<p>According to the Columbus Dispatch today 45 Antioch profs are prepared to take legal action to keep the school open. I would post a link but I have no idea how. sorry :(</p>
<p>See if this link works:</p>
<p>too bad the article doesn't mention what legal grounds the profs feel is on their side. Gee, I thought employers went out of business everyday? While some might argue such learning institutions may have a "greater purpose" than an employer that makes doormats, for example, aren't they still just an employer? How can an employee legally force an employer who is/nearly is bankrupt to stay in business? No disrespect intended for anyone here that makes doormats.
Is this suit not really based on law, but just a tactic to embarass the school, and perhaps draw attention to them in hopes of getting financial support? If that is true, wouldn't that be teaching a poor ethics lesson to students- to deliberately misuse the legal system for one's own employment? I hope that isn't the case.</p>
<p>Younghoss: Uhmmmm the UAW set the precedence?</p>
<p>$30 Mil endowment? That's pathetic. The Florida Marlins have a higher payroll and that's saying something.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Bennington's endowment is only $12 million yet it manages to survive, with a similarly low ranking after once having been a prestigious school. Bennington's estimated annual cost is over $46,000 and it acknowledges it does not meet its students' financial needs. There is more to Antioch's demise than a relatively low endowment.</p>
<p>I'd say it's up there...
Bennington is out there door anyway.</p>
<p>Bennington went through a near-death experience not so long ago and may do so again.
I have to believe a southern Vermont location vs Yellow Springs, Ohio is a big advantage to the Northeast elites who pay the freight.</p>
<p>younghoss, sometimes it is in fact more than just a job people are trying to save</p>
<p>It may be, CGM, as I alluded to in my posting that they may feel the serve a "greater calling", nevertheless is this the proper ethical procedure to choose to keep it open? Do they think it is whats right, or is it the only avenue they see as available? I can't answer whats in their minds, but I can only speculate.</p>
<p>Hard to see any intrinsic value in what would be a Pyrrhic resuscitation of an institution that is demonstrably bereft of appeal to today's students and whose alumni/ae have abandoned it. It is not as if there are not institutions with coterminous goals.</p>
<p>As a current student there, I don't have the feeling that Bennington is out the door in any way. Just since I have been there they have recieved 17 Million in gifts. That may be "pathetic" to some but for such a small school it is a big deal. From everything that I am hearing at Bennington it is really soaring. They are certainly putting a lot of money in to the physical plant these days.</p>
<p>Hampshire college also has a similarly small endowment (around 30 million) and I think they are doing just fine.</p>
<p>"My understanding is that Bennington's endowment is only $12 million yet it manages to survive, with a similarly low ranking after once having been a prestigious school"</p>
<p>What happened to these schools? When I was considering colleges in 1975, both schools were indeed highly regarded. Goodness knows, Bennington held the dubious distinction of, "the nation's most expensive LAC", and was considered by many to be worth the money. </p>
<p>I had no idea Antioch was about to close its doors. How did this turn of events come about? Did they not see it coming, and what steps did the trustees and shareholders take to stop it? I find this news rather sad:(</p>
<p>My mom said the same thing--when she was in school, Bennington was a much more prestigious, more well regarded institution.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Bennington went through some very tough times about 15 years ago and then the president cleaned house and it has been doing better and better ever since. It feels very vibrant and positive when we are up there, and the campus couldn't be more beautiful. They don't seem to be making the mistake that Antioch did, of not keeping up the facilities. Everything looks great, and as said above they have recently come in to, for them, a lot of money. I think many of the alumni see that it is back on the right track and want to support it. I know that all of their numbers, enrollment, SAT's etc. have gone up in the last several years. This years yield was very big for them and they are expecting the largest freshman class in many years. My daughter says the student body seems to be changing too. They are going from the disenchanted, too cool for school group, to a more motivated, hard working bunch with more people joining clubs, student groups, etc.</p>
<p>The 1997 USN&WR lists Bennington with 375 applicants, 241 accepted. Student body of 285.
The 2007 USN&WR lists 723 applicants, 445 accepted. Student body of 608.</p>
<p>younghoss - Antioch itself is not going out of business it is merely shutting down the local factory in Yellow Springs, OH. Now some of the employess have contracts there (the faculty), plus there are corporate bylaws and a complicated governance structure so I would think that there might be a number of potential legal issues involved. For instance Antioch being a non-profit educational institution what happens to the assets when there are not equity stock-holders to distribute them among? I am pretty sure the board of trustees can't just walk off with them or donate them to Code Pink or whatever those Left Wingnuts would normally be inclined to do.</p>
<p>danas--those "2007" USN&WR lists may be published in 2007 but the information is on a delay of at least a year. This past year the student body at Bennington was 657 and will be much larger next Fall as the incoming Freshman class is, I believe I heard from a friend in admissions, over 250.</p>
<p>I have wondered what the closing of Antioch will do to the town of Yellow Springs. From what I have heard it is a little hippie oasis in Ohio. Even as small as the school is, I am sure it's presence has a big impact on the little town. It is all very sad and I keep hoping, or wishing, that some wealthy alum would come along and save it. On the other hand, as I think other people have said, it is a business and if it was not run well, or there is no demand for the product, perhaps this is it's fate.</p>