Antioch graduation special one
College marks its first commencement since reopening in 2011.
Seven years after financial struggles forced Antioch to close its doors,21 students will graduate today from the revived liberal arts college in Yellow Springs.
Antioch College holds its first commencement today since reopening four years ago and after doubts the small liberal arts school could overcome hurdles including financial struggles that forced its closing in 2008.
Today’s ceremony — with 21 graduates — marks a major milestone for the college. But Antioch remains at a critical juncture as it seeks a new president, awaits a final decision on its accreditation status and focuses on funding $81 million in capital improvements.
“I believe we have accomplished what we’ve been asked to accomplish in that time, which is to get the college up and running, to envision its place in higher education, to begin the restoration of its physical plant, and of its coop program and of its academic program,” Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt said.
Antioch College is the alma mater of several notable people, including Civil Rights Activist Coretta Scott King, Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, District of Columbia U.S. Congressional Delegate Elea-
nor Holmes Norton and Nobel Prize winner Mario Cappechi.
However, when the college reopened in 2011, many people didn’t think the unaccredited institution would survive long enough to produce another graduating class, according to Antioch officials.
“When we decided to reopen the college and take in the first class, this is the fruit of that decision,” Antioch College Board of Trustees Chairwoman Francis Degen Horowitz, a 1954 alumnus, said.
The Antioch graduates will miss the experience at the college more than they expect because they were taken seriously at the institution, said Roosevelt.
“One of the things about the world is the world doesn’t take recent college graduates at 23 (years old) very seriously,” he said. “And the work that you get in the first place you go to work is oftentimes not exactly the opportunity to impact the world that you would like it to be. They had the opportunity to impact this college, and they impacted it a lot.”
Roosevelt, the greatgrandson of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, announced in May he accepted the president position with St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M.
Antioch trustees recruited Roosevelt in 2010 to develop and execute a strategic plan to reopen and operate the institution. He said it has proven difficult to overcome the challenge of the college’s accreditation status, minimal student fee related income, neglected infrastructure and fundraising needs, Roosevelt said. However, he said the college was moving in the right direction and he felt that the end of the year was an ideal time to leave his role.
In 2008, Antioch closed because the upkeep and maintenance of the school’s deteriorating buildings were too costly and contributed to the schools financial struggles.
The college needs to raise $20 million a year for the next few years, according to Roosevelt. If the college regains its accreditation, expands the student body to its goal of 550 to 600 and starts charging tuition, it would reduce the annual fundraising needs as early as 2018, Roosevelt said.
Next year the college will charge full-time students $33,236 and will offer a half-tuition scholarship for up to four consecutive years to help students cover the cost.
Last month, the college announced it has received a $6 million grant from the Morgan Family Foundation — its largest gift since reopening.
In addition to the grant, enrollment at Antioch has grown from 35 students in 2011 to almost 250 this year.
“This is not going to be a five-year or 10-year plan,” Roosevelt said. “This will probably be 20 years to get Antioch really fully re-established, and that means it’s a relay race.”
The college is in the process of trying to become re-accredited through the Higher Learning Commission, which determined Antioch is a candidate for accreditation after a site visit in 2013. This is the first step in the accreditation process, said Hannah Spirrison, the Antioch director of institutional effectiveness.
A second Higher Learning Commission site team visit is scheduled for November.
“They’ll pretty much try to assess the college across the board and meet with a variety of different people while they’re here,” Spirrison said.
The site team will make a recommendation, and the Higher Learning Commission board could make a final decision in June 2016. If the college fails to meet the requirements for the initial accreditation, another evaluation will be scheduled no later than fall 2017.
The impact of the college’s non-accredited status on the graduates is unknown.
“The best-case scenario, these students would be retroactively accredited,” said Matt Desjardins, an Antioch College spokesman.
The accreditation status did not deter today’s graduates.
Guy “Jack” Mathews, a 21-year-old political economy major from Bronx, N.Y., came to Antioch to focus on social justice and to participate in the co-op program. His high school advisor cautioned him about attending Antioch. “I figured that the opportunity that Antioch posed was too huge,” he said. “It was definitely worth the risk.”
The college provided four-year, full tuition to the students.
Being a part of the first graduating class is a little nerve-wracking and comes with pressure, said Mathews, one of six student commencement speakers.
“It’s really exciting to finally be getting ready to go out into the world and use the knowledge that I’ve gained as a member of the Antioch class of 2015,” he said. “But also, I’m looking forward to working with the future generations of Antioch students and the past generations of Antioch students to make a difference in the world to win some small victories for humanity.”
The institution has worked with seniors to get information on graduate schools they’re interested in attending and contacting the schools to explain Antioch’s accreditation status.
“That seems to be helpful so far in terms of making sure graduates have access to the graduate programs and employment opportunities they’re looking for,” Spirrison said.