Tag: announcements

At 2 p.m. EST, the Antioch University Board of Trustees, in historic collaboration with the Alumni Board, agreed today to lift the suspension of operations a Antioch College originally slated for June 30, 2008. This decision, which follows intensive discussions between the University Board of Trustees and the Alumni Board, means that Antioch College will continue to offer academic credits and degrees to current students.

The Antioch College Community Meeting can be listened to here.

“An enormous amount of work remains to be done,” said Alumni Board President Nancy Crow ’70, “but we are energized and ready to rise to this challenge. Our goal is nothing less than the regeneration of Antioch College as a leader and innovator in liberal arts education. Antioch’s unique blend of academic excellence, real-world experience, and shared governance will continue to produce engaged global citizens trained to lead in the 21st century, just as it has for the past 155 years.”

More information will be posted as we have it available.

A decision has been reached and will be announced Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 2PM EDT.

Yes, we are making progress! For the last week, representatives of the Alumni Board and the University Board of Trustees have been working non-stop towards an agreement. It is painfully slow, but we are not only making progress, we are making history. We must work together to revive Antioch College and we must do it right.

The Alumni Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed agreement on Thursday evening, and the Board of Trustees on Friday. Please be assured that as soon as we are able, we will alert all of our donors and alumni and the Antioch College community to any new developments or decisions.

Thank you for your continued energies, efforts, and support.

–Nancy Crow, President, Antioch College Alumni Board

Proposed Governance Structure of Antioch College: Narrative. All Comments should be sent directly to Ellen Borgersen

This proposal is presented for discussion and comment by the Antioch College Alumni Board’s Governance Committee. It addresses the governance structure of Antioch College under a new Antioch College Board of Trustees. It does not address the relationship between the College Board and the University Board of Trustees. [Narrative]  [Flow Chart]

The Committee supports the greatest degree of authority and autonomy for the College Board — in hiring the President of the College and managing the assets, budget, curriculum, programs and faculty of the College — that can be achieved consistent with the requirements for maintaining the College’s accreditation. We are working with the Accreditation Task Force and the Legal Team to develop a proposal for the relationship between the College and University Boards of Trustees.

This proposal is inspired by two main goals:

1. Increase the real, original power of the stakeholders by giving AdCil the power to advise and consent on all matters other than curriculum, subject to veto by the President, with provision for appeal to the College Board of Trustees.
2. Return the Faculty of Antioch College to the center of the College’s mission and curriculum. The Faculty’s ability to serve as Trustees and on AdCil provide a much needed boost in its ability to guide the education of Antioch students.

This proposal does not offer a structure for the President and CEO’s team, nor does it detail the procedures of the Faculty Senate. The President and CEO’s team structure should be up to the President with the consent of AdCil. The faculty should create their own procedures for electing a Faculty Speaker, etc. The composition of the Faculty Senate proposed on the org chart is of tenured, tenure tack and emeriti faculty. In the event that a non-residential education unit exists within the College, the level of participation and rank, if any, of its instructors needs to be determined.

At the administrative level it is assumed that non-residential education would be handled at the level of a dean or director.

Note there is no inclusion of reserved seats for specific constituencies. Following the advice given by Mort Rauh in Antioch Notes, such numerical division will never be satisfactory to the participants and would probably lead to factionalism. By keeping all Trustee spots open to any combination of Faculty, Staff, students, University trustees, or outside candidates, AdCil, the Alumni Board, and the existing Board will be able to craft the best slate to meet the needs of the college.

Direct election of trustees would most likely lead to the problem at Dartmouth where money starts entering the campaign and forcing out those who would lack the resources to run a campaign.

I. The Trustees of Antioch College
a. Current and former practice was to have a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees.

