Tag: CG

Letter to UBoT from Nancy R. Crow, President of the Antioch College Alumni Association

By Nancy R. Crow, President of the Antioch College Alumni Association. Tuesday, August 7, 2007

To: Chairperson Art Zucker, Members of the Antioch University Board of Trustees and Members of the University Leadership Council

From: Nancy R. Crow, President of the Antioch College Alumni Association

Date: August 7, 2007

I write to you on behalf of the Antioch College Alumni Association Board, the elected representative body of the 17, 000 or so Antioch College alums. We are looking forward to the August 16th webcast and of course to the August 25th special Board of Trustees meeting. Many of us have received our notices and have responded and are making our travel plans. Like you, we want this meeting to be productive, to move the agenda of rebuilding our Antioch College forward, and to find ways to raise funds and other support for our alma mater. We also agree wholeheartedly with your statement published in the Yellow Springs News that “it is critical that we have the participation and support of Antioch College’s key stakeholders in this process.”

However, we believe in order to garner the support and participation of the “key stakeholders in this process,” “key stakeholders” have to be both invited and allowed to participate in every step of the process, and as of now this has not taken place. Therefore we propose the following:

1) A conference call should be scheduled between now and the 19th of August to review and refashion the agenda that the Antioch University Board of Trustees has proposed. In addition to the Antioch University Board of Trustees Executive Committee, which sets the University Board of Trustees agenda, both the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board and representatives from the key stakeholder groups you have identified, that is, faculty, staff and students and Yellow Springs Community, should be invited to this discussion. If you want stakeholders’ participation and support, the agenda must reflect the interests of all the stakeholders and not just one group.

2) In order for the August 25th meeting to have a positive outcome, we strongly urge you to rethink a number of your statements and agenda items:

a) It is not conducive for a productive meeting to begin by saying in advance that any position taken by this Board of Trustees is “irreversible,” and to warn invited participants that only certain discussions at this meeting will be allowed. Why not let all the stakeholders discuss the parameters of the Board agenda before the August meeting begins?

b) The two hour open mic does not seem likely to lead to a positive outcome. Two hours, with five-minute time limits allows for 24 speakers, that is, if there are no pauses, time between speakers, technical glitches, people going over their time allotment and so forth. An open mic, with board members listening to one speaker after another, with no organization and no coherence will just lead to greater frustration and alienation. Furthermore, Mary Lou LaPierre’s remarks about the possibility of “disruptive and disrespectful” participants did not set the best tone. Perhaps we could think of other ways to use this two-hour framework. For example, why not allow the alumni representatives to present their ideas? Why not allow a former board chair or former trustees to present a proposal? Why not allow the faculty and the student representatives some time to present their points of view as well? And if there are other stakeholders who have presented you with proposals, have them be invited as well. In this way there can be a range of proposals for all of us to discuss in the afternoon session.

c) Finally we urge you to rethink the idea of a closed meeting. It is our heartfelt belief that had this board notified all stakeholders, alums, major donors, faculty, staff, former college presidents, former trustees and board chairs, the Yellow Springs community last fall, when there was the first realization of the depth of the financial crisis, and called upon all of us to work together to find a solution, there would be greater unity, participation and most important solutions to solving the college’s problems. The more the University Board shrouds itself in secrecy, the greater the alienation from the very stakeholders it needs for the future of the college.

We look forward to working with you. We want a positive outcome at the August 25th meeting, as well as at the October joint University Board of Trustees and Antioch College Alumni Board meetings.

Antioch College Alumni Association Agenda for University Board of Trustees Meeting on 8/25/07

Approved by the Alumni Board on its August 2, 2007 Conference Call

We will ask the University Board of Trustees to cooperate with us in good faith on the following:

1. Maintain the on-going operation of Antioch College past June of 2008, even at a reduced level.

2. Keep the College facilities in use, halt steps to shut the College and suspend all consideration of liquidating Antioch College assets

3. Establish a self-governing, independent College Board of Trustees with members initially selected by the Alumni Board in collaboration with the College President and other key stakeholders.

4. Give full consideration to the business plan that the Alumni Board will develop through a planning process and with the assistance of experts in the field, which will be presented in advance of the October University Board of Trustees meeting.

5. Hold a joint Alumni / University BOT meeting in October to discuss the implementation of the business plan and set timelines, tasks and a reporting calendar to assure the robust operation of Antioch College for the next 100 years.

