Dear Students,
Thank you to each of you who attended the Student Update meeting on Tuesday. We were pleased to have over 160 students in attendance, and my colleagues and I were glad to have the chance to answer the many good questions you asked. My hope is that you heard loud and clear the biggest takeaway: that the University will continue operating normally while Antioch’s governance dispute with the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG) leadership is resolved. We do not expect this dispute to cause any changes to your class schedule, your curricula, your student experience, or your financial aid.
I also heard from our Academic Affairs and Student Affairs leadership that the office hours held immediately after the meeting were well-attended and provided a useful venue for more specific questions and concerns to be addressed. Because of the value of those office hours, our Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Sandra Madar and our Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Student Affairs Stephanie Helms Pickett will be holding joint office hours again next week:
Wednesday, September 9 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT OFFICE HOURS ZOOM LINK
Thursday, September 10 at 4pm ET / 1pm PT OFFICE HOURS ZOOM LINK
If you are having any questions or concerns about the current governance dispute, I encourage you to attend one of these office hours. You can also find answers to many questions in the FAQ on the Antioch Forward microsite. (Please note that these office hours will be capped at 15 students at a time, so if you find yourself in the “waiting room,” please remain there and we will bring you into the office hours as soon as we can.)
I heard some feedback that the timing of Tuesday’s Community Update was not ideal for those of you who had class all day or other commitments that could not be rearranged. Let me assure you that as we plan future Student Update meetings, we intend to schedule them at different times, so students with different schedules will be able to attend. When possible, we will also give more notice before any meeting.
Lastly, I want to share some news from the governance dispute between Antioch and the CCG. On Tuesday morning, the court in Greene County, Ohio, granted Antioch’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). The TRO temporarily prohibits CCG leadership from acting on the resolutions passed by the CCG Board on Friday, August 28, 2026 and from taking adverse action against the AU Board of Governors, President, or leadership team. (Here is the full text of the TRO.) In practical terms, for the time being, the TRO preserves stability and the status quo. The work of Antioch—holding classes, supervising projects, and providing robust faculty and staff support—will continue as usual.
Sincerely,
Lori Varlotta
President, Antioch University