Jump to content

Antioch College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jdcooper (talk | contribs) at 14:51, 12 January 2006 (→Noteworthy alumni: Bill Bradbury). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Antioch College, Main Building
Antioch College, Main Building

Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connexion, it began operating a year later with Horace Mann as its first president.

The official motto of Antioch College is, "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." — Horace Mann

Antioch was later reorganized with Unitarian support as an independent nonsectarian college. In 1920, College President Arthur E. Morgan, a noted engineer concerned with community values, restructured the College to introduce for students the co-operative education or work-study plan.

Antioch College blends practical work experience with classroom learning and participatory community governance.

A separate campus of Antioch University, also located in Yellow Springs and established in 1988, offers academic programs for adults responsive to emerging societal needs.

The college had 650 students in 2000 and is one campus of the Antioch University System.

Antioch College is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, the Eco-League, and the North American Alliance for Green Education.

Antioch in the late 20th Century

During the 1950s, Antioch is considered an early bastion of student activism and liberal thought. Antioch faced pressure from the powerful House Unamerican Activities Committee, and became the mockery of many area newspapers, because it would not kick out its students and faculty accused of having Communist leanings. But college officials stood firm, insisting that freedom begins not in suppressing unpopular ideas but in holding all ideas up to the light. The school, including professors and administration, was involved in the early stages of the civil rights movement and remains a supporter of free speech.

The 1960s were considered by many to be Antioch's 20th century heyday; the school was healthy and vibrant. The student body topped out around 2,000 students, the college owned property all over Yellow Springs and beyond and the college grew throughout the decade to became one of the most respected liberal arts institutions in the country. Following on the heels of the past decade the college also became one of the primary sources of student radicalism, the New Left, the anti-Viet Nam War movement, and to a lesser extent the Black Power movement. The town of Yellow Springs also became an island of liberal and Left activism in southern Ohio as well.

The 1970s saw the college continue to be known as a source of activism and often controversial political thought. Several graduate satellite schools around the country, under the Antioch University name (with the college as its base), were growing as well, including the McGregor School, located adjacent to the original Yellow Springs campus. During the end of the decade, the University system partially collapsed, leaving Antioch College and Antioch University in financial dire straits by the beginning of the 1980s

During the 1980s, Antioch went through persistant financial troubles, with the student body shrinking to several hundred students. Several buildings on campus were either condemned or boarded up. The faculty roster also suffered under financial constraints.

In 1993 Antioch became the focus of national ridicule with its "sexual offense prevention policy". This document got more publicity for the college than anything since the student strike of 1973.

Beginning in the 1990s, the college began the first of several revival pushes by the student body, alumni, faculty and third-party donors. Though financial problems remain with the college, in the early 2000s, Antioch trustees, administration and donors took up the "Plan for Antioch College", a multi-million dollar renewal commission which has altered the investment and marketing strategy for the college, as well as the basic structure of the curriculum.

One popular ranking, US News, classifies Antioch College as a third-tier Liberal Arts College.[1]

The Official Antioch College Mission Statement

Antioch College is a distinctive national liberal arts college which has recruited students from throughout the country since the 1920s and has played a major role in the development of cooperative education, community governance, and international education. The primary mission of Antioch College is to empower students: the academic curriculum provides students with a broad liberal education that challenges their values and perspectives as well as increases their knowledge, ability to question, and general intellectual consciousness about themselves and the society in which they live; the cooperative education program provides life and work experiences which develop independence, confidence, and self-motivation; and community structure offers significant responsibility for the social, cultural, financial, and policy issues that govern college life.

Students are expected to reach beyond conventional learning. With classroom and co-op faculty, and within the context of the curriculum, they plan their own education, reflect upon their experiences, and as a result, change their perspectives. The goal is for Antioch students to become intelligent experimenters, informed risk-takers, creative thinkers, and courageous practitioners.

Antioch College encourages its students to have a balanced respect for all of life—self, others, society, and the earth. Empowered by their education, students are encouraged to empower others.

The Official Antioch College Honor Code

Antioch College
Antioch College

Antioch College is a community dedicated to the search for truth, the development of individual potential, and the pursuit of social justice. In order to fulfill our objectives, freedom must be matched by responsibility. As a member of the Antioch Community, I affirm that I will be honest and respectful in all my relationships, and I will advance these standards of behavior in others..


Noteworthy alumni

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antioch_College&oldid=34891461"