Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, How Say You?

This weekend, the future of Antioch College is sitting in the hot seat of a court room. Antiochians, Yellow Springers, Alumni, members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), and many reporters with pen at hand have come to witness a decision that could be either a death sentence or an Antiochian Renaissance. No one, not even BOT members, knows what the decision will be, yet everyone has strong feelings about the outcome. Some people think that the Board’s decision to close is unlikely to be reversed. Others believe that the Board will keep the college open. Gina Potestio, a first year, is, “trying to stay optimistic, and hearing the feedback from the upper-level students saying it’s going to close is a little hurtful after seeing … what everyone’s doing for us.” Many students are in denial about the possibility of Antioch closing. “I just really didn’t want to think about [the closing],” explains James Kutil, a second year student, “so, I’ve kind of been in a numb panic, because the school closing means a lot to me.” There is still a gut feeling that the college just can’t close.

Continue reading Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, How Say You?

Admissions 101

Active and engaged members of the extended Antioch College community are critical to a healthy admissions effort. Current students, faculty, staff, and alumni demonstrate what it is like to live Antioch College and they demonstrate what an Antioch College education does—for the individuals who take up the challenge and for the communities in which they live.

College admissions is a complex, fascinating profession that mixes counseling, marketing, research, education, community building, and ethics. In an effort to meet the needs of Antiochians eager for more information about admissions—at Antioch and in general, I bring you “Admissions 101,” regular admissions training bits for the greater Antioch community. Training alumni and others in the Antioch community in admissions is also a responsibility outlined in the admissions code of ethics, The National Association of College Admissions Counseling Statement of Principles and Good Practice (SPGP).

Antioch Admissions Do’s & Don’ts

Officially, Antioch College will suspend operations on June 30, 2008. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, the Yellow Springs community, and other friends of the College are working toward the continuation of operations. Until an official change in status is announced, however, it is unethical to recruit students to Antioch College.

Along with our own consciences, the governing organization of the admissions profession, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), does have the power to censure colleges and universities who violate the code of the ethics which guides the profession. Antioch College’s membership to NACAC and adherence to its “Statement of Principles of Good Practice” are arguably as important as maintaining the College’s accreditation. Without the NACAC seal of approval, our national recruitment efforts would virtually grind to a halt.

So what is to be done?! Here is a quick guide of Admissions Do’s and Don’ts to get us through this period of ambiguity.

DON’T
•    Encourage students to apply for Fall 08 or beyond, in any way, explicit or implied.
•    Contact schools, college guides, organizations, counselors, and/or companies for the purpose of advancing Antioch College as an option for students.

DO
•    Celebrate Antioch & Your Achievements—Continue submitting your love letters to Antioch. Wear your College hoodie, t-shirt, cap and display your Antioch bumper stickers/window clings. Tell those who ask how Antioch College changed your life.
•    Show Antioch—demonstrate in your community what an Antioch education means, not just talk about it. A great example of “showing” would be to work with your local alumni association chapter to organize a workshop or training related to the skills/knowledge gained through your Antioch experience. Make the educational event free and open to the public. This is not recruitment—it is a great community service activity that increases the visibility of the College.
•    Be Honest—when you are asked about the situation at the College, be honest.
•    Encourage Interested Individuals to Watch the Developments at Antioch College—it is not unethical to encourage someone to watch what is developing at Antioch. Antiochians, past and present, are extraordinary and the College itself is genuinely distinctive in the landscape of U.S. higher education—in short, we are worth watching.
•    Remember, students come first—the interests, needs, and success of the student is paramount.

If you have questions, ideas, suggestions, please contact me at aglukhov@antioch-college.edu.
Angie Glukhov
Director of Admissions & Transition Services

Next Week: Enrollment Management and Prospect. Management.