We will also ask that the University Board of Trustees give full consideration to these issues:

* The maintenance and use of College buildings and other facilities
* Potential McGregor bond default if the College is closed
* Impact on College and University accreditation if the College is closed
* Moral, ethical and legal commitment to the Coretta Scott King Center as a core function to be maintained in any reduced level of College operations

CG BiWeekly Update

Published Tuesday, July 24, 2007
By Corrine Frohlich, on behalf of Chelsea Martens

Dearest Community,

These last few weeks have taught me that Antioch is more like a family
than I have ever realized; I’ve gained a stronger sense of our extended
family through this process – the Antioch family goes beyond our immediate
perception. We have the faculty, staff, and students that make up the
College, but our Community extends beyond that. So many people have
stepped up and said “Antioch is important to me and it has shaped and
influenced my life in countless ways”. They have affirmed Antioch College
as the amazing institution that it is and are asking how they can
contribute to making the College stronger at such a difficult time. They
offer their support because they love this place and the role it has
played in their lives. Antioch’s extended Family; alumni, the villagers of
Yellow Springs, emeritus, parents of graduates, etc. are making their
voices heard. Being CG during this time has given us the chance to see the
wave of effects that Antioch has had in the lives of so many people, and
for this I am honored. Navigating the role that CG fills during this time
is still proving to be tricky; we want to meet the needs of the Family
that we are a part of.

Here’s what we’ve been up to these last few weeks:

Meetings: we’ve been touching base with many of the offices/departments
around campus to understand Community needs and concerns.

Housing Director
We met with Katrina last week to talk about RAs, Orientation, the Survival
Guide, and to touch base about what’s been going on at the College. We’re
going to try to provide a greater presence to the RA program this next
year. We’re really excited to work with these Community Leaders – they
will be so crucial in being point people for members of the Community who
live on campus.

Student Affairs
General meeting about planning for next year and programming
collaborations between the Office of Student Affairs and CG.

Development
Met with Aimee to do a ‘re-cap’ session in regards to Reunion.

CG Staff Meeting
Corri has been working with Deb Caraway, the Interim College Controller,
in order to work on the CG Budget for the next year. This has been
difficult since no one is completely sure of the numbers for the next
years enrollment. We’ve also been in touch with next terms Record editor,
Kim-Jenna who’s doing an amazing job already. We’re planning a Faculty and
Staff Appreciation Lunch for August 1st and have been figuring out
catering details. Also, please check Pulse for info about the Survival
Guide. Rory has been busy planning events for the next year and has come
up with great ideas. We’re going to be putting on “exchanges” between the
Alumni and students, for example: an alum will come to Antioch and do a
film showing of a film they have done. After, students/faculty/staff will
show films they have done while at Antioch. Please see Rory’s update on
Pulse for more info.

Orientation Committee
Met with the Orientation Committee about general planning for Orientation.
YES WE STILL NEED YOU, ORIENTATION HOSTS! Email Rory. We’re going to host
a dinner at our house for Orientation Hosts and RAs on Tuesday the 21st of
August.

Wellness & Counseling
General meeting about planning for Orientation and collaborations between
Wellness and CG.

Yellow Springs Town Meeting
See the Yellow Springs Meeting Minutes posted by Corri on Pulse.

Governance Conference Call
I participated in a phone conference with the Governance Committee of the
Alumni Board last week, chaired by Ellen Borgerson of the Alumni Board.
Alumni are still working on the Revival Fund. Please see antiochians.org
for more details.

Fundraising Conference Call
Corri participated in a phone conference with the Fundraising Committee of
the Alumni Board last week. This committee is currently working on
developing campaign materials for the Revival Fund efforts.

Professional Development
We attended the first of a two-part workshop on Grant Research and
Writing, that was arranged by Linda Sattem. The workshop is taught by
Virginia Palmer, Grants Specialist at the Dayton Metro Public Library.

College Events Planning Meeting
We organized the first, of hopefully many, College Events Planning
Meetings. Representatives from Admissions, Student Affairs, and the CSKC
came to the CG office to brainstorm and collaborate on programming and
events for this next year. Originating from our previous Orientation
Committee meeting, the theme for this year is “We Are Antioch.” We want
to celebrate all Antiochians, past and present, and focus on telling our
own story and not let others tell it for us. Starting fall semester, we
will be utilizing the Today Board for all community events.

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what we’ve been up to these last
two weeks. Please email us, call the office, or stop by if you have any
further questions about what we’ve been up to in CG.

love,
your CG

Antioch Alum Responds to George Will Op/Ed., July 16

George Will is in fact correct, founded in 1852; Antioch’s first president was Horace Mann-the father of American public education. Antioch was indeed among the first nonsectarian colleges, among the first to offer equal compensation and opportunity to male and female faculty, among the first to offer an equal curriculum to women and blacks. At the time that Antioch made those choices, it was roundly criticized by the reactionary social commentators of the day just as it is today by Mr. Will and his ilk.

