Antioch College Alumni Prepare to Celebrate Hard-Fought Independence

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio-(Business Wire)-September 23, 2009 - Antioch College alumni from all corners of the globe are making plans to attend what promises to be an exceptionally joyous and celebratory reunion weekend for what some are calling “the little college that could.” The Reunion will take place on the Antioch College campus in Yellow Springs, Ohio from October 2-4.

On September 4, 2009 the final documents establishing a fully independent Antioch College were signed by representatives of Antioch University and the Antioch College Continuation Corporation, ending more than two years of uncertainty and anguish for Antioch and its supporters. The agreement transferred the historic College campus and other assets from the University, whose Board of Trustees voted on June 12, 2007 to close the campus, to the new College. The action marks the college’s revival after having been closed for a year, and its return, after 30 years as part of a university system, to being an independent liberal arts college.

“A healthy democratic society requires institutions that act as catalysts for change and laboratories for invention,” said Matthew Derr, ’89, who, as Chief Transition Officer, played a key role in negotiating Antioch College’s independence. “This is a role that Antioch College has played throughout its history. The effort to restore it is among the most significant and compelling opportunities in 21st-century higher education. There has never been a story like this. It is unprecedented.”

Members of the media are invited to attend the Official Independence Celebration as generations of Antioch College alumni reclaim the campus, light up the buildings, and fill the once empty spaces with music, laughter and life!

For a complete Schedule of Activities, go to: http://alumni.antiochians.org/s/1050/images/editor_documents/Reunion_2009_Agenda%283%29.pdf.

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