antiochian. He was discovered in 1994 as a 300-hour graduate intern by Nina Myatt ’53, only the third Curator of Antiochiana since its establishment in 1905.

Seventeen years later, he can still be found archiving the collections of Antiochiana, though his was not an entirely continuous appointment. Kept around the Olive Kettering Library by grant funded projects and the firm but gentle hand of Professor Emeritus of History Irwin Abrams, also chair of the former Antioch Committee on Archives, Sanders finally joined the Antioch community full time when he was made the first ever archivist for Antioch University in 1997.

The arrangement worked until the dramatic announcement by the university chancellor in 2007 that Antioch College would be closed. Though retained by the university when so many friends and colleagues were not, his dedication to principles of open access to information ultimately brought him in conflict with the university’s increasing sense of confidentiality.

Cast aside in 2009 and his department closed up indefinitely, Sanders returned to Antioch College as its archivist a scant two and a half months later, the first employee hired by the new organization.

Sanders holds a bachelor’s degree in American history and a master’s in archival and historical administration, both from Wright State University. He is a frequent lecturer for historical societies and other local organizations and delivers the keynote address at the annual conference of the Society of Ohio Archivists in April 2011.

He has contributed numerous articles and essays of local and institutional history, and is the author of the increasingly rare anthology Antioch: An Episodic History. If he can ever get it finished, a more comprehensive narrative of Antioch College is also in the works, due out later in 2011. He is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio.

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

Volunteers work to restore Antioch

Volunteers helping to restore Antioch College’s infrastructure have a new working base: the Maples fire station on Livermore Street, which once housed Antioch’s fire department and more recently was used for storage.

Members of Volunteers for Antioch Maintenance Projects, or VAMP — just one subset of the friends and alums of the college working to make its reopening possible — moved into the space recently. Jonathan Zimmerman, who graduated in 1970 and now lives in Los Angeles, has been working alongside fellow alum Jon Baker, a 1972 alum who resides in Chicago.

“It was Jon’s idea to find a space where we could set up a maintenance shop,” he said.

According to Miami Township Fire Rescue, the Antioch College Fire Department, housed in the Maples building, closed in 1996 as a result of “financial and personnel issues.” In the last few weeks the college cleared out the space, and VAMP has now transformed the high-ceilinged, light-filled concrete station into a workshop populated with table saws and ladders. One of their first improvements was updating the paint job from “’70s-industrial-ivory-coated-with-grime,” as Zimmerman described it, to a fresh bright white. On a recent Friday, saws screeched and tools clattered as a half dozen people got down to work after lunch, shouting questions to each other over the noise before leaving for other worksites.

Julian Sharp, a 2008 alum and now Antioch’s manager of volunteer work, said that in its interim year Antioch’s organizers had wanted to give alums the chance to become “more involved, more invested” and to “give more to the college.” The VAMP initiative was one outcome; it harnesses the capabilities of “people with a passion for building and maintenance,” said Sharp. The team has about half a dozen core members, and another 10 or so who sometimes help with specific projects; every month they tackle a one- to two-week assignment somewhere on campus. Some VAMPers, such as Zimmerman and Baker, travel considerable distances to participate.

Evelyn LeMers, a 1969 alum who lives in Yellow Springs, said Antioch doesn’t expect VAMP to carry out the heavy-duty remodeling that some spaces require. Still, there has been no shortage of projects for the group to take on.

“Some of these alums are really highly skilled — they can do anything,” she said.

Over a week in March last year when many colleges were on spring break, the group repainted and renovated Pennell House. Recently they’ve begun work on Birch House, which might become a dorm, and the McGregor building, which will house classrooms. They’ll address other buildings “as need be,” said Zimmerman.

Reluctant to pause their work even momentarily, recently the volunteers described their enthusiasm for helping to bring about Antioch’s rebirth.

“When I found out the college was going to resurrect itself, I got really excited,” said Zimmerman, who joined the maintenance effort in 2009. “When the college had reunions, they’d have a work party where alumni would come work on campus. When campus reopened, a group of alums said ‘we should continue that.’”

According to Baker, the country needs the type of education that Antioch can provide. A longtime building maintenance manager, “I’m doing work I know how to do,” he said.

Sharp said the college welcomes newcomers, “alumni or just friends of the college,” to join the volunteer effort.

“It’s just another great way to involve alumni in a way that’s more intentional and will help the college to meet its goals,” he said. Would-be VAMPers can e-mail Sharp at jsharp {at} antiochcollege(.)org.

Antioch College Announced the Horace Mann Fellowship for First Class

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – February 3, 2011 – In response to the extensive interest in Antioch College’s reopening, the Board Pro Tempore, during an executive session at its January 2011 meeting, established the rights and responsibilities of the Horace Mann Fellowship, a competitive award package that will go to the select few students admitted as members of the college’s first class this fall. The Board also extended the deadline for nominations and applications to March 1, 2011.

Notifications to applicants who submitted their materials in time for the January 1 Early Decision deadline were mailed this week.