Transfer Fair Digest

For many students on campus, Antioch College was their first school of choice and they expected it to be their last. Unfortunately, under the current mandate of the board, they are in a predicament in which they cannot count on the college’s full operation next year. In an effort to alleviate the stress of finding possible universities to attend in the event that Antioch does close, the Office of Transition held a transfer fair on September 15 and 16 in the Herndon gallery, bringing potential schools to us. Representatives attending the fair, however, were not pleased to visit Antioch under these circumstances.
“As and admissions director, this is the most horrible thing I’ve ever done,” said Mike Warner, of Alaska Pacific University at the outer-university transfer day on Sunday. “Our hope is that [Antioch] will stay open, and we won’t have to get any [transfer students from your college].”
Variety- Representatives from over 30 universities scattered over 16 states traveled to Yellow Springs to inform prospective students about various programs, perks, and other general information about each college. The majority of schools advertised environments and curriculums similar to that of Antioch. For some students this likeness was appealing, others wanted more variety to choose from. Yuko Tanaka, one of 75 first-year- students that decided to attend Antioch regardless of the announced suspension, admitted, “The schools were not that varied; they were all very ‘Loren Pope’.”
Associations- This was no coincidence. When asking schools to come to Antioch for the fair, the Office of Transition sought schools with related interests to show Antiochians that the college is not alone in its unique culture and that there are other schools that can cater to their interests. All member schools of the Eco League, a consortium of six liberal arts institutions all sharing similar environmental and social value systems, were also at the fair. As the true representatives of the Popian ideas, constituents of the Colleges That Change Lives association, a dynamic group of 40 colleges and universities compiled by College counseling guru Loren Pope, answered to queries of non-graduating students.
Engaging- The afternoon did more than just inform students. It also provided a chance for other school’s counselors to get an impression of the infamous Antioch students. “I talked to representatives of the colleges who were just stunned at how intelligent and engaging our students were,” said new director of Admissions Angie Glukhov.” They were not expecting that.”
Hooks- In light of the college’s current position, many of the schools are offering special benefits to transfer students from Antioch. Oglethorpe University of Atlanta, Georgia, is offering complimentary AirTran Airways flights for students and one parent or guardian who wish to visit the campus. Educationally, the school focuses on urban ecology, and co-curricular engagement with the city of Atlanta. New Century College of George Mason in Fairfax, VA modeled is curriculum after Antioch, and they are waving limits on transfer credits, so that students may enter with as many credits as possible. Its three most popular majors are Elementary Education, Organizational Business Communications, and Child and Family Studies, respectively. Other colleges are waiving application fees, among other things.
Program perks- Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, prides itself with its Education program that let’s students begin real classroom observations in their first year. Students can expect one-on-one attention in all programs, the counselor said, but applicants should prepare for very competitive financial aid packages.
Yellow bikes and open doors- Eckerd College is located on 188 acres of land in St. Petersburg, Florida. This school has mentor programs for interested students, and operates on an “open doors, open minds” policy, where office doors of faculty actually lead to the outside world, not brick walls, the info package says. The school also has a yellow bike program in which public bikes are available for student use; you take a bike to your destination and leave it behind for the next person in need.
Alternatives to co-op- One school offering what could be called “co-op light,” is Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage, Arkansas. For one month during each semester, students have the option to go on a “travel class” where they “learn by doing.” During this time students can, alternatively, complete one class for credit.
Transfer within Antioch University- In an attempt to highlight transfer options within Antioch University, Saturday gave space to Antioch Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Seattle, New England and McGregor to present their offerings. Advertisements around campus for the Saturday fair, however, failed to attract numbers similar to those on Sunday. The mission statement of all Antioch campuses is alluding to common institutional ideals of equality and social justice, yet large differences exist between Antioch College and its University counterparts. Apart from being the only residential campus in the University structure, the college offers a full undergraduate liberal arts program with tenured faculty. The remaining five campuses offer graduate degree programs, with Antioch in Keene being strictly a graduate school. Although none of them offer residential life, they do promise help in acquiring housing.
Degrees-The Los Angeles chapter offers psychology tracks in both clinical psychology and individualized psychology. In addition, they have a very strong creative writing department and a specialized script writing course. Alluring with an ocean-side campus, Antioch Santa Barbara offers a wide variety degree options, from Liberal Studies to Organizational Management. The main educational focus of Antioch of Seattle is its teacher certification program. For all that can afford a Yellow springs rent, Antioch McGregor, allows students to finish their degree in Yellow Springs. Apart from a new 25 million dollar campus, the school offers a Human Development program and a certificate in Project Management.
For more information on various offered perks speak with Angie Glukov, and for information on the schools that were at the fair, visit www.antioch-college.edu/student/transition/transferfair.html, and click on your school of interest

Interview with Angie Glukhov, Director of Admissions and Transfer Services

Angie Glukhov, Director of Admissions and Transfer ServicesI recently got the glamorous Angie Glukhov to take a break from her rock and roll lifestyle as the Director of Admissions and Transfer Services to sit down with me and answer a few questions about the future of Admissions, and the present of the Office of Transition (conveniently located on the right as one enters Main Building).

So, tell me a little about the creation and function of the Office of Transition

When the decision to suspend operations was announced this summer, we knew immediately that there would be students who needed to find other options. For those students who felt it was in their best interest to take opportunities elsewhere, we tried to lessen the burden of research by contacting other colleges and gathering information so they don’t have to. We can broker transfer credits, call registrars, that sort of thing so students can focus on this not only being the best year possible, but the best year ever at Antioch. Continue reading Interview with Angie Glukhov, Director of Admissions and Transfer Services

Letter from Jean Gregorek in response to Ralph Keyes

Jean Gregorek, Associate Professor of Literature, responds to Ralph Keyes’s “Present at the Demise” published in the Chronicle of Higher Education

Web Editors Note – Accessing Ralph’s letter at the Chronicle of Higher Education website requires a login but Ralph also recently posted this article here : ilfpost.org/?p=230 and this is the link provided above.

The comment thread on this article at the Chronicle is here: chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,39968.0.html

I would like to respond to Ralph Keyes’s essay “Present at the Demise,” which offers his observations on what has led the Antioch University Board of Trustees to announce the closing of Antioch College. I have been teaching literature full time at Antioch College since 1994. While Mr Keyes makes some comments that strike me as valid, on the whole my experience here has been quite different. Continue reading Letter from Jean Gregorek in response to Ralph Keyes