Here are notes from the Board Meeting held January 16 in Chicago:
SUMMARY: The Board resolved to endorse the spirit of a refined concept paper for the college. This paper has not yet been made public pending editing, but details of it emerge from Board members’ comments, as detailed below.
See the original concept paper
The Board committed, without a vote, to continue working toward opening in 2011 with a class of 75. The board received first financial report from new college CFO Tom Brookey.
In broadest strokes, the plan is for a 40-month program. 12-1 student-faculty ratio (even lower in the early years). Students study in intensive tutorials of up to four students and 1 professor in first year, to provide great support. Work part-time on campus during academic term. Maintain academic continuity electronically during co-op. On campus instruction geared toward preparing students for work, international co-op. Later academic sessions include global seminar with visiting faculty. Final colloquy year about 20 students in same area of study developing thesis, working with faculty to tailor the program to meet their individual needs. Five-six co-ops.
Fundraising stands at $1.4 million, or half the annual fund goal of $2.8 million, plus $9 million toward $50 million capital campaign. $3.4 million cash on hand, endowment of $21-22 million in the process of being transferred from university. Alumni participation stands at 10%, goal is 25% for the fiscal year ending in June.
EDITORIAL COMMENT: The dates, locations, agenda, and background materials for board meetings should publicized sufficiently in advance to allow substantial public feedback and attendance. Audio, and ideally also video, of the meetings should be recorded and streamed, and minutes made promptly available. This would go along way toward generating a sense of accountability, openness and transparency and overcoming the mistrust toward the college that is still widespread among many alumni. Board members should be actively engaged in dialogue with alumni and other constituencies about vital issues facing the college.
DETAILED MEETING NOTES
Matthew Derr: Brought plan to GLCA in December, asked is this accreditable? They said yes. Talked to Rick Detweiller.
Arts and Science is reviewing the concept paper. [They will test the concept with focus groups of prospective students [and parents] identified as part of the target market.
We appointed a Science Advisory Board of alum scientists to review the curriculum.
Developed a presentation for alumni with Rob Stein of Democracy Alliance
Hope at May Board meeting have a plan far enough along to have impact on reopening college in 2011
Pavel Curtis: Distracted by need for copy edit in the concept paper.
Prexy Nesbitt: Need to spell out more what diversity means. Need to see emerging technology better reflected in the concept paper. Need to specify venues for Global Seminar, be clear about selected countries. Specify international relationships.
Derr: Skirting issue of where the new president’s expertise is, which will impact what countries.
Jay Lorsch: Concerned about the mission: need to not only educate people to win victory for humanity, but also to have a balanced, successful life. Mann’s dictum isn’t the only ideal. Need to sell more broadly.
How many students in a tutorial?
I’m for food, democracy, etc.
What if student has interest in other subjects?
Bachelor of philosophy is a risky degree for graduate school placement.
Let’s be innovative for a purpose.
Derr: This is not an admissions brochure. The mission is pared down to give president room to shape it.
Pavel: Need to present detailed plan to Arts & Sciences, change it later.
Don’t understand Colloquy year.
Tutorial on top of four courses seems too big a load.
How will we go back to 2 divisions.
Frances Dean Horowitz: This is leading to something truly different, as it must.
Let’s go through section by section.
We need to come out of this meeting with a decision on approving this plan.
Jay: Let’s write a memo on the details and talk broadly now.
This has to be a communications document.
Write the detailed document first, then executive summary.
Prexy: I’m disappointed in this document.
Horowitz: The concept of fast track 3-year program focus on work. If we’re on board with concept then go into details.
Jay: Need to know what majors are in the program. Can we train premed?
Joyce Idema: Troubled by mission. Everyone doesn’t need victory for humanity. Broaden mission. It’s pretentious.
Tendaji Ganges: This model doesn’t address the issue of whether sufficient time is allowed for student to fully mature in the three years allowed. Only recruit students already prepared for that? Need more flexibility to accommodate diversity. This will exclude the students I’m working with. They won’t be able to do it in 3 years. Won’t be ready for grad school.
Derr: We’re not ready to be as specific as you want.
We have to compromise for smaller class.
Need one Div at the start.
Frances: 2011 may be too early to admit students. Should start 2012. Let president and faculty work out these details and present them to the board. Need Arts & Sciences to review this before resolving details. We’re boxed in by timeline. We can’t wait because we need the income of students, and 2012 would disappoint people expecting 2011. We’d be better to do it slower.
Jay: When do we have to decide?
Tendaji: January Feb 2011. Have to send out letters of acceptance a year from now.
