David Jesse, Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education provides an in-depth account of how a partnership once promoted as a new model for higher education became a legal dispute over governance, authority, and institutional independence. The article traces the Coalition’s formation, the different goals Antioch and Otterbein brought to the arrangement, and their conflicting interpretations of the governance structure established in 2023.
The Chronicle examines how early structural decisions, the Coalition’s failure to add institutional partners, Antioch’s financial review, and changes in leadership contributed to growing tension. It presents perspectives from Antioch and Otterbein while placing the dispute within a larger higher education challenge: how institutions can collaborate as equals without weakening their distinct identities or creating uncertainty about who holds decision-making authority.