Antioch University

Antioch University is an American university with five campuses located in four states. Campuses are located in Los Angeles, California; Santa Barbara, California; Keene, New Hampshire; Yellow Springs, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington. Additionally, Antioch University houses two institution-wide programs, the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change and Antioch Education Abroad.

Overview
Antioch University serves more than 4,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and from its five campuses in four states. The Los Angeles campus offers a top-ranked MFA in creative writing; the Santa Barbara campus offers an MA in education with an emphasis in social justice; the Midwest campus offers a leading program in conflict analysis. The University is also home to the landmark PhD in Leadership and Change; Antioch Education Abroad, an exceptional slate of immersive service and study programs; and WYSO, a public radio affiliate.

Background
The seeds of the modern Antioch University were sown in the birth of an independent, non-sectarian college founded in 1852 and then created in 1964 with the founding of the Putney School of Education in New England, the first of its present campuses.

Antioch University was originally a single campus college, Antioch College, and was the result of American educator Horace Mann's dream to establish a college comparable to Harvard but with some notable differences. This college was to be completely non-sectarian and co-educational, and with a curriculum that would not only include the traditional treatment of the classics, but would emphasize science and the scientific method, history and modern literature. Students would not compete for grades, but would be encouraged to pursue issues of interest to them, read what they considered worthwhile and present papers on topics of their own choosing. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Horace Mann became the first president in 1853.

From its inception, racial and gender equality, independent study and independent thinking were integral parts of Antioch College. Six students were accepted for the first quarter: four men and two women who came to share the same college classrooms for the first time in the U.S. The notion of gender equality extended also to the faculty. Antioch was the first U.S. college to designate a woman as full professor, and the original faculty included seven men and two women. Then, in 1863, the college instituted the policy that no applicant was to be rejected on the basis of race.

In the early 1850s, Rebecca Pennell offered a course on teaching methods which was the first of its kind, while John Burns Weston, class of 1857, established a long-standing precedent by being both student and faculty simultaneously. He taught Greek language and literature for 20 years and remained a lifelong student.

While Antioch College never diverged from the philosophy of Horace Mann, the final form of an Antioch education traced its roots from the election of Arthur Morgan as President of the college in 1920. Morgan, like Mann, believed in the development of the individual as a whole. Having seen the difficulty encountered by ivory-tower academicians attempting to participate in the business world, he resolved to change the cloistered educational experience by providing students with work experience in their field. He wrote “The Plan for the New Antioch” which was his vision for the future of the school. This was the beginning of Antioch's unique program of work and study, what Morgan termed, “industrial education.”

Morgan initiated the practice of student government. He also changed the nature of the admissions procedure. Rather than relying on entrance examinations, Morgan opted for more personal information on prospective students. In addition, senior exams were graded "honors" or "pass", and students who failed could retake the exam. Morgan remained at Antioch until 1933, when President Roosevelt requested that he assume directorship of the Tennessee Valley Authority Project.

Expansion
In 1964, Antioch University took over the Putney School of Education in Vermont (now Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire). During the next decade, other adult learning programs were instituted: among them, Antioch Seattle; Antioch Southern California with campuses in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; and the Antioch Education Abroad Program (with centers in London, Germany and other locations).

In 1978, Antioch College became a university system. From 1978 to 1994 the President of Antioch College also served as the Chancellor of Antioch University.

In 2002, Antioch University’s Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program was founded. The program is designed to educate professionals from a wide range of fields to understand and lead organizational change. The program’s low-residency model offers students interdisciplinary study with a practitioner focus that teaches and encourages applied research.

In 2009, Antioch College became independent of Antioch University.

Antioch University Los Angeles
Established in 1972 and with more than 6,000 alumni, Antioch University Los Angeles (serves the diverse communities of the greater Los Angeles area. The core values of social justice, service to community, and lifelong learning comprise the heart of the BA degree completion program and master’s degree programs in organizational management, education and teacher credentialing, psychology, and creative writing. Partnerships with community organizations provide students with unique experiential learning opportunities. The low-residency MFA in creative writing was named among the top five programs in the nation by The Atlantic, and the graduate clinical psychology specialization in LGBT studies is the first of its kind. The MA in urban sustainability was developed in response to the growing awareness of the interconnections among environmental, economic, and social issues. The interdisciplinary program prepares well-trained, well-informed scholars, community leaders, and activists to advocate for sustainable urban policy and social change in the face of the growing global environmental crisis. The current student body consists of approximately 1000 learners, and supports a collection of faculty who are arguably in the top echelon of their fields. The school also offers a B.A. in Liberal Studies as well as Masters of Arts in Psychology, Organizational Management, and Urban Sustainability.

