YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio
After two days of meetings in Los Angeles, the trustees said they reaffirmed their June 2007 decision to close the college for a year. They said they ran out of time to reach a deal on transferring the financially struggling school to a group of alumni, donors and others with its own board of trustees.
Trustees had reversed their earlier decision in November, contingent on whether alumni and the school could meet fundraising deadlines. But the college could not overcome declining enrollment, heavy dependence on tuition and a small endowment.
Trustees said they would continue discussions on a possible transfer of the college, but said it was important to clarify for students, faculty and staff that they would need to make plans for the next phase in their educations and careers.
Friday’s decision does not affect Antioch University’s nonresidential campuses in Yellow Springs; Keene, N.H.; Los Angeles; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; or its doctorate program.
“It has been a difficult year since Antioch University’s board of trustees, many of whom are (Antioch) college alumni, faced the reality that the undergraduate college had enormous financial problems and an unsustainable business plan,” said Art Zucker, the trustees’ chairman.
Antioch College, located about 15 miles east of Dayton, is known for its pioneering academic program that produces students with a passion for free thinking and social activism. The closing will affect about 200 students, 41 tenured faculty and 85 staff members, Zucker said.
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