2015 was a year of transition for Antioch College, with the reborn college graduating its first class of students just after its first president, Mark Roosevelt, announced he’d be leaving on Dec. 31, at the end of his five-year contract. And by the end of 2015, a new president was on board.

_____

At the beginning of 2015 the college announced that an anonymous donation of $1 million would be earmarked for scholarships for first-generation college students.

_____

The Yellow Springs community responded with robust interest in March to a “charrette,” a planning session for the proposed Antioch College Village, a residential area on campus of environmentally sustainable homes for multi-generation inhabitants, including seniors. Several hundred villagers turned out for the event, led by consultant Sandy Wiggins, that aimed to capture villagers’ thoughts on design and values.

In September Antioch College Board of Trustees announced their intention to move ahead with the project, although they are seeking development partners to procure funding.

_____

Roosevelt announced his plans to leave the school at a community-wide gathering in May, stating that the time felt right to leave partly because the college was moving in a positive direction. Roosevelt expressed confidence that the college will gain accreditation after a lengthy and multi-year process, and he repeated that prediction in an interview in December, following the Higher Learning Commission accreditation team’s November site visit to the college. (Official notification of accreditation status will be given in June, 2016.)

_____

A driving spring rain and a last-minute replacement of civil rights icon John Lewis as speaker didn’t dampen spirits in June for the college’s first commencement ceremony since its rebirth. Dr. Clarence Jones, attorney for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., took the place of Lewis, who couldn’t atttend due to a family emergency, and 21 of the college’s first class of students graduated after an intense four years. Six students spoke at the program, and the World House Choir sang.

_____

In October the college’s fifth class arrived on campus, bringing the total enrollment to about 230 students.

_____

In November the college announced that Roosevelt would be replaced by Thomas Manley of Portland, Ore. Currently the president of the Pacific Northwest College of Art in that city, Manley is credited with leading a turnaround of that school. Manley will begin his job here on March 1, and until then Vice President Andi Adkins will be interim president.

_____

Roosevelt and his family moved at the end of the year to Santa Fe, N.M., where Roosevelt will be president of St. John College.

Program expansion at AU

Antioch University announced several new programs, collaborations or expansions in 2015.

_____

In June AU leaders announced a new collaboration with the Peace Corps, in which the school will offer scholarships for returning Peace Corps volunteers seeking AU master’s degrees. The university also pledged to become an Employer of National Service, in which it will prioritize the hiring of returning Peace Corps volunteers.

_____

In August, 23 men and women graduated from the AU Ph.D. Leadership and Change program. In the program’s 15th year, the university also announced that it has created the Antioch University Graduate School for Leadership and Change, which includes not only the degree program but continuing education.

_____

The university in the summer also talked with the News about its new AU Connected curriculum, which offers an entirely online program for completion of an undergraduate degree. About 100 students from across the country initially signed on for the program, according to AU Chancellor Felice Nudelman, who said the unique aspect of AU Connected is creating online communities of learners.

_____

In December Antioch University Midwest announced a new partnership with Sinclair Community College in Mason that allows AUM faculty to teach undergraduate courses to students at Sinclair’s Mason campus. The partnership will allow students who have an associate degree to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a seamless process.