Without question, Antioch has faced financial challenges throughout its history. Yet even with modest financial resources it has proven to be one of the great academic incubators among American liberal arts colleges. Mr. Will makes note of just a few of our noteworthy alumni. A complete accounting of the contributions of our graduates to health care, scientific invention, artistic excellence, and social justice would be excessive in this brief reply, but what is worth noting is that such a small and as Mr. Will suggests insignificant college should produce so many people who have contributed so much to our collective quality of life.

This is a time of distress and concern for those of us who feel the survival of Antioch in imperative. The scathing rebuke of a one-hundred and fifty year-old college and its students throughout the generations offered by Mr. Will is at best wholly unfair and at worst mean spirited. Antioch has been a beacon for progressive thinking, yes and as a result it has always and will remain a lighting-rod for those who benefit from the status quo.

Mr. Will’s alma mater Trinity College has a deservedly fine reputation. It was historically a member of an elite class of liberal arts colleges that for generations educated the privileged in American society. Although it has had more presidents in the past ten years than Antioch, it has generally been a well funded and ably led institution. Antioch is not struggling today because its brand of education is out of favor as Mr. Will suggests, it has failed to thrive because it has never been a wealthy college and of late, when the financial stakes became very high, it has not been ably led.

While Mr. Will may find it “heartening” that Antioch will in his view close, we hope that thinking individuals with predilections leaning to the right or the left of the political spectrum would disagree. It is a chilling thought to consider the loss of a college of such significance as well as a possible warning sign to other progressive colleges. In a nation where institutions like Bob Jones and Liberty are growing and becoming wealthier, we hope that those who have a more expansive view of what the landscape of American higher education should look like will rally to the defense of Antioch.

Mr. Will is right about one more item. Antioch will not be missed. We intend to make sure that Antioch College will in fact not close. It is our fondest wish, as the very proud alumni and friends of Antioch, to prove George Will wrong. We are grateful for the motivation he has provided as we embark on saving and strengthening one of the most important educational institutions in the nation.

Matthew Derr
Antioch College Class of 1989

Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board of Directors, July 10

Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors
Antioch College Alumni/ae Association
By dial-in conference call
4:00 p.m. EDT July 10, 2007

Committee members present

Nancy Crow, President
Ina Frank, Vice President
Rick Daily, Treasurer
Mike Brower, Chapters Committee
Ellen Borgersen, Governance Committee
Athena Frederick, Communications Committee

I. Reports from the President
A. John Feinberg is still on an airplane, and can’t serve as Recording Secretary. At Nancy’s request, Rick will serve for this meeting. The minutes of this meeting, once corrected by the group, should be sent to “webeditors@antiochians.org.” for public posting.
B. Nancy has a letter from Steve Lawry, labeled “confidential” which merits discussion among a larger body. She will ask Steve for permission to expand its reach.
C. A special meeting of the Antioch University Board of Trustees will be held on August 24-26; location is likely to be Chicago.
D. Reunion Committee: Nancy has reappointed Bradley Wilburn to serve as Committee Chair, and asked him to make sure that we have a strong, dramatic reunion in 2008.
E. Nominating Committee – Nancy has a call in to Susan Opotow to ask whether she will serve as chair of the Nominating Committee.
F. Anecdote: Nancy reported that at Denver’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival – a ceramicist from YSO was in attendance. When asked what will happen to Antioch, the ceramicist replied: “The Alumni are going to save the College!”
II. Nancy Crow letter to Art Zucker
A. Addressees: The sense of the Committee is that Nancy should talk with Art, and ask who else should get this letter.
B. How detailed should it be?
1. Offer to work with various task forces vs. presentation of an alternative plan
2. Nancy thinks we should come into the August Board Meeting with as detailed a proposal as we can possibly get. The consensus is that we should be working on this detailed plan.
C. Ellen: Our plan needs to take into account moving parts that work together:
1. Plan for an interim period of reduced operations; relaunch of full operations, and sustained operations. we work with faculty.
a) Faculty (E. Miller) have been focused on legal plans and negotiations, and not on curriculum.
D. Nancy: Board of Trustees has concluded that suspension is required.
E. Ellen: There are documents out there that are being used to plan the “new Antioch”
F. Should we demand transparency from the Board of Trustees? Better message: We need to be where decisions are being discussed and made, which we believe means more participation than having our Chair serve ex officio on the Board of Trustees.
G. Specific fundraising targets: we avoid specificity for now; plan to have a good number by late August.
H. Communicate the sense of urgency among the alumni/ae.
1. E.g., Faculty Layoff notices: We don’t yet know what the terms of the layoff notices are, how much notice is being given and what rehiring rights or preferential rights any current faculty members may have if the College is shut and reopened.
I. The Business Plan and the Curriculum Plan are two separate issues, and need to be treated as such.
J. “Closing” vs. continuing operations. We can’t tie ourselves into a position that we’re going to guarantee that the College will not close.
III. Committee Assignments.
A. Nancy has sent out a full list of Committee and task group assignments, and will republish it.
IV. § 501(c)(3) status. Motion to create separate corporation to become a § 501(c)(3) organization, which will take the money, and serve as the College Revival Fund. The mission of the College Revival Fund is to develop a business plan for the College, build a separate governing board for the College, and to raise funds for the continued operation of the College.
V. Treasurer’s Report. Rick reported that the total of pledges and donations is still roughly $525,000. He is busy doing data entry, cross-referencing donations with pledges.
VI. Chapters. Mike Brower reported that before the BOT announced suspending Antioch College we had 7 Alumni/ae Chapters around the country each of which had held at least one meeting. Today, the web page “chapters@antiochians.org” lists 16 Chapters, which means we more than doubled the number of Chapters in one month. Mike reported that he has a list of another half a dozen or more cities in which organizers are working and planning for their first meeting. Very soon we should have over 2 dozen active chapters — or even more if we count the separate Chapters being formed in various boroughs of New York City, probably soon to be followed by separate locations in greater LA. By a month from now we could easily have 30 active chapters in the US and also in Paris and London!
VII. Fundraising (Ina). Ina reported that at last night’s meeting, a donor announced his intention to relocate his pledge to the Revival Fund from the Annual Fund. People are incredibly motivated to act now to raise funds, to capture the momentum on the fundraising front.
A. Foundations. On the foundation front, we need two years minimum of “in the black” balance sheets. We have begun research done on the likely donors. The Alumni/Individual piece is critical to credibility.
B. Corporate relations. Terry Blackhawk has taken on Corporate Relations.
C. Marketing Sub-Committee. We need someone whose job is marketing, media relations, mini-DVD concept. Mike will ask the Chapters to identify a seasoned marketing professional to come on board.
D. Fundraising Plan. Ina will send out a summary fundraising plan within the next day.
VIII. Public Relations. Athena described her efforts to coordinate media relations issues.
IX. Governance. Ellen sent her committee list around via e-mail. Everyone likes the “Antioch 3.0” concept. She will put together a concept paper on this topic for immediate circulation.
X. Association Board Meeting. Brief discussion of whether there should be a meeting of the ACAA Board before our scheduled November Meeting. Rick moved that we have a conference call meeting of the full Board within 2-3 weeks. The motion was seconded and adopted by all voting. Nancy will look at rescheduling the Fall Alumni/ae Board Meeting to coincide with the Board of Trustees meeting.

