Dear Faculty and Staff,
Thank you to the over 200 of you who were able to attend Tuesday’s Community Update meeting. I appreciated getting to see many of your faces. Because we live, work, and teach across the country, virtual events like this help us show up for one another and stay connected as a community. These human connections strengthen the Antioch University we have built and sustained together: geographically dispersed, yet united by mission.
Try as we may to reach as many Antiochians as possible, our various schedules make it difficult for all who are interested in joining these time-specific events. If you were not able to attend Tuesday’s meeting, the Cabinet and I are providing an overview of what we covered. The slides presented by the team are available here.
Stephanie Helms Pickett, our VP for Inclusive Excellence & Student Affairs, started the meeting with a reflection, asking us to consider the question, “What do you need—or have to offer—as we navigate this moment together?” This is the word cloud that resulted:
We also heard from multiple other members of the Cabinet. Josh Jacobs, our VP of Institutional Advancement, recounted the timeline of events that brought us to this point of conflict with CCG leadership. He shared his personal experience being in the Ohio courtroom last Friday and the powerful support for Antioch that he saw and felt during the six-hour-long hearing.
Next, Charlie McFarland, our Interim VP of Finance & Chief Financial Officer, described the efforts—outside of the official litigation—Antioch has made to resolve disagreements with the CCG. From the very beginning of this conflict, it has been Antioch that has sought at every turn to avoid or shorten the costly litigation process. Charlie also reported on the granular demands that CCG President John Comerford is making for Antioch’s financial and HR information.
Our VP of Academic Affairs & University Provost Sandy Madar walked us through the successes we have had in maintaining our academic programs, enrollment pipelines, and student services amidst this crisis. She spotlighted the daily dedication of faculty and staff who ensure that our educational mission is not compromised even in these tough times. Provost Madar and I also shared two updates: we will pause the Academic Program Review and continue supporting faculty research and scholarship through Antioch’s Faculty Development Fund, despite our very tight budgets.
Finally, Michelle Finley, Assistant Vice President for Accreditation & Academic Assessment and Antioch’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), provided an important update. She posted in the meeting chat the letter CCG President Comerford sent to the HLC, raising concerns that the letter did not reflect the care and respect Antioch has long shown for the HLC. Because accreditation ranks among Antioch’s most important academic assets, Dr. Finley suggested that Dr. Comerford’s letter has created avoidable uncertainty and drawn heightened attention from our accreditor. Given all that Antioch is already managing, the letter adds another unfortunate complication—one largely created by the CCG leadership.
As she concluded her remarks, Dr. Finley shared a link to an employee Statement of No Confidence and Opposition to Recent CCG Board’s Governance Actions that has been circulating for less than a week. The growing number of signatures reflects the concern these governance actions have raised among Antioch colleagues. Dr. Finley invited any Antioch faculty or staff member to review the statement and decide for themselves if they want to add their signature.
We had time to answer a number of questions from attendees. The final question is one that is top of mind for many of you, and for me too: when will the court rule on our request for an injunction? The answer is that we don’t know; but, as soon as we do hear, you will be among the first to know.
Maintain the faith and the good work that Keeps Antioch University Antioch.
Sincerely,
Lori Varlotta
President, Antioch University