Jay: Year from now have to accept class. Search committee estimates 6-8 months to hire president. Is it realistic to open in 2011? We better change now if we’re going to change.
Pavel: If we open in 2011 would be a first draft program. Maybe disruptive to future classes if we open without defined plan.
Derr: Need to think about 5-year period to achieve something for accreditation. From fundraising side, not enrolling students would be chilling to fundraising. Need to control our dependence on tuition. Fist class will be pioneers knowingly engaged in college’s development. We will only very gradually increase our dependence on tuition. We committed resources to plan for 2011. Too late to change.
Pavel: If we open in 2011 we need to be ready to change after we open. We can’t wait for president to establish details. Just settle on details and let president change later. Let’s come up with first draft of details so we have something to work with: specifics of a students academic program.
Derr: Details will emerge. Wonder what Prexy isn’t happy about in this iteration?
Tutorial made of 1 faculty 4 students.
12 to 1 student faculty ratio.
Tutorial composed of arts, humanities, science and social science. Tutorial would include basic coursework. We can offer 18-20 based on the strengths of faculty.
The balance of courses has to be defined by what NCCA expects of us.
We’re focusing on conversational work-based language training so student will be prepared to work in their host country.
Language and science study was difficult to sustain in old Antioch model. Use technologies to sustain academic learning over co-op.
More time working one on one with faculty will prepare students to complete program in 40 months.
People love the idea of students working on campus.
Always work at Antioch full and part-time. Prepare students to work off-campus. Give greater depth of experience through on-campus work program. We backed away from students taking courses on co-op so it doesn’t interfere with full-time work experience.
Prexy: Global seminar is most saleable exciting part of the program. We’ll never be fully ready no matter when we start. Being part of first class is of great value.
Pavel: Four to one teacher ratio is the key to me. The meat is the tutorial.
Prexy: There’s no separation between tutorial and global seminar.
Jay: I don’t understand the tutorial structure.
Derr: Students in groups of 1-4. Ratio is 12-1. Each student takes four tutorials in one quarter.
Students are composed of small groups in tutorial, and large groups
Lee: How do you value performance in global seminar?
Anne Bohlen: Projects
Jay: What does this have to do with liberal arts.
Derr: Liberal arts faculty teach global seminar. Creates a bridge between co-op and liberal arts.
Jay: This structure is difficult for student to get sufficient scientific background for premed.
Derr: Third year will allow students to prepare for medical and law school.
Horowitz: Highest acceptance to med school is philosophy major. First year of med school is premed.
Jay: No, they need to take extra science.
Derr: Tutorials are based in disciplines, including science. They’re designed in two blocks per quarter. Classes meet longer better for science.
Jay: What makes you think groups of 4 is best way to learn science?
Pavel: It worked for me.
Derr: They’re also going to co-op. The combination prepares them.
The colloquy year allows student and faculty to focus on discipline. All the science students together with science faculty in colloquy to define what they need for grad school. We can do this in small flexible school. Student could take only five vs six coops and do an extra term of course work and research. Colloquy is built on foundation in one of the four areas of liberal arts. From that produce a major work. Touches on bachelor of philosophy. In the colloquy they’re working together on their theses in groups of about 20, depending on the discipline.
Jay: This is upside down from traditional undergrad. Most classes start with large class then go to small.
Tendaji: That’s a failed model based on graduation rates.
Jay: Trying to build on something elite like school we went to.
Tendaji: Not elite, excellent.
Jay: The assumption is that younger students need more face time.
Derr: Historically we’ve had problem of high attrition throughout co-op program. Building strong faculty relationships early can address attrition.
We’ve budgeted for 75 students in first year.
Faculty is overstaffed initially. To offer core curriculum need a faculty of 25-35. It’s a big campus. If model is strong it will continue to grow. We won’t be able to offer everything.
Jay: With 45-50 faculty you can have a full breadth of offerings.
Derr: We can’t plan ahead of financial capacity. Have to grow conservatively. Small colleges work, but I have no desire to stay small.
Jay: Nothing in plan about building relationships between students and faculty. Need to better explain the rationale.
Lee: View through lens of student.
Horowitz: Best way to understand institution is to read student handbook
Atis Folkmanis: I’m excited by the engagement btw students & faculty, the small group and independent work in this program. The language of citizen activist: I want us to build place attract students want academic rigor and to change the world, even in a small way. Mission says right thing to me. Attract students who want to change world, or explore whether they can.
Susan Ecklund-Leen: Formalizing on-campus work creates educational culture that includes everyone on campus as an educator. The walls between groups (including staff) will tumble down before open doors. Apprentice with plumber, electrician. Valuable life skills. We’ll take all this feedback to generate next version of document.