Letter to Alumni Association from Nancy Crow, President Alumni Board

Dear Fellow Antiochian,

On June 12, 2007, the Antioch University Board of Trustees announced the closing of Antioch College on July 8, 2008 due to financial exigency, with an expectation to reopen in 2012 as the “new 21st century model.”

Ten days later, more than 500 Antioch College alumni, spanning more than 70 class years, challenged that decision. They resolved at Annual Reunion that Antioch College is worth fighting for, affirmed their commitment to the uninterrupted continuation of the College as an institution of higher education with a tenured faculty, and raised more than $500,000 in support of that goal.

At the opening session of Reunion in Kelly Hall, alumni heard from members of the Board of Trustees about their decision and from College President Steve Lawry, who called for a change in governance that would provide separate boards for the College and each Antioch campus.

For the next 48 hours, alumni engaged in an active, urgent, organized process, led by members of the Alumni Association and facilitated by former Community Managers. Alumni:

Raised more than $200,000 for the College Revival Fund in 50 minutes, with the total swelling to $400,000 by the end of Reunion, and more than $525,000 today.

Instructed the elected Alumni Association Board of Directors to negotiate with the Antioch University Board of Trustees and the President of Antioch College for establishment of a Board of Trustees for Antioch College, and for the protection of assets of Antioch College for use by Antioch College. All funds will be under the exclusive control and management of the Alumni Association.

Mandated campaigns to raise funds from individuals, private foundations and corporations.

The College Revival Fund will be distributed for the benefit of Antioch College under the direction of the Antioch College Alumni Association Board of Directors.

More than 20 community Chapters have been activated in the past 14 days. To find one in your community, go to antiochians.org/chapters and to organize a chapter, contact Risa Grimes rgrimes@antioch-college.edu or Aimee Maruyama in the Alumni Office: amaruyama@antioch-college.edu. Address and phone number for the Alumni Relations Office, Antioch College, 795 Livermore Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387 1-800-411-6780. The Village of Yellow Springs held a parade in support of the College, and will host an emergency meeting this week.

I urge you to go to the website and access the listservs right away for up-to-the-minute information, articles about this incredible groundswell of support, opportunities to become involved, and to make a generous donation. Together, we will not only save the College from closure, but also produce a successful and financially sustainable Antioch experience for years to come.

Be ashamed to let it die!

Nancy Crow, President Antioch College Alumni Association