Over 30 Washington area Antioch College alums met yesterday, November 11 to discuss recent events and plan future activities that can help Antioch College in this transitional period. An almost unanimous vote of the 33 people in attendance agreed with the list below of concerns resulting from the recent Agreement in Principle between the Antioch University Board of Trustees and the Antioch College Alumni Association Board of Directors and the 11.2.07:2 Resolution of the University Board of Trustees.
As individuals, we will not give money to the College Revival Fund, Antioch College, or Antioch University, nor do we believe other large donors will fulfill their pledges, without the following conditions being created.
1. The AUBoT will establish a short time table for establishing an Interim Board of Trustees for Antioch College and will review for approval a selection of individuals already vetted by the Alumni Board to serve on this Interim Board of Trustees. We believe that the authority of an advisory body is not sufficient to demonstrate appropriate oversight of College management separate from University operations.
This Interim Board and its successor, a formal Board of Trustees, will work collaboratively with the Chancellor, the AUBoT and the Alumni Board, but will have authority to:
o Create a search committee for the purposes of hiring a new College President.
o Select a new College President.
o Develop a comprehensive governance plan.
o Determine how the monies raised by the Alumni Board for its College Revival Fund will be spent.
o Oversee future fundraising and institutional development work.
o Determine if the criteria for keeping the College open as stated in AUBot Resolution 11.2.07:1 are being met.
2. The faculty should be assured employment for at least the 12 months.
3. There must be a timetable agreed upon for lifting the State of Financial Exigency that currently limits the degree granting powers of the College to December 2008.
4. This Alumni group does not believe the College owes any money to the University, which was founded with money originally intended for the College. Any debt claimed by the University must be explained, the amount stated and the specifics of the debt described. Credits must be given to the College for jointly used facilities (such as the library) that have so far been disallowed by the AUBoT. The debt question must be resolved by an independent audit using GAAP.
5. Item 3.d. in the Agreements in Principle says that the operation of the College must not cause a “default in any bond, lease or other legal obligations of the University.” These bonds, leases and other obligations must be explained and described, and must not include any of the $13 million bond that built the new McGregor campus. An independent audit using GAAP (which includes an explanation of how the University could allow a $1 million mistake in addition to inflate the financial crisis it has claimed)
must be performed soon. The University should pay for this audit.
6. AU staff must not issue public statements about the College or the negotiations that have not been seen by designated members of the AB and the College Office of Institutional Advancement. We believe that University spokesperson has been purposely denigrating the College, thus making the job of revitalization harder.
Karen Mulhauser on behalf DC area Alums meeting on November 11, 2007