The statement below is supported by the majority of the Antioch College Alumni Board.
Since there have been different interpretations of what the Alumni Board intended in approving the agreement with the University Board of Trustees on November 3, 2007, and since recent actions by administrators contradict both the spirit and specifics of our understanding of how that collaboration should proceed, we hereby clarify our understanding of the terms of the agreement
We do so by indicating specific initiatives that fulfill our understanding. These understandings will guide our contributions to keeping Antioch College moving forward in the direction we all desire.
1. Immediate retraction of Andrzej Bloch’s letter of November 9, 2007, to the faculty. On November 9 the faculty withdrew its lawsuit in an attempt to encourage a more collaborative process–a gesture that should be welcomed, not dismissed. We believe that faculty employment should be assumed to be continuing, not terminated, with the understanding that a genuinely collaborative process may indeed recognize that some faculty positions need to be eliminated and that such a process will benefit the Antioch community much more fully if faculty are encouraged to suggest means for making such adjustments.
2. Lift the suspension fully so that routine activities of Antioch College will truly continue. Since the capacity to recruit and admit students at all levels is essential for the survival of Antioch College we particularly call for immediate restoration of an orderly process for recruiting and admitting applicants to Antioch College. We affirm the position of the Alumni Board’s business plan that Antioch College can and should offer a solid curriculum consistent with its traditional educational approach which will require no less than the equivalent of 25 F. T. E. classroom faculty and a total of 32.5 F. T. E.(including co-op) faculty. Since a library is a crucial feature of a residential liberal arts college it must remain open.
3. Establishment as an urgent priority of an interim governing board for Antioch College with real powers (including power over hiring and firing staff, faculty, and participation in the search for a president, and establishment and recruitment of the College Board of Trustees, as well as approval of the curriculum).
4. Immediate collaboration with AdCil to identify and address any concerns from the Ohio Board of Regents and North Central Association that limit Antioch College’s capacity to admit students and grant them degrees.
5. Pursue the initiative of meaningful collaboration between administration and AdCil in developing curriculum and budget. We believe the initiative for developing a curriculum must begin with the faculty. As a starting place for such collaboration we recommend the College Academic Plan developed in collaboration between faculty and alums.