• BoT view tends to be the 10,000 foot view, lack current stakeholder viewpoints.
• Students, faculty and staff do not feel adequately represented before the Board and become alienated from them.

b. Proposal: Alter the composition of, and manner of selection for the Board to include the following,

• 1/3 of trustees appointed by AdCil.
• 1/3 of trustees appointed existing trustees.
• 1/3 of trustees appointed by Alumni Association Board of Directors
• The Faculty Speaker to be added as an ex-officio, non-voting member.
• The President of the Antioch Alumni Association as an ex-officio, voting member.
• The Community Manager as an ex-officio, non-voting member.
• Open eligibility for trusteeship to all whether employed by the Corporation (faculty and staff but not officers or Deans), students or outside candidates.

c. Outcome:

• Wider opportunities for participation in governance.
• Current interests of the institution represented by stakeholders
• Long term continuity preserved by self-selecting cohort.
• Faculty gains a permanent voice on the Board.
• Alumni represented by a permanent vote on the Board.

d. Objections:

• Gives too much power to current stakeholders.
• Conflict of interest if stakeholders (faculty, staff) are appointed by AdCil
• Conflicts of Duty
• Complicates cycle of terms.

e. Consensus: It is not uncommon for people to serve in multiple capacities. The other objections are outweighed by the benefits of having a Board that is closer to the stakeholders.

II. Chairperson and Committees of the Antioch College BoT

a. Currently the Chair has no term limit in the position, the regular term of office as a trustee may be extended to the length of the term as Chair, controls committee assignments and appoints committee chairs.

• Concentrates power unnecessarily
• Forces others to rely on the good graces of the Chairperson.

b. Proposal:

• The Chairperson of the BoT will be term limited to 6 years.
• The Chairperson of the BoT will not automatically have their term as a trustee extended but will be the Chairperson if they are re-elected as a trustee.
• Committee assignments will be made by consensus of the whole. Committee Chairs will be elected by the committee each year.

c. Outcome:

• Greater participation of all trustees.
• Power decentralized.

d. Objections: ?

III. The Faculty of Antioch College

a. The faculty does not currently have a “constitutional” role in the governance of the college, except as elected members of AdCil.

• Faculty not encouraged viewing the college as theirs.
• Faculty not in charge of curriculum.
• Faculty is treated as employees rather than as peers.

b. Proposal: Constitutionally empower the faculty.

• A Faculty Senate shall be convened with its own rules of conduct but including all tenured faculty and emeriti.

1. This Senate, is charged with the development of and final authorization and implementation of the curriculum, except where issues of finance are the proper purview of AdCil and the BoT.
2. Create elected Faculty Speaker to serve on BoT as ex-officio, non-voting member.
3. This Senate will approve and confer all academic and honorary degrees.

• Faculty eligible for appointment or election to BoT.

c. Outcome:

• Faculty becomes first and final say on matters of curriculum.
• Faculty assured a voice on the BoT.

d. Objections:

• Diminution of Trustees power.
• Diminution of Presidential power

e. Consensus: The lessons of recent years prove that excessive power in the hands of the Trustees and the President does not ensure the well-being of the College.

IV. The Administrative Council of Antioch College

a. AdCil does not currently have a “constitutional” role in governance and is confined to an advisory or consultative role in administration of the college.

• President able to disregard the elected representatives of the community.
• Faculty, students and staff not able to access information needed for informed participation.
• Faculty and staff relegated to employee status.
• No ability to check on Administrative or Trustee actions.

b. Proposal:

• AdCil to serve as legislative body of the college, with power of binding decisions. The President is granted veto power over decisions of AdCil. The veto of the President may be appealed to the BoT by AdCil. The veto power does not extend to AdCil’s tenure review decisions or to its selection of trustees.
• AdCil positions to be year long and attendance by teleconference allowed.
• Faculty tenure will be granted by AdCil, and financially approved by the BoT.
• AdCil will appoint 1/3 total number of trustees.

c. Outcome:

• AdCil as the legislative body of the College can protect the interests of the current stakeholders in the decision making process of the Administration.
• AdCil’s power is limited by the Presidential veto and the unlikely event that the BoT would override a veto except in the most extreme of circumstances.
• Control of tenure review maintains input to the tenure process by the community.