Jay: We need to address the issue of when we open the school.
Derr: We have to finalize the schedule this at this meeting.
Nancy Crow: Don’t get hung up on details. This will change over time. We have to start in 2011. Hope the new director of communications will revise this document. Need to make this document publicly available.
Tendaji: I’m worried about the pace. How ready will 18 year old be for this program? Unprepared students will waste the start of their time. Need to provide proper support networks for students. Need to teach independence, responsibility and discipline. We need people in the world to raise questions. The higher ed system is a failure. Half of students don’t graduate. Institutions throw away bright young people all the time. It’s unforgivable. Don’t narrow focus on who can get in based on who’s ready for the program. Retention is the wrong attitude. We need to instill in students the ability to persist. Too many students piss away first year. We should come up with concept, let the faculty and staff work out the details.
Horowitz: This plan provides students with intense intellectual experience. Liberal arts is a discovery process, skill acquisition is less important. This is different than anything else in education, which makes it worth doing. Have to change some terminology. Bachelor of philosophy requires too much explanation. Executive summary does the concept a disservice. We have to come out of meeting saying yes or no. My vote is yes. We may have no choice but to open in 2011. To get out to Arts & Sciences focus groups and search committee, need to flesh out details.
Risa Grimes: I can sell it.
Lee: I share Tendaji concern. Kids from other countries may have a different pace. I don’t like the mission. Winning victories implies there a losers. We’re about serving human needs. At this meeting we need to approve the concept and the target opening, but it’s just a target, we may not make it.
Derr: We’re trying to reinvent liberal arts education in six months or less. We’re about to transition from this spare document. Need to know board wants to bring this concept forward. We’re embracing our legacy of progressive education and reinvention. This is unique. This is worthy of the legacy we’ve inherited.
Lee: Let’s resolve that this outline is the skeleton on which we can build the college.
Joyce: Do we agree mission is too short?
Lee: Joyce, Nancy and Matt can articulate an appropriate resolution. We think this represents an innovative approach for Antioch College. This is the framework for a program that would be innovative and progressive.
UNANIMOUS VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION
Jay: I hope we can look at it one more time before it’s shared with everybody else.
Lee: How do we handle the distribution of this document?
Jay: You don’t want to sell this document. Sit down and work on it. Need to clarify the rationale.
Derr: We ended up with this document, too many people advising us on how to revise it. Barbara interviewed a search firm. He said the original concept paper was best he’d ever seen. I don’t want 13-14 editors. I hope we’ll adopt this document and you’ll trust us to refine it.
I’ll remove mission from this document. New president will take up immediately with faculty and alumni. We know the identity we’re trying to create well enough to develop the concept.
Pavel: Send us drafts when you feel appropriate.
Derr: I need the authority to move forward.
Lee: We’re assuming open in fall 2011. It’s risky.
Tendaji: We have to make certain the structure is in place.
Presidents don’t know how to hire faculty. Faculty know how to hire faculty.
Look at what we have to get done, walk backwards from 2011.
Derr: We have to hire director of admissions before president. The board can help us develop diversity protocol and hiring timeline. Board should instruct us in how you want to see hires. Student life staff.
Jay: We could focus on Fall 2011 and have a fallback position. Tell entering class first term will be co-op rather than academic. Buy us another six months.
Derr: Plan needs the confidence of the accrediting agencies. Any major curricular change requires review by accrediting agencies.
Tendaji: We won’t have accreditation for years. We’d like to have it when we start handing out diplomas.
Lee: Board is not equipped to do a timeline.
Derr: We’re on pace from timeline we approved a year ago in Chicago. We have pledges to hire communications director and science faculty.
Jay: The success of this enterprise depends on the students and faculty we attract. Need to prepare carefully who selects faculty, admissions director. We can’t rush in. The experience is driven more by the faculty and students than by the curriculum.
Derr: Board adopted budget for salaries and set of positions. Defined how we’re hiring. Need further board scrutiny.
Lee: We’ll schedule to open in 2011, but we’ll be prepared to flex.
Our plan is to engage people not on board on committees.
We’re looking at committees of 3-6.
We have continuation fund as separate corporate entity.
Jay: Does the fund go into perpetuity?
Derr: It never goes away.
Lee: We’ll have two endowments. The continuation fund is to manage the old endowment. $21 million.
Tendaji: Can we make this information available?
Horowitz: Alumni need to know there are two funds.
Derr: It is a different corporation with a different board.
Some elements of accreditation discussion need to fall into executive session.
