[Alumni-chat] Saving Antioch By BOTH building on past greatness AND by Innovating

[Mark Swanholm]

Ok Mike I KNOW you are nuts - but so am I... and thanks for pointing  
out my flawed assumptions.  You certainly have the right ideas below  
- we need to look outside - that is what Morgan did - he sold the  
idea of his new Antioch to the community and got funded that way.   
The main flaw in this idea goes back to a central concern of this  
chat over the years - it leaves us looking for an Arthur Morgan - and  
complaining that we don't have one.  I will go with you to meet with  
Bill Gates - might even be able to make a meeting with Michael Dell  
happen - but they will want to meet the CEO, the person with the  
vision, the person that will lead the charge.  They believe in ideas  
- but they fund people... and an ex-employee and a cantankerous  
member of the alumni board aren't the people they are looking to fund.

Morgan had it a bit easier than Mr. Lowery - the place was dead when  
he arrived - not dying.  He came in and did exactly what he wanted -  
no arguments, no difficult body of students to contend with, no  
suspicious town.  What little resistance he faced held little power  
or illusions - it was his way or no way.  We have not been so kind to  
Steve.  Nor are we want to... there is a legacy now where there was  
little then.  I will readily admit that I disagree hardily with how  
Steve has chosen to lead (but not with all of his decisions on  
people) - I have gone so far as to withhold giving to the college  
because I disagree so much.  It is history repeating itself - Katy's  
Antioch Independence fund writ small - we think we hold the cards,  
own the legacy, have a right and duty to protect it.  But maybe we  
need to let go instead.

For right or wrong Steve is the current and perhaps final hope to  
"save" (dare we say reinvent) the College.  If we succeed it is with  
him - and we need to take cue from him on how to help.  We may not  
like him or agree with him and each of us has to decide where that  
leaves us - but we can't call on the Gates foundation without him at  
our side.  We need not delude ourselves - Antioch (and all that that  
means) is intrusted to him - and there really isn't time to argue  
about it.  We need to know his plan and how to help - and offer great  
ideas like Mike and Mark P - or we need to go off and found our "own"  
college... or just spend our time worrying about something else.

This begs the question of what IS the current vision and how CAN we  
get plugged in (if we want to)?  Sure we don't have to wait to do  
some things that Mike is suggesting - but the big ones require at  
least some if not a LOT of coordination to be successful.  Any staff  
lurking out there that would like to play my (former) role and  
enlighten us on this topic?  Yes we will belittle you if your answer  
is not worthy - but then you signed up for the chat list...(ok for  
the record I will be nice - can't speak for anyone else)

Mark

On Mar 27, 2007, at 10:01 PM, Michael Brower wrote:

> Earlier this evening Mark Swanholm wrote, in partial appreciation  
> of my earlier post that Antioch has sunk to its present situation  
> not from any single cause or miss-step, but rather by a lack of  
> adaptations that have left Antioch not equipped to survive in the  
> new environment.
>
> Now this is Mike Brower again:
> I agree completely.  In my earlier post I listed a condensed  
> summary of only the first 6 of my 10 reasons why Antioch was, and  
> will again be, America's best liberal arts College.  Since Mark  
> Swanholm has brought it up so eloquently allow me to add here my  
> 10th reason:
>
> 10.  Continuing Innovation.  Beginning with Morgan’s Co-op  
> Education and Henderson’s Community Government, and now with  
> freshman Learning Communities and upper class Co-op Communities,  
> Antioch has always been an innovator.  There is every reason to  
> believe that this history and spirit of innovation will continue  
> and will lead to Antioch’s continuing to renew, re-birth and re- 
> generate itself to keep pace with a rapidly changing world and  
> thereby stay ahead of other small liberal arts colleges.
>
> Here's an idea.  Forbes just posted its list of America's  
> BIllionaires.   Why don't we ALL go to that web site and read  
> slowly and thoughtfully down the list.  Maybe a few of us know one  
> of these richest of the rich?  Or know someone who knows one of  
> them?  Or would at least get an idea from reading this list of a  
> new Center or Program or focus for Antioch which would be a natural  
> fit between Antioch and that Billionaire?
>
> I know, I know.  The richest tend to be very conservative -- which  
> Antioch is Not!   But 1-2-5% of them are probably quite liberal,  
> maybe even radical.  Gates is very interested in using his fortune  
> to help poor people and countries in Africa.  Maybe the right  
> approach to them could turn up a few score million to help our new  
> Coretta Scott King Center?  Or Mark P's idea of Social Entrepreneurs?
>
> Here is that web site:   http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/54/ 
> biz_06rich400_The-400-Richest-Americans_Rank.html
>
> You think I am nuts, don't you.  Or joking?  Well, yes, maybe  
> nuts.  But joking?  No!  Let's get some creative talent working  
> here on getting Antioch, finally, a decent endowment.  Personally,  
> I'd settle for half a billion.  Maybe $100 million raised in each  
> of the next 5 years? For starters.  What do you think?  Check out  
> the billionaire list and come up with some good ideas.  If that  
> doesn't work, come up with some better ones.
>
> Mike Brower '55
>
>
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