[Alumni-chat] Student Speeches; My Dream for Antioch's Future.

[Michael Brower]

Christian Skotte posted a note urging us to read the student  
commencement speeches.  Thanks Christian for this suggestion.  I just  
took your advice, and I am very impressed.  Back in the 50's we used  
to talk about "Re-evaluating our basic assumptions."  And it is clear  
that in different language, Antioch is still encouraging and teaching  
students to do that.  My hat is off to the current faculty.  They are  
obviously continuing in the Antioch tradition of being extra-ordinary  
teachers, in the best meaning of encouraging learning and full-person  
development.

Here are my dreams-wishes for Antioch.  That all students plus new  
grads plus older Alums all put our dreams and shoulders to helping to:

1)  Get the Gates and Buffett and a dozen foundations, plus a  
thousand and then ten thousand other donors to build an Antioch  
endowment to rival that of Oberlin at 3/4 of a BILLION dollars!  This  
means building our present endowment to about 20 times its present size!

2)  Use those funds to enable a better paid faculty and deeper  
faculty numbers, so that no student needs to leave for lack of depth  
in her or his field of interest.

3)  That students and Alums and faculty and Administration cooperate  
in saving and improving Community Government.  I do NOT mean this in  
any sense of "student empowerment," which I hear about and see  
banners for on campus,   I do mean it in the sense of full, active,  
effective, participation in all aspects of campus governance.

4)  That Antioch, with help from all of us, build applications and  
attendance and reduce attrition so that the student body grows back  
up to a level of viability.  By viability, I am thinking of viability  
in three senses:  economically, of faculty breadth and depth, and of  
student diversity.  This probably means at least 1,000 and maybe  
1200-1400 students at a minimum.

5)  That Antioch attract and support and educate and learn from a  
MUCH larger body of racial and other minorities.

6)  That Antioch continue to be a safe haven and home for radical  
students of all persuasions and students of sexual identities of all  
varieties.

7) AND that, along with 6), not instead of 6) Antioch also become an  
interesting and exciting and safe place for students of more centrist  
and conservative backgrounds, viewpoints and persuasions.   Why?   
Because A) They also deserve access to Antioch's excellent  
education.  AND B) they are needed, so that more radical students get  
a better preparation for life and do not instead get lost in an  
unrealistic bubble that is too safe, too far removed from the larger  
society.  All Antioch students need to be immersed for their 4 years  
in a more diverse campus society, so that they gain skills in debate  
and listening and understanding and dialogue that will make all more  
effective agents of change and for justice after graduation in the  
real and often difficult nation out there.

-- Mike Brower '55 and Member, Alumni Board