Lee: We’re not going to vote to open in 2011, but we’ll continue on our current course to do so.
Risa: We visited 11 chapters in Nov-Dec so solicit feedback. 505 people, 3% of alumni came. Used volunteers to call and encourage attendance. We have better chapter network than other GLCA schools. We have 18-20 active chapters, will be focus for student recruitment and co-op jobs. Reunion third weekend of June, Father’s Day.
Micah Canal: Annual fund: Goal for this year is $2.8 million and 25% participation by end of fiscal year in June. We’re far above where we were pre-closure.
Risa: Annual fund last year open 800,000. Participation 17%. Year before that 20%.
Micah: E-letter goes out to 8,000 addresses. Spike in giving after each e-letter. Mailing went out to all 15,000, got 120 checks in one day. In spring we’ll put out Antiochian and a print appeal. Phone solicitation 5x more effective than print. Participation grew by 25% in December. We’re up to 10% participation. We’ve raised $1.4 million, half of annual fund goal.
Pavel: Two reunions in one fiscal year may lull us into false sense of security
Risa: We have 17,000 living alumni, 15,400 good addresses. Participation based on ones we can reach. It’s unusual, we count anyone completed two semesters as alum. Some of the biggest donors didn’t graduate.
Micah: Annual fund offers opportunity for gateway giving.
Prexy: Who is coming forward? Correlation with chapters, geographic? Ethnic? By class?
Risa: We haven’t done that, staffing issue.
We did 58 personal visits in December, cultivating for spring asks? Picked low hanging fruit in last two years. Have to cultivate new relationships. Total pledges in major gifts in $9 million btw June 07 and Dec 09. Raised 700,000 in major gifts in Dec. A third of our visits will yield gifts. We did guerilla fundraising for two years, emergency basis. Now we need to cultivate on more long-term basis. Need board members to help us get in the door with potential donors. We want to raise $10 million by June 30.
Bequests: Sandy Macnab ’65 is consulting with us on planned giving. Added new staffer Sam Eckenrode. She’s finalizing 10 bequests in her first month. Training her to be planned giving officer. We can use planned giving inventory to secure loans. Antiochians live longer than average.
Derr: We can use that as a marketing angle.
Risa: We have trouble tracking stock gifts.
Nancy: Need to encourage stock givers to send a letter declaring stock gift.
Frances: How do we identify non-Antiochians as potential donors?
Risa: We’re still working through our list of alumni. Harry Belafonte’s granddaughter went to Antioch.
Prexy: Natural constituency that we haven’t done enough with: network of progressive grant makers and philanthropists. Match them with Antiochians in their town and go see them. In Chicago we have Crossroads Fund.
Lee: Welcome CFO Tom Brooking.
Tom: Received second half of $1.5 million pledge. We’re at cash $3.4 million. Budget process not fully developed.
Jay: Need projection of cash flow on side out. Side in more difficult to predict. How long will cash last if we don’t get more.
Derr: It’s in a single account with US Bank. Need to develop a sweep.
Jay: Need to start earning on reserve.
Tom: We’re looking at moving some of the money to new account, maybe new bank.
Prexy: Should look at socially responsible banks. Suggest South Shore Bank in Chicago. No redlining, supportive of affirmative action, beautiful record on loans and correspondence banking.
Horowitz: Need to see monthly report on expenditure to compare vs. budget so we can monitor spending levels.
Pavel: Need to see spending by department.
Derr: Giving to the Antioch Review has increased since college became independent. They’re in good standing. We’re planning an award ceremony and reception in NY in May.
Glen doesn’t have its own 501c3. It has a supporting board that donates to Glen. Review has its own editorial board, could have its own 501c3 supporting board. Look at how Kenyon Review is structured.
Tom: We’re hiring director of communications.
Derr: We’ve appointed a search committee.
We’re working with Science Advisory Board to create a search committee for science Morgan Fellows and faculty.
Pavel: There’s a sense of urgency to get science Morgan Fellows.
Derr: We may hire visiting science Morgan Fellows.
Tom: I’m meeting with our bankers, attorneys, insurance agents.
John Fienberg gave great presentation at rededication of South Hall.
We’re figuring out necessary repairs, Fienberg is bringing summaries next week.
I’ll begin overseeing further renovations.
Pavel: We should have more visibility on the renovation process.
Tom: The village is looking for an activity center from the village.
Derr: We’ll distribute a campus proposal. The Board purchased an asset. We’re trying to protect it from further decay. We’re removing bad work and restoring historic building. South today is better today than in 94. Lighting, ventilation, downspouts are better.
