Philadelphia Chapter Meeting - December 13, 2009 - MP3 [117:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Philadelphia chapter meeting with Morgan Fellows Jean Gregorek & Beverly Rodgers in attendance.

Video & audio of this can also be accessed on any java capable computer at https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2009-12-07.0715.M.5D75135CE5AA7580BDF80166F2009D.vcr

MINUTES:  Philadelphia Chapter Antioch Alumni
December 13, 2009  -  Swarthmore College Kohlberg Hall

Attendees:
Deena Pollack, Nancy Geist, Lyne Harmon, Bob Harmon, Judy Voet, Nick Sanders, Ted Goertzel, Norma Van Dyke, Judy Gross, Libby Blackman, Anne Wingfield Kaplan, Deborah Curtiss, Pat Savadove, Molly Sayvetz, Mitzi Cooper, Helen Mangelsdorf , Deborah Bakan, Chris Jones, Ray Tumarkin, Kathleen Corr, Robert Hernblad. Elly Bulova, Alice Maxfield, Ellen Reynolds, John Hollis
Online attendees: Carolyn Awalt, Hal McCartor, Jon Morris, Dan Ayers

Nick Sanders opened the meeting by calling for a voice vote on the slate of candidates for chapter offices.   The vote was unanimous.  Election results are as follows:  Corresponding Secretary/Chair,  Communications:  Judy Voet;  Treasurer/ Chair,  Finance Committee:  Bob Harmon;  Chair, /Events-Social Committee:  Robert Hernblad;  Chair, Fundraising Committee:  Steve Tobias;  Recording Secretary:  Nick Sanders.

Nick noted thank-you’s due to the nominating committee,  to Ann Kaplan for organizing refreshments, to Judy Voet for securing the meeting space and for helping with the online hookup.  Ted Goertzal initiated the online hookup and maintained the online connection throughout the meeting.   There were four online listeners to the Dec. 13 presentation via Elluminate. A recording of this session can be viewed at:

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2009-12-07.0715.M.5D75135CE5AA7580BDF80166F2009D.vcr

Deborah Curtiss pointed out she had copies of Scott Sanders’ book on Antioch for sale.

Aimee Maruyama then introduced the day’s program presented by two Morgan Fellows:  Antioch College:  Its New Design for Liberal Education.  The Morgan Fellows  present were Jean Gregorek and Beverly Rodgers.  Aimee described the concept of Morgan Fellows:  they are responsible for presenting to the Antioch College Board of Trustees a concept of the new college in January.  More details of the timetable were provided by Beverly later in  the meeting [see text below ].

The Morgan Fellows are all former faculty of the College.   Four have been selected; two vacancies remain.    Aimee said that the remaining Fellows are expected to be chosen from the field of science.

The Fellows have been touring the College alumni chapters in an effort to elicit ideas and comments for the curriculum they are developing for the Board in January.   In addition, they are responsible for  organizing symposia on various subjects in order to continue intellectual life on campus.

First to speak was Jean Gregorek,  professor of literature.  She taught at the College for 14 years and worked with Non-Stop for one year.  Currently, she is a Fellow and consulting with Ohio State, her place of employment before Antioch.  She spoke briefly about her responsibility in organizing the symposia.  The first was held two weeks ago, about life of immigrant workers, went well.  Subsequent topics include Native American cultural identity, prison reform, green innovations, issues in higher education centered around the liberal arts college.

Jean described thinking about the liberal arts curriculum in the context of the co-op experience.  This includes an international component of the co-op built into the curriculum,  i.e. required.

She quoted Algo Henderson’s definition of a liberal education.

Next to speak was Beverly Rodgers.  She is a professor of social anthropology at the College.   She described the Morgan Fellows’ beginning in September;   the Fellows did not want to base their work  solely on their own experiences in the liberal arts.  Hence, these local presentations by the Fellows.

She described the ten-year longitudinal study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities on liberal arts education.  [ See suggested reading list distributed online and at the chapter meeting .]  She suggested that this article would qualify for some as a mission statement.

Beverly pointed out that our co-op is an extension of the liberal arts, not a pre-professional  model.  She added that this non-vocational model will be maintained.

She noted the importance of developing a plan for diversity on the campus for both faculty and student populations.  It is critical to have a diverse faculty before we recruit a diverse student body.  Also important is to ensure that everyone has access to higher education.

One goal Beverly described is to shape a curriculum for the Twenty-first Century which is inviting to this college generation, intellectually challenging,  and one requiring effort.

The meeting was then opened for discussion, questions, comments.

Pat Savadove proposed that the College be linked with specific Institutes, for example, the Integral Philosophy Institute, which studies cycles in human history.  There are several institutes with which Antioch might be interested in partnering.  Because these organizations do not fit the standard academic pattern, they are particularly attractive to today’s students.