d. Objections:

• Diminishes power of President – would top candidates take the job with this level of oversight?
• Diminishes power of Trustees
• Too much power in the hands of a body connected to the heat of the campus.
• Lack of expertise among students and factionalism from the Faculty.

e. Consensus: Shared governance is a core value of Antioch College and essential to its mission of producing leaders and change agents. AdCil was empowered by tradition for many years. Students, faculty and staff who are empowered to govern gain expertise. They take their responsibilities very seriously. A candidate for President who is unwilling to govern under a system of checks and balances does not have the commitment to shared governance that an Antioch President must have.

V. The Administration of Antioch College

a. General:

• The Administration (except the president) reports to AdCil administrative functions to be approved by AdCil as the legislative body.
• Administrators of the College are not eligible for election to AdCil, or the BoT.
• They may be elected to ComCil or CSB.

b. President of the College

• Will also be the Chair of AdCil

1. Non-voting except to break ties or cast veto.

• ii. Reports the actions of AdCil to the BoT
• iii. Is hired by BoT after approval by Faculty Senate and AdCil.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

After a careful assessment of the potential for fundraising from the Antioch College alumni population it has become clear to the Alumni Association and the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) that alumni donor prospects have the capacity to secure the future of the College and re-establish it among its historic academic peers.

For the purposes of this emergency plan we have identified $44.3 million in major gift asks that can be made immediately. In the future, a motivated alumni body supported by a fully resourced and staffed development operation with consistent and able leadership could in fact raise $100 million in a five-year campaign.

There is, however, no evidence that many of these alumni will give; only that they have wealth and that they attended Antioch College. Capacity is only one part of the story, but when combined with engagement, is the most important element of the equation.

A lengthy catalog of missteps exists that explains why the College has not capitalized on the giving potential of its alumni in the past. IA reports that staff turnover is the most significant reason for modest alumni participation in major giving. Revolving staffing has deeply compromised relationship building and has resulted in too few asks.

Five Traditional Challenges to Fundraising at Antioch College

1. Perpetual turnover in the presidency and fundraising leadership.
2. Persistent failure to invest consistently in alumni relations and development operations.
3. Alienation felt by alumni as a result of loss of College identity in the larger University.
4. Perception that giving makes little difference because it simply addresses pressing needs or institutional indebtedness associated with weak leadership.
5. Long and short term damage to the reputation capital of Antioch College.

For example, the twelve-year Guskin administration was the most financially stable period for Antioch College in the past thirty years. Regardless of one’s opinion about Guskin’s leadership, the legacy of increasing financial strength that was established from the mid-1980s through the late 1990s enabled the fundraising successes of the early 2000s. The earlier successful fundraising rested on stable leadership by a president who was a chief executive officer of a perceived autonomous college. That precedent shows that under the right circumstances, Antioch College can raise consistent and substantial major gifts from its alumni.

The fundraising case statement being developed will thoroughly address the five points above, and the fact that Antioch College is under threat of what alumni will consider permanent closure and will be attempting to raise funding to cover operational costs and indebtedness. Despite the fact that the stakes are so high, or perhaps because the states are so high there are some specific fundraising advantages present as we launch the campaign.

Five Current Advantages for Fundraising at Antioch College

1. Creating a sense of urgency for giving is the best scenario to begin fundraising. In that regard we are in abundantly good shape. We must stress both the immediacy of the need and the potential for a very positive future for Antioch College.
2. Antioch alumni typically want to share their opinions and are rarely neutral about their Antioch experience. They may feel disaffected or disconnected, but at this moment it may prove easier to engage them in the possibility of giving than if they did not have opinions to share.
3. The condition of research in the Office of Institutional Advancement is excellent. While there has been concern about the general condition of the database as far as capturing addresses of the full 17,000 living alumni, it can be fairly stated that if an alumnus has the capacity to give a five figure gift or higher, their identity and contact information is in fact known.
4. The four remaining staff members in the Office of Institutional Advancement are dedicated and talented. As long as there is no future interference in their ability to do their work, they will prove to be excellent partners in alumni fundraising.
5. An alumnus raising funds from another alumnus is preferable to the work of major gift officers asking for contributions from alumni. Typically, it is a challenge for development offices to identify a large enough cohort of motivated alumni to do the work, not so with our current position.

