We are current, former, and candidate members of the alumni board. We represent a broad range of graduation years, from the 1940’s to 2008. We have been and still are strong outspoken advocates of Antioch College. We write to express our concern about the college’s handling of the former faculty.
Many of us attended the reunion in 2007 that kicked off the revival. At that reunion the attendees passed a resolution that, in part, called for the Antioch College Alumni Association to negotiate for “The protection of the assets of Antioch College for use by Antioch College including its faculty.” Many of us also attended the reunion in 2008, which occurred shortly after the Board of Trustees of Antioch University asked the alumni board to develop a process to create an independent Antioch College. At the 2008 reunion the assembled alumni body overwhelmingly voted for a resolution that stated, “the Antioch College faculty, CG and staff and the College Revival Fund have initiated, developed and committed $1 million to support the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute as a way to sustain a core faculty and continue the “DNA” and spirit of Antioch College until the College is independent and under the authority of its own Board of Trustees and President.”
Antioch College holds a unique place in higher education. This point is made again and again by alumni and higher education professionals across the nation. The value of an Antioch College education is widely recognized by its alumni who have collectively engaged in revival efforts over an extended period to save their alma matter. Because the faculty delivered the education that made Antioch what it was, retaining our core faculty is integral to renewing Antioch’s place in higher education. .
In his biography on the Antioch College website, Lee Morgan describes his wish to “build on Antioch College’s legacy of work, community and scholarship.” His sentiment that the college should continue to deliver an Antiochian education is overwhelmingly shared by alumni, as demonstrated by the questions on the first chapters committee call with Mark Roosevelt. Although other colleges may have integrated work into study, none have succeeded in delivering the full educational program that is responsible for the Antioch College alumni successes we laud today. New faculty coming into Antioch will not bring a full understanding of the Antioch College education with them. Therefore, we believe that hiring former faculty for faculty roles in which they are qualified gives Antioch College the best chance for survival with an academic program that will be recognized as an Antioch College education.
Thus far, the college has engaged some former faculty minimally — in limited consultancy-type roles subject to the direction of the interim president. Yet the new college catalog lists many of the former faculty as consultants. The college now insists it must conduct national searches for faculty who will deliver this curriculum.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has advised a hiring process for faculty that would recognize and respect the contributions of former faculty who continued to produce successful Antioch College alumni despite the challenges imposed on them by the university. Ordinarily in higher education extant faculty take the lead in the search for and hiring of new faculty. However, the college has rejected suggestions by the AAUP and by the ad hoc faculty committee that would bring the college’s hiring processes in line with practices in higher education and would afford former tenured faculty the recognition and respect they deserve. We express deep concern about the reputation of the college as a result of its hiring process.
Disdain for former faculty who have served as custodians of the Antioch College education for decades disparages the education of alumni over the past 30 years. Ironically, the college now seeks to raise money from these same alumni. Therefore, we believe the course of action that the college is pursuing will have immediate and long term financial impact.
Over the last few decades, the college has had a disconnected alumni body. This was remedied by the unprecedented coming together of generations triggered by the university’s decision to close the college. We have experienced a community unified in its support of the college and have seen how effective it can be. It would therefore be unfortunate if the college’s course of action were to once more alienate alumni, losing this unique opportunity for healing and alumni involvement. In the college’s decision to bypass former tenured faculty as a core faculty, we see a unified alumni community already starting unravel. Given the fragility of the college, we believe this is not a time to risk further divisions and deeper wounds.
We understand that the college does not see itself as a successor institution and therefore has no legal obligation to the faculty. This narrow interpretation leaves out a moral, ethical, and practical reasons for hiring the former faculty. The narrow interpretation jeopardizes the viability of the future college. We believe the college’s choice to pursue national searches does not recognize the unique experience and role of the former faculty. It should be reversed immediately, before irreparable harm is done to our alumni community.
We are alumni who have been “opinion leaders” for our peers and have assisted the college financially and with our work on behalf of the college as volunteers for years, and we plan to continue to advocate for the best interests of the college. We write this letter to add our voices in support of the hiring the faculty as we believe this is the best course of action for the alumni and for the success of Antioch College.
Laura Fathauer ‘95
Matthew Baya ‘92
Michael Casselli ‘87
Terry Blackhawk ‘68
Arthur A. Dole ‘46
Marjorie Welsh Dole ‘46
Tim Eubanks ‘00
Barrie Grenell ‘65
Robin Rice Lichtig, ’64
Kim-Jenna Jurriaans ‘08
Chad Johnston ‘01
Andrew Oswald ‘92
Susan Opotow ‘65
Shiela Richmond ‘57
Travis Sanford ‘94
Daniel Solis y Martinez ‘06
Paula Treichler ‘65
Don Wallace ‘60
J. Greg Williams ‘95