Nick Sanders questioned the three-year plan.  He described the danger of attracting only a very directed student whose goals and interests are already decided before admission.  The Fellows replied that the three-year plan has not been decided; it’s possible that one could choose not to go through in three years.  Going three years for twelve months a year results in being one semester short of a typical four-year college program.

Aimee noted that in the past much time was spent photocopying articles, typing papers, gathering other resources — all of which has been much improved by technology.  The student’s prep time has been drastically reduced.

A Fellow added the idea of studying while on co-op.  For example,   language learning lends itself to study while working a co-op.

Ted Goertzel pointed out need to differentiate the College from the current liberal arts colleges.  He suggested that the College be centered on social organizing, i.e.,  working for social change, or social entrepreneurship, building organizations, companies and movements.  He expressed the view that the co-op jobs should be more closely integrated with the course work, which would be facilitaqted if they were with social change organizations.

Helen Mangelsdorf suggested that the College focus on training teachers, since the current teacher-training is very inadequate in our country.

Debbie Baken  said that, in contrast to teacher-training programs around the country,  the Antioch Education Department in the Seventies was unique and prepared the student well.  It was a theoretical approach on campus, with additional large amounts of student teaching provided via the co-op.  This resulted in educating the whole student.

Kathleen Corr described the question “What does what I learn in class have to do with the outside reality? “  This is the question not asked in other degree programs.  She suggested that, for this reason,  Antioch students might benefit from career counseling, common in other programs.  She also noted that the restoration aspect of science be used as a core concept;  e.g. environmental restoration linked to social justice. Research skills would be included.  She added that emotional education  [ feelings, needs, position of power ] be coupled with diversity in the curriculum.

Kathleen also   said that the College needed to re-connect with the many fellowship programs, which separated from the College over the years.

Debbie also urged  that inquiry-based learning be incorporated into the new plans.

Judy Gross suggested that a three-year curriculum is too short for students to mature and to digest what they are learning.  She also supported the idea of “basic education” being included.

Judy Voet stressed the importance of science and interdisciplinary science courses,  e.g. environmental science,  biomedical science  to future students.  She added that in the third year, work and study experiences should be integrated.  She said that alumni should help develop meaningful jobs for the co-op program.

This led to a brief discussion from the floor about jobs.  Is there anything that qualifies as a “menial job”   — or can students learn from the job experience, not necessarily the job itself.

Anne Kaplan said that learning from experience was the only way she learned while at Antioch.  She noted a need to inquire about  the pedagogy of experiential education.  What makes a work experience?

Robert Hernblad asked what would draw students to Antioch, as opposed to any other liberal arts college currently operating ?  He cautioned on narrowing the experience.

Raymond Tamarkin  said that exploration and inquiry are part of developing the thinking process.  We need to recognize that students shift in their interests.

Kathleen Corr added that there is a pressure to be focused on today’s students.  She suggested bringing high school students to YSO for a college experience.

Joan Stockton noted that the value of a co-op was not professional, rather life experience in the real world.  She added that the three-year model will attract a student who might not have considered college.

Bob Harmon noted that education is about learning and unintended consequences.  He pointed out the urgent need to integrate science into the other disciplines.

Mitzi Cooper added that Antioch engineering students had a much broader experience to other disciplines than students in traditional colleges.  She added that Antioch needs to maintain the breadth and openness that allows students to grow.

Dan Ayres, an online participant, threw out a question about definition of “core values.”  Audience members responded with critical thinking, social justice, curiosity, sustainability, openness, community .

Beverly closed the Fellows segment by discussing the timetable.  The Fellows have employed a marketing group to do focus group of 17 – and 18-year-olds.  By the third week in January, a draft of the curriculum will be presented to the College Board of Trustees  By June 2010, the curriculum must be complete.  An admissions director must be hired by June 2010 if the entering class is slated for Fall 2011.

She discussed the issue of accreditation by the North Central Accreditation Association and the Ohio Board of Regents.  We must prove that we have enough money to graduate the first class recruited in 2011.  Besides the curriculum issues, the money issue is stark: if there is insufficient  money to ensure that  graduation,  accreditation will be withheld.

Both Fellows Jean and Beverly invited the group to email them with any questions, comments, ideas.

jgregorek@antiochcollege.org
brodgers@antiochcollege.org

Aimee closed the meeting with a discussion of alumni donations.  Currently, the percentage of Antioch alumni who donate is five percent.  The goal is to have 25% of alumni participating in giving.  It was pointed out that the 25% is more important than the amount each one contributes.  That is,  the grant-giving institutions look at the percentage of participation as being the most significant factor.  So Aimee encouraged people to contribute at a level that is “personally comfortable.”

#     #     #     #

—- Libby Blackman

Recording Secretary