In addition to full-tuition scholarships for all four years, Horace Mann Fellows will have the opportunity to be mentored by the college’s alumni; will work with members of the College faculty and staff to design the infrastructure for a shared governance system; and will have a voice as advisors to the president, Mark Roosevelt, himself an education reformer, teacher and political activist. They will get real training in policy-making and in cooperating with people of different ages, who have different experiences and backgrounds from their own.

The fellowship gets its name from Antioch College’s first president, who, in his final address as president of the College, gave Antioch its enduring mission: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”

That mission defines who we are as an institution and makes Antioch College unlike any other college in America. With its rebirth, the College is revolutionizing its approach to undergraduate education. The curriculum emphasizes the study of language and culture — global connectedness.

Students spend six of their 15 quarters in a wide variety of full-time, paid work placements off campus. Historically, Antioch College students have worked at film studios in Los Angeles, in law firms in Chicago, at theaters in New York, at elementary schools in Florida, and other locations around the world.

Before they graduate, students will complete at least one extended international work assignment in a foreign country or within a cross-cultural setting in the U.S. The international co-op is a culmination of their extensive foreign language study and a series of Global Seminars on critical world issues.

The educational vision is uniquely suited to developing citizens with the skills, habits of mind and values necessary today and into the future. Antioch College students will adopt a global perspective, work to clarify their values, and develop the flexibility to adapt to frequent change.

Go to http://antiochcollege.org/admission/horace_mann_fellowship/ for additional information or contact the Office of Admission/Horace Mann Fellowship at 937-319-6082.

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

Antioch College Announced the Horace Mann Fellowship for First Class

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – February 3, 2011 – In response to the extensive interest in Antioch College’s reopening, the Board Pro Tempore, during an executive session at its January 2011 meeting, established the rights and responsibilities of the Horace Mann Fellowship, a competitive award package that will go to the select few students admitted as members of the college’s first class this fall. The Board also extended the deadline for nominations and applications to March 1, 2011.

Notifications to applicants who submitted their materials in time for the January 1 Early Decision deadline were mailed this week.

In addition to full-tuition scholarships for all four years, Horace Mann Fellows will have the opportunity to be mentored by the college’s alumni; will work with members of the College faculty and staff to design the infrastructure for a shared governance system; and will have a voice as advisors to the president, Mark Roosevelt, himself an education reformer, teacher and political activist. They will get real training in policy-making and in cooperating with people of different ages, who have different experiences and backgrounds from their own.

The fellowship gets its name from Antioch College’s first president, who, in his final address as president of the College, gave Antioch its enduring mission: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”

That mission defines who we are as an institution and makes Antioch College unlike any other college in America. With its rebirth, the College is revolutionizing its approach to undergraduate education. The curriculum emphasizes the study of language and culture — global connectedness.

Students spend six of their 15 quarters in a wide variety of full-time, paid work placements off campus. Historically, Antioch College students have worked at film studios in Los Angeles, in law firms in Chicago, at theaters in New York, at elementary schools in Florida, and other locations around the world.

Before they graduate, students will complete at least one extended international work assignment in a foreign country or within a cross-cultural setting in the U.S. The international co-op is a culmination of their extensive foreign language study and a series of Global Seminars on critical world issues.

The educational vision is uniquely suited to developing citizens with the skills, habits of mind and values necessary today and into the future. Antioch College students will adopt a global perspective, work to clarify their values, and develop the flexibility to adapt to frequent change.

Go to http://antiochcollege.org/admission/horace_mann_fellowship/ for additional information or contact the Office of Admission/Horace Mann Fellowship at 937-319-6082.

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

Forum examines town and gown

Last Friday night at the Corretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom, about 75 college and village representatives came together to talk about the strength that could be created by fostering positive relations between the village and Antioch College. Many reminisced about the history of such a partnership, while others talked about new ideas to rekindle a “marriage” or a “dance” in which both the college and the village are able to thrive individually and together through their relationship with one another.

Jill Becker, former professor of dance at the college, shared ideas such as forming a chamber of ideas, much like a think tank to build on the village-college theme. She also suggested meal cards that students could use in village businesses, opening college classes to local seniors and high school students, connecting students with village families, and inviting the college community to use the village as a social and political laboratory by getting involved in local issues. Doug Hinkley added that the college could consider appointing a villager as a trustee, and advertise the village as a part of the Antioch College experience and a way to participate in and witness “how a democracy actually works.”

Tony Dallas, villager and alumnus, recalled that Arthur Morgan’s original intent was to create a community first, and then the college “fell in his lap.” What grew from there was a collaborative Shakespeare festival and a lively theater community, which could be revived in an even bigger way today by connecting the local community to all the universities in the area.

College board member David Goodman agreed, suggesting that Morgan’s thesis that community and learning were one could be manifested now by practicing progressive and socially responsible agriculture, energy, health and governance systems in the local community.

Louise Smith, former theater professor, urged the college and village not to limit the ways in which a deep town-gown unity could be expressed. She raised the idea of using the book The Lore of the Local as a model. Former college faculty member Dimi Reber encouraged a leadership structure for the village and the college, which could each benefit by planning the future together.

A video of the entire forum can be found at antiochcollege.org under Online Media.