FUNDRAISING GOALS and CASH FLOW

In order to differentiate between what in a normal campaign would be considered capital giving and annual giving, there must be two gift categories for the College Revival Fund. Capital funding from major gift asks will be named the Fund for the Future (FFF) and gifts to support operations at the College will simply be called the College Revival Fund for 2007-08 (CRF08). Both funds and pledges are held by the College Revival Fund Inc. on behalf of the Alumni Association and will not be released to Antioch College until the successful completion of the negotiation process.

As a result of negotiations between the Alumni Board and the Chancellor, the CRF08 will serve as the Annual Fund for FY08. Due to the current climate there is general agreement by IA and the Alumni Board that Antioch College will be unable to raise the $2 million from the alumni population, dollars that are necessary to cover operations earmarked from the Annual Fund. In addition, raising monies for one fund will be less time consuming for staff and less confusing for donors.

Establishing a cash flow projection for a campaign that rolls out so quickly and under such unusual circumstances is difficult. As we have not conducted a feasibility study and have not had contact with many of our donor prospects in recent months, it is impossible to anticipate exactly how quickly they might be willing to begin paying on pledges after negotiations with the University Board of Trustees have been successfully completed. It is essential to craft our solicitation carefully, so the College’s needs are fully understood by all who are approached. This cash flow statement will be adjusted as our solicitations unfold and more information becomes available from our prospective donors.

To meet the immediate needs of Antioch College and to “buy” the time we need to fully develop a plan for revival, we must raise $25 million in pledges and cash in FY08.

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

In order to raise so many pledges that are payable in one fiscal year, IA and alumni volunteers must capitalize on the strength of response to the proposed closure of the Antioch College from individuals who have contributed to the College recently or who have expressed a willingness to assist since the Reunion in June 2007.

After a review of the research in IA, we have determined that the following prospect gift table is applicable to the building of this emergency phase of the College Revival Fund. This is not a traditional gift table, but we have vetted this priority list of donors using the following criteria:

1. Moderate to significant engagement with the College in the recent past or specifically since June.
2. Capacity to give minimally at the level at which they have been identified.
3. Some contact or willingness to be seen by IA before June.
4. Geographic location and ease of contact between September 20 and October 28.

It is impossible to predict the response of our 100+ prospects. A traditional gift table would be based on a much larger pool of prospects, and would project the likely percentage of giving based on the total number of the asks at various levels. Because of our urgent, unique campaign, we have simply identified the group of alumni whom we believe are most likely to respond favorably to a request for a visit soon, and who are more likely to give than others, based on their past giving records.

The ask amount for almost all donors is much larger than any previous gift that the individuals have given made to Antioch College; however, the target amount is well within their capacity for giving. We do want to plan for the future and do not wish to alienate the core of our support; however we believe that we will be largely forgiven for our boldness given the situation at hand. All strategy aside, we have little option at this time but to go to those who have proven their affection for Antioch College in the past and to ask them for a maximum possible pledge.

The total number of prospects will grow in the coming weeks. IA has identified a significant number of alumni who are most likely to give and who have a capacity to make a gift of at least $100,000. Those giving histories and donor profiles are continuing to be reviewed. In addition, individuals who have a giving potential between $25,000 and $100,000 will be visited based on geographic proximity to donor prospects at higher levels.

Potential for Transformational Giving

Every attempt will be made to secure appointments with prospects who have net worth over $50 million during the next three months. This group could have a significant impact on the future of Antioch College. IA and the alumni volunteers will develop specific and individualized strategies for these prospects.