Antioch University Midwest
Founded in 1988, Antioch University Midwest (AUM) is located in Yellow Springs, Ohio. AUM helps adult learners achieve their educational goals through programs designed to make social change. Students have an extraordinary degree of responsibility for shaping their education in small classes and online study; coursework is collaborative and experiential. AUM offers NCATE-accredited graduate degrees in education that lead to Pre-K-12 licensure or endorsements, graduate certificates and master’s degrees in conflict analysis and engagement, and an individualized graduate program for students who seek a unique degree. The undergraduate program for adult learners builds on students’ prior learning to complete a bachelor’s degree in management, health and wellness, humanities, human services administration, and early childhood education.

AUM offers Bachelor's degrees in Humanities, Management, Human Development, Liberal Arts, Health and Wellness, and Human Service Administration through an academically intensive cohort model of on-campus classes offered in the evenings and on Saturdays. AUM also offers the M.A. in Conflict Analysis and Engagement, Management, Community Change and Civic Leadership, as well as a number of M.Ed. programs and endorsements certified by NCATE. The M.A. in Individualized Liberal and Professional Studies provides a self-designed major where students work with Antioch University faculty as well as specialized academic professionals who agree to mentor the student through their studies. Many of the graduate programs are available with limited residency in an on-line format. Antioch University Midwest is formally Antioch University McGregor.



Antioch University New England
Founded in 1964, Antioch University New England (AUNE) is located in Keene, New Hampshire, a small city with a strong tradition of civic, cultural, and environmental activism, in the heart of the state's Monadnock Region. It is Antioch University's largest branch, with over 1,200 graduate-level students. Masters degrees are awarded in areas of Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with specializations in Addictions Counseling & Dance/Movement Therapy), Marriage and Family Therapy, Environmental Studies, Organization & Management ("Green MBA"), and Education. Doctoral degrees are awarded in the areas of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D), Marriage and Family Therapy (Ph. D), and Environmental Studies (Ph. D). AUNE is well known for being one of only three schools in the United States to offer Waldorf teacher training, and has gained critical acclaim for its annually published environmental literary journal Whole Terrain.

Antioch University Santa Barbara
Antioch University Santa Barbara (AUSB) has grown from a handful of students in 1977 to a current enrollment of over 270. Antioch University Santa Barbara serves adult students; the average student's age is 36. It offers seven degree programs: a B.A. in Liberal Studies, M.A. in Clinical Psychology, MA in Psychology - Individualized Concentration, a Psy.D in Clinical Psychology, M.A. in Organizational Management, M.A. in Education with teaching credential, and MAEx.

Antioch University Seattle
Antioch University Seattle (AUS), founded in 1975 in Seattle, Washington, offers master's degrees, a B.A. completion program and a Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy. D.). Between 800 and 1000 students attend Antioch, with an average age of 35. The School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy is the largest and longest running program with close to 3,000 graduates since 1976. The School offers master's degrees in mental health counseling, integrative studies, child, couple and family therapy, art therapy and drama therapy in addition to the Psy. D. program. The Center for Programs in Education offers teacher preparation at both the undergraduate and graduate level, plus a master's in education for experienced educators. The Center for Creative Change features a low-residency, interdisciplinary approach to learning and offers master's degrees in environment and community, management and leadership, organizational development, strategic communications and whole systems design. The B.A. in Liberal Studies program attracts students who like an individualized approach to completing their undergraduate degree. Students can receive credit for life experience and may pursue subjects of particular interest to them.

Antioch Education Abroad
Antioch Education Abroad (AEA) students gain a renewed sense of their power and purpose as scholars and globally conscious citizens. As a pioneer in global education, AEA currently serve qualified students from over 130 universities nationwide and abroad offering courses that integrate resourceful academic content with cultural immersion. From Buddhist Studies in Japan and Arts and Culture in Mali to Brazilian Ecosystems, AEA develop and offer unique study abroad programs in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Exploring academic fields in diverse locations worldwide, students are mentored by AEA and on-site faculty who are experts in their respective fields. Our students engage in apprenticeships, internships, and independent field study projects. These global opportunities address their individual interests through hands-on experiences, allowing students to attain the global competency, both professionally and personally.

PhD in Leadership and Change
PhD in Leadership and Change cultivates the current and future generation of civic, professional, and academic leaders. Students come from all over the country and internationally, and participate in quarterly residencies rotating to the various Antioch campuses. This limited-residency program admits only 25 students annually from a range of fields; the curriculum is at once practical and visionary, examining the processes of organizational and community change, the imperatives of social justice, and the principles of participatory and ethical leadership. The program’s schedule is designed for students to enroll in a doctoral program while maintaining their regular professional responsibilities and current home residence. Four residencies are held annually on existing campuses of Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio; Keene, New Hampshire; Seattle and Los Angeles. Each student attends this residency cycle for three years with the final year culminating in a special residency at Santa Barbara. The program entails a specified sequence of "Learning Achievements", followed by completion of two "Independent Learning Agreements" and the dissertation.

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 [NCA] and the American Association of University Professors [AAUP]) 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 is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2011.