By Ben Horlacher
The Co-op program has gotten used to change. In 1921 Arthur E. Morgan (the then president of Antioch College) began what is know a trademark of Antioch, the Co-op program. During the last few years the Co-op program has seen many changes: the implementation of Co-op communities, the concept of “list jobs” enter into the vocabulary of Co-op, and the shift in required Co-ops from five to three. These changes were part of the much bemoaned renewal plan, which is often blamed for the College’s current financial straits.
Now the fate of the Co-op program is in the hands of a Co-op program, and of the academic program as a whole. In an e-mail from Associate Dean of Faculty Eli Nettles the following was stated about the Academic Program and Resources Review Committee:
“The Academic Program and Resources Review Committee as appointed by AdCil will review the current academic program in the context of the State of Exigency and will propose adjustments in the program effective Fall 2008. The committee will recommend criteria for staffing and allocation of required resources for implementation of the above program.”
“The committee will consult with faculty, students, staff, alumni and other stakeholders. The committee will make regular reports to AdCil and will submit their final report in June 2008.”
At this point, very little is known about the make-up of this committee, the membership has not been publicly announced, at this time Andrzej Bloch has not responded to an e-mail requesting the date which this list will be made public. Until such time as more information is released, “students [should] work individually with their academic and co-op advisors to talk about achieving graduation goals,” Nettles advises, “there is not going to be a single answer that will work for every student until we know more.”