[Alumni-chat] Selling Antioch!

Mon Mar 26 12:38:18 EDT 2007

Antioch's real marketable story is the innovations of Arthur Morgan and
their consolidation by Henderson. Though they were somewhat flattened out by
Henderson they still left Antioch in the vanguard of small liberal arts
colleges. Antioch is now a "reverse boutique" school, glorying in its
non-conformity and its enthusiastic marginalization from the "mainstream."
The sad part is that large elements of society have moved past Antioch into
trying to be real forces for change. This is generally ignored by the
Antioch administration. Real student participation in governance is a
selling point, not something that needs to be reined in. The Co-op program
is something that needs to be expanded not curtailed. Morgan spoke about
teaching students to be change agents through a fusion of liberal arts and
vocationally oriented education. He emphasized self-sufficiency and
sustainability as well as social justice. He even spent his "retirement"
facilitating rural development in India. 

Many other colleges are developing various forms of social entrepreneurship,
developmental entrepreneurship, and other environmental and community
development type programs that offer students training to be change agents
as well as a potential career path(s). Antioch is basically ignoring this
trend except for its service learning programs. Community Solutions, the
organization founded by Morgan and run by his family has an annual
conference on Peak Oil and related issues in Yellow Springs (right on
campus!) and the College ignores the opportunity to network and partner. The
Antioch Company run by his grandson is a huge supporter of progressive
causes like ESOPs and yet little is done to exploit this connection to the
college.

I wonder how long the Board is really willing to subsidize the College at
this level, especially with a Chancellor who comes from one of the branches
who have always seemed to resent having to subsidize the College so heavily.

Mark ('71)

  _____  

From: alumni-chat-bounces at w3.antioch.edu
[mailto:alumni-chat-bounces at w3.antioch.edu] On Behalf Of Matthew Arnold
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 7:03 AM
To: Alumni Chat List
Subject: Re: [Alumni-chat] Selling Anitoch!

Does the College even have a dedicated, full-time PR person anymore, much
less the services of an agency? You may be right, but the resources haven't
been there to sell it for a long time. It takes a lot of expertise, time and
money to tell the story of a school like Antioch, and outside of some small
and greying East Coast lefty circles, it's not a brand name. Now, if some
industrious and/or wealthy alum wanted to set up and beat the drum for a
fund to finance external communications, that might help (um, being broke
and having a one-year-old, I don't nominate me). Otherwise, the College is
in the impossible position of having to choose between funding of essential
posts, which have already been cut to the bone and beyond, or hiring PR help
(which is generally going to be seen internally as a less-than-essential
vanity position). Guess what's going to go? 

Matt ('99)

----- Original Message ----
From: David Roger Allen <davidrogerallen at hotmail.com>
To: alumni-chat at w3.antioch.edu
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 8:35:44 AM
Subject: [Alumni-chat] Selling Anitoch!

It is preprosterous that a school with Antioch's distinguished history,
track record, and incredible roster of alumni/ae overachievers which
populate all levels of USA and world academia, government, arts, etc. should
be pleading with the outside world to provide Antioch with an overall
student population of 500 people.

Antioch's traditional peer schools (Oberlin, Swarthmore, Reed,  the
University of Chicago, etc.) are ALL turning away student applications by
the carload.

Antioch has been "left behind" for one simple reason:  its story is not told
or sold adequately by the Antioch admissions office.   Antioch does indeed
have an attractive story which should be told, but that story is NOT told
adequately or attractively.

Change that and Antioch's fortunes will change for the better.     

If and when things change on that score, Antioch would once again become
"the flavor of the month" college (as it certainly was in the early 1960's
when I attended), ranked nationally and worldwide among the greatest and
most desired colleges anywhere.

Antioch outreach media has to get off its rear-end and onto its
feet....again.  Irwin Inman, '40, College Editor in the late 50's - early
'60's is was/is a role model for how to do it right, and get customers to
turn-away levels as a result.

David Roger Allen, Antioch '66 (Direct email address:
DavidAllenUSA at Yahoo.Com)

David Roger Allen,

644 Shrewsbury Commons Ave., #239,

Shrewsbury PA 17361

(717)235-1982

 <mailto:DavidRogerAllen at Hotmail.Com> DavidRogerAllen at Hotmail.Com

 <mailto:DavidAllenUSA at Yahoo.Com> DavidAllenUSA at Yahoo.Com

  _____  

From: "Mark Pomerantz" <marklp2 at comcast.net>
Reply-To: Alumni Chat List <alumni-chat at w3.antioch.edu>
To: "'Alumni Chat List'" <alumni-chat at w3.antioch.edu>
Subject: RE: [Alumni-chat] Alumni Chat Lives!
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:50:30 -0700

>From what I'm seeing the College's situation doesn't seem to be improving
except marginally. Can it survive another five years Barbara? What are the
latest estimates if enrollment stabilizes around 500?

Mark 

Mark Pomerantz
Principal Consultant and Manager, Social Profits

(dba Seattle Social Enterprise Consultants)

Editor, Social Enterprise Magazine-Online

 <http://www.socialprofits.com/> www.socialprofits.com
<http://www.socialprofits.com/> 

 <http://www.socialenterprisemagazine.org/> www.socialenterprisemagazine.org
<http://www.socialenterprisemagazine.org/> 
(206) 270-9344 (ph)

(206) 354-3052 (cell)

"The future participates actively in the present, providing part of the
context within which today's decisions are made." - Fred L. Polak

  _____  

From: alumni-chat-bounces at w3.antioch.edu
[mailto:alumni-chat-bounces at w3.antioch.edu] On Behalf Of Bwpurplewins at cs.com
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 1:53 PM
To: alumni-chat at w3.antioch.edu
Subject: Re: [Alumni-chat] Alumni Chat Lives! 

What a wonderful welcome. How do I see who has registered? I believe I have.
Thanks for doing this.

Barbara Winslow

School of Education
Brooklyn College/CUNY
bwinslow at brooklyn.cuny.edu
http://schooled.brooklyn.cuny.edu/winslow.html
718-951-4807
FAX: 718-9514816 

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