Updates

“For months, Antioch has sought mediation aimed at an amicable separation from the CCG. We did not choose this legal battle, but we are prepared to fight it,” said Antioch University President Lori Varlotta. 

The University was prepared for the procedural setback it experienced yesterday. Less than 24 hours after the Greene County court denied Antioch’s preliminary injunction on standing grounds, an Antioch University Board of Governors member who also serves as a CCG director filed a new action. She is seeking emergency protection for Antioch’s Board, assets, governing agreements, and employees while the case proceeds. 

Antioch believes the director has standing to seek that relief. The court has not yet ruled on the new action. Importantly, the court’s Sept 28 decision addressed who could bring the prior case—not whether Antioch University’s case had legal merits and not whether or not the CCG violated its agreements. 

“The Antioch Board of Governors cannot be dissolved as the CCG claims. The Board, the president it hired to advance Antioch’s mission, and Antioch’s faculty and staff know what is best for this University. We are Antiochians. We will not stand down and let the CCG betray the promises and pledges upon which the Coalition was founded,” said Steve Crandall, Chair of the Antioch University Board of Governors.

Today an Ohio Court denied the Antioch University Board of Governors’ request for a preliminary injunction. In denying Antioch’s request for a preliminary injunction, the Court confined its ruling to the issue of standing. The Court determined that the Antioch University Board of Governors is not the right party to bring this suit.

This is a procedural setback. 

To be clear, however, the court did not say anything about whether the lawsuit itself is meritorious. Today’s court decision does not resolve whether CCG’s proposed actions comply with the governing documents. Antioch maintains that CCG must follow the procedures required by its bylaws and the Affiliation Agreement before it can dissolve the Antioch University Board of Governors, assume control of Antioch’s bank accounts, interfere with Antioch’s relationship with the Higher Learning Commission, or terminate Antioch’s President. Antioch’s position is that those procedures have not been followed. 

The dispute is not over.

We have added a Timeline to the Antioch Forward site, so that reporters and interested community members can learn about the events leading to this current conflict. Primary sources are linked throughout.

The Common Pleas Court of Greene County, Ohio this morning extended the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) prohibiting the CCG Leadership from taking any action on the resolutions it passed on Friday, August 28, 2026, for another 14 days. The Court also directed the parties to return to the mediation that CCG had canceled less than a week before it was to begin. It is our hope that we can reach a resolution through the mediation process.

Read Antioch University’s statement in response to the ruling.

Antioch University welcomes the news that the Temporary Restraining Order protecting Antioch has been continued for another 14 days. We remain confident in our legal position, and we are certain of our moral position. It is striking that the CCG leadership has not even tried to make a moral case for why they should be able to dismantle our institutional safeguards and take full possession of Antioch University. 

We look forward to mediation, and we hope that this time the CCG leadership follows through with it and participates in good faith. We prepared for the previously scheduled mediation session for months, before the CCG unilaterally canceled it days before it was scheduled to begin. Now the judge has ordered the CCG to return to this mediation that we initially proposed and have always been open to. We look forward to discussing a way forward that resolves this dispute without any further damage to Antioch University or Otterbein University.

Over the previous 14 days, we have seen a profusion of support for Antioch University. Many of the founders of the CCG who participated in negotiations and even signed the founding agreements have spoken up to say that this attempted hostile takeover is anathema to the founding spirit and in direct violation of the letter of the founding documents. Over a dozen alumni, faculty, and friends have written letters of support and over 200 people have signed an outside petition supporting Antioch’s independence. 

We will continue doing everything we can to protect the interest of Antioch University, our employees, our students, and our mission.

We have added a new section to the Antioch Forward site, The Flashpoint: Documents Behind the Dispute. This page shares key information and primary sources surrounding the events that led to the current conflict between Antioch University and the CCG.

Today, CCG Co-Founder and Former Chancellor Bill Groves shared his letter to the CCG Board of Directors, asserting that “Antioch’s governing protections were not technicalities buried in legal documents. They were essential, non-negotiable commitments upon which Antioch agreed to enter the Coalition.”

The Frequently Asked Questions were updated with a new section: “Antioch Governance Myths & Facts.”

A new “In the News” page was added, collecting news clippings from local and industry outlets.

The Antioch Faculty Senate has given permission to share their June and August letters to the CCG Board of Directors formally stating the faculty’s support for the Antioch University Board of Governors, President Varlotta, and the process of evaluating the CCG.

Antioch University President Lori Varlotta and Board of Governors Chair Steve Crandall shared a video message with the Antioch community.

The Common Pleas Court of Greene County, Ohio this morning granted Antioch’s motion for a Temporary Restraining Order. Find more details in the FAQ.

Today, the CCG Board of Directors passed three resolutions: 1.) an attempt to dissolve the Antioch University Board of Governors, 2.) an attempt to take control of the bank accounts and funds of Antioch University, and 3.) an attempt to interfere with Antioch’s relationship with the Higher Learning Commission. CCG Leadership also unilaterally ended the mediation process. This is nothing less than an attempted hostile takeover of Antioch University.

In response, Antioch began taking legal action to prevent CCG’s hostile takeover. President Varlotta and Board Chair Steve Crandall sent a message to the Antioch Community about the situation. Shortly after that letter went out, President Varlotta together with VPAA & Provost Sandra Madar and VPIESA Stephanie Helms Pickett sent a message to all Antioch Students about the situation. Additionally, the Antioch Forward microsite (this site) was launched, with a robust FAQ.