Antioch University - Antioch College Closure

Antioch College Closure

In June 2007, the Board of Governors of Antioch University suspended operations of Antioch College after years of effort to bring the college out of financial exigency by stabilizing campus leadership and increasing student enrollment. At the time of the suspension, the university trustees announced its intention to re-open the college in four years. It was their belief that four years would give the university the necessary time to develop and execute a plan for re-building Antioch College in a manner that would both honor its legacy and secure its future.

There was considerable controversy among members of the Antioch College alumni group and the administration, suggesting that the university should not close the college. During this time – 2007-2009 – two different organizations (the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the American Association of University Professors ) conducted audits and investigations into the university’s actions, with a response from the university.

Subsequently, a group of Antioch College alumni, headed by the Antioch College Alumni Board, expressed interest in purchasing the college from the university and re-opening the college as an independent institution. The alumni group formed the Antioch College Continuation Corporation as the vehicle for negotiating and owning the college. After two years of negotiations, the parties agreed to terms and, on September 4, 2009, the parties conducted a signing ceremony that ratified their agreement.

Mark Roosevelt, a well-known senior education administrator, previously the superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools has been appointed President. The college was reopened in the fall of 2011.