APPROACH TO THE FUND FOR THE FUTURE (MAJOR GIVING +25K)

Objective: Seventy direct solicitations by 16 people between September 16 and October 25 in approximately 20 cities.

Implementation Steps:

IA and the alumni volunteers have identified the individuals listed below to assist with the solicitation of 70+ alumni donor prospects for the FFF in the next four weeks. In general, we will work in pairs in order to recall fully and later document the conversations and the pledges we will receive. Whenever possible, we will match an experienced fundraiser with a volunteer who has a relationship to the donor. Because there are no perceived leaders who can fully represent Antioch College, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board will serve as our “institutional” representatives when needed. Risa and her staff can also help in this capacity as they are on campus representatives.

Locations of 70 Donor Prospects

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Florida
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
New England
New York
Phoenix
Portland
San Francisco
Santa Fe
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington
Yellow Springs

Objective: To secure pledges and gifts from specific affinity groups by creating peer-to-peer engagement.

Implementation Steps:

A current student volunteer will send a letter to the University Board of Trustees requesting their support. Ask Nancy Crow to follow up with an e-mail. (All current trustees of significant means are also on the major gift list).

APPROACH TO THE COLLEGE REVIVAL FUND 2007-2008 (ANNUAL GIVING)

Objective: To raise a minimum of $2 million from alumni and friends in pledges and gifts under $25K.

Implementation Steps by Week of Completion:

September 16-22

Weekly e-Newsletter

Data enter all CRF08 Gifts & Pledges

-Send letter of appreciation and update to all those who have given or made a commitment. (Continual . . )
-Update Raiser’s Edge with contact information from CRF08 pledge cards.

Launch Yellow Springs “Fund for Antioch College” in the Village as an affinity group within CRF08

-Alumni volunteer coordinates the development of student support for YS Fund.
-Produce and place YS Fund lawn signs: Save Antioch College, Save Yellow Springs
-Antioch College & Yellow Springs -155 years Together shop YS Fund window stickers.
-Distribute Antioch College & Yellow Springs-155 years Together YS Fund bumper stickers.

September 23-29

Weekly e-Newsletter

Mail Antioch Notes from Mann & Morgan Families

September 30-October 6Weekly e-Newsletter

October 14-20

Weekly e-Newsletter

Student phon-a-thon

October 21-25

Weekly e-Newsletter

Student phon-a-thon

YS Fund Activities

-Banner across Rt. 68 in downtown for board meeting for YS Fund (seek permission earlier).
-North & south entrance of town “Home of Antioch College” signs decorated (seek permission earlier).

APPROACH TO PLANNED GIVING

Objective: To encourage alumni to consider placing Antioch College in their estate plan after the future of the College is assured.

Planned giving must play a significant role in future of fundraising at Antioch College. Interest in establishing bequests to the College should be documented and individuals should be informed that after the governance negotiations are complete, a staff member from IA will be in touch with them about the Hugh Taylor Birch Heritage Society, that is reserved for those who have included Antioch College in their estate planning.

APPROACH TO CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION SUPPORT

Objective: Identify possible opportunities for corporate and foundation support from our solicitation visits with alumni.

The recent financial crisis makes it virtually impossible for Antioch College to secure the support of the corporate and foundation giving community with the notable exception of family foundations such as the Morgan Family Trust. Only after establishing a mature capital, annual, and planned giving effort should significant internal resources be place on grant writing support. This may be an area in which the Alumni Association can operationally support the work of the College development effort in the future.

APPROACH TO NON-AFFILIATED INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Objective: Identify possible opportunities for non-affiliated individual giving.

We have elected to focus our work on alumni in order to raise funds quickly, thereby demonstrating to the University Board of Trustees that Antioch College can meet the financial demands in this fiscal year. Information about non-affiliated individuals who are recommended by any constituency, especially by alumni, should be recorded and reported back to IA and alumni volunteers.