When students arrive in 2011 some buildings will be empty.
Some buildings may still be removed but we’re not rushing to judgment.
Fienberg stays at my house and we go over plans over breakfast.
When we keep a building we need a long-term plan for its contribution to the college.
Generating some on-campus enterprises.
A company wants to put a green office lighting research incubator on campus.
Bring back to our legacy of having industry on campus, sustain some of these buildings.
The performing arts center in Yellow Springs is a political challenge.
I’ve built a few theaters and it’s always hard.
Theater building former foundry not that flexible.
We have Kelly Hall, South Gym, Kelly Hall.
Village wants to develop 3-400 seat performing arts center. We’re talking to village about how we might help develop and use downtown theater
In future college could renovate theater building and expand theater curriculum.
We could co-own village theater and staff with co-op students. By May Board meeting we should know more. It’s not the village govt, it’s a group of donors want to mix in. Across from Peaches.
I’d choose priorities of dining hall, living facilities, but we need to take this opportunity.
Tendaji: What buildings most vulnerable?
Derr: Theater, big footprint requires large student population. Nothing structurally wrong with it.
There’s concern with how close the union is to private homes, too close to neighborhood.
How do we preserve buildings convert to intimate spaces. Union could accommodate 1000 students.
Underlying all of this is sustainability and energy. If we can fund geothermal plan takes pressure off of putting boilers into individual buildings.
Fels is difficult to adapt. I come from conservatory background, all these offices are practice rooms.
Jay: Put your tutorials in there.
Joyce: How is main building doing?
Derr: Much better. When we cleaned gutters under ground we discovered three thirty feet high bricked in chambers in front of main acted as cistern. We found buffalo nickel but not Horace’s box of gold. It will take longer to renovate Main.
South is classroom bldg. Science will be. Upstairs at library. And main. Also McGregor. We have more than we need. Art could be seasonal building so we don’t have to heat in winter.
Jay: Why not put village theater in foundry?
Lee: They want it downtown for business development.
Derr: There are nearly as many buildings in Glen as on campus. 37 including pump houses. Birch Manor is important to the board. We had conservators looking at restoration. Could put president back in there.
Jay: No, that’s where Jim Dixon started all the trouble.
Derr: Cost $260,000 to renovate.
Prexy: Tremendous asset if we can utilize.
Derr: Glen has good plan, visiting artist housing and conference center.
Prexy: We should have some of our next meeting there.
Derr: There are 50-60 acres on northwest side of campus we could develop mix of faculty and student housing, where presidents, Normant and Day House were.
Tendaji: Faculty can’t afford to live in YS. We should subsidize faculty housing.
Derr: It would change the culture of the college (positively).
Lee: It’s a high priority.
Tendaji: College could charge faculty rent at cost.
Prexy: Omar Circle, African American base of Yellow Springs. We should partner with African American churches and organizations to develop multiracial multicultural housing.
Risa: And ages too.
Prexy: Historically that was an appeal to African Americans, oasis in the desert.
Jay: Williams couldn’t attract black students because there was no community. Need to have church to support that community. Need community to support African American and Hispanic students.
Derr: We’d be ready in fall to let Central State use dorms, but they’re not sure they’re ready. They like having students in Yellow Springs. I met with pres last week. Largest facility we can offer is Birch, from their perspective is small dorm. It declined to 900 students, back to 2,200. New president has expanded resources.
Wilberforce is oldest historically black college in country, struggling financially, used to be same school with Central State, associated with church.
Lee: We’ve move $9 million of $22 million into common fund. $7.7 million is YSI stock. That will transfer until July. Helps University pass bank test. We get all the appreciation. Balance of endowment invested in hedge funds can be liquidated this month.
Pavel: The YSI stock is giving U time to improve their debt ratio. The transfer is not contingent on U doing well.
Lee: We want to empower students to look at shareholder activism in our portfolio, can’t be in mutual fund so we can control.
Tendaji: I sit on small foundation board. We’ve instructed manager to make certain funds are not invested in anything political difference with. You take a little hit.
Lee: I didn’t put in the requirement not to invest in tobacco, military, pollutants. Banks push socially responsible funds but they get ignored. University was in a big hurry to move the money. The common fund is a safe quick choice but no provision for shareholder activism or social responsible investing.
Derr: Alum Robert Zevin is founder of socially responsible investing.
Prexy: As students we took over board meetings and raised hell to force socially responsible investing.
Lee: I’m hoping students will do that again.
Jay: You have to determine what’s socially responsible.
THE BOARD THEN WENT INTO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS ISSUES REGARDING ACCREDITATION AND THE PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH.
