Antioch University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Antioch University


Established	1850
Type	Private university system
Chancellor	Tullisse A. Murdock
Location	Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA
Website	www.antioch.edu/

Antioch University is a six-campus American university with campuses in four states. An outgrowth of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, each of Antioch's campuses has its own distinct academic programs, community life, and regional identity. Antioch has developed a new Ph.D. program and a growing number of on-line courses. It is founded on principles of rigorous liberal arts education, innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship.

1 History of Antioch
- 1.1 Beginnings
- 1.2 1960s university expansion
2 Campuses
3 Notable alumni
4 External links

[edit] History of Antioch

[edit] Beginnings

Antioch University is the result of American educator Horace Mann's dream to establish a college comparable to Harvard but with some notable differences. This college was to be completely non-sectarian and co-educational, and with a curriculum that would not only include the traditional treatment of the classics, but would emphasize science and the scientific method, history and modern literature. Students would not compete for grades, but would be encouraged to pursue issues of interest to them, read what they consider worthwhile, and present papers on topics of their own choosing. Founded in 1850 as Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Horace Mann was the first president of the College in 1852.

From its inception, racial and sexual equality, independent study and independent thinking were integral parts of Antioch. Six students were accepted for the first quarter: four men and two women who came to share the same college classrooms for the first time in the U.S. The notion of sexual equality extended also to the faculty. Antioch was the first U.S. college to designate a woman as full professor, and the original faculty included seven men and two women. Then, in 1863, the college instituted the policy that no applicant was to be rejected on the basis of race.

Antioch has always attracted faculty who were concerned with innovations in education. In the early 1850's, Rebecca Pennel offered a course on teaching methods which was the first of its kind, while John Burns Weston, class of 1857, established a long-standing precedent by being both student and faculty simultaneously. He taught Greek language and literature for 20 years and remained a life long student.

While Antioch has never diverged from the philosophy of Horace Mann, the present form of an Antioch education traces its roots to the election of Arthur Morgan as President of the college in 1920. Morgan, like Mann, believed in the development of the individual as a whole. Having seen the difficulty encountered by ivory-tower academicians attempting to participate in the business world, he resolved to change the cloistered educational experience by providing students with work experience in their field. This was the beginning of Antioch's unique program of work and study.

Morgan initiated the practice of student government. He also changed the nature of the admissions procedure. Rather than relying on entrance examinations, Morgan opted for more personal information on prospective students. In addition, senior exams were graded "honors" or "pass" and students who failed could retake the exam. Morgan remained at Antioch until 1933, when President Roosevelt requested that he assume directorship of the Tennessee Valley Authority Project.

[edit] 1960s university expansion

In the early 1960's, Antioch extended its special curriculum to students in new settings, by taking over the Putney School of Education in Vermont (now Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire). During the next decade, other adult learning programs were instituted: among them, Antioch Seattle; Antioch Southern California with campuses in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; and the Antioch Education Abroad Program (with centers in London, Germany and other locations).

In 1975, Juarez-Lincoln University in Austin, Texas became an affiliate of Antioch, through the Antioch Graduate School of Education. Antioch withdrew its support in 1979, however, at which point Juarez-Lincoln closed. [1]

The Santa Barbara campus has grown from a handful of students in 1977 to a current enrollment of over 270. Antioch University Santa Barbara serves adult students; the average student's age is 36. It offers seven degree programs: a B.A. in Liberal Studies, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology, the MA in Psychology - Individualized Concentration, a PsyD, an M.A. in Organizational Management, which trains leaders in business, government and service organizations, a Teacher Credential program with an M.A. in Education, and an MAEx.

The B.A. Program offers students a core curriculum of required courses and flexibility in slanting their elective studies to meet their personal and career goals. Academic studies revolve around certain liberal arts emphases, such as psychology, social services administration, communication and business management. Students can, in certain circumstances, create their own "emphasis". Antioch encourages independent thinking, practical application of theory, and the study of ethical and social issues.

[edit] Campuses

Antioch University Los Angeles, California

Antioch University McGregor

Antioch University New England

Antioch University Santa Barbara

Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio

Antioch University Seattle - offers degrees in clinical psychology, education, management, strategic communication, whole systems design, organizational psychology, environment and community, and a Bachelor's completion program. With a strong social justice bent, it is geared to support the working student with weekend and evening classes. Located near the Space Needle in downtown Seattle.