SHIMER COLLEGE LAMENTS CLOSING OF ANTIOCH

The Shimer College community has reacted with sadness to the news of the closing of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  Meeting on the day the news broke, the Shimer faculty called for a public testimonial of regret at the demise of this distinctive liberal arts college.    

Although the two colleges, Antioch and Shimer, differ in many ways, they have both long been radically out of step with mainstream American higher education.  “Antioch College served as a training ground for the civil rights and peace movements for decades, including some very dark decades, when risks were high,” commented Barbara Stone, Dean of the College.  “Their students actually changed the world.  What college is out there to replace Antioch?”   

“We feel we have lost a close cousin, one that like Shimer has been around for 150 years adhering to a distinct mission regardless of its popularity,” added Shimer President William Craig Rice.  “We do Great Books, a contrarian program today, and Antioch did political activism.  We both worked from deep traditions and drew generations of students willing to try something different.”

The Shimer Office of Admission has promised prompt action on applications by Antioch students considering transferring to Shimer because of its classical curriculum, small classes, and intense interpersonal environment.           

“The loss of Antioch is frankly epochal in the history of American education,” Rice added.  “As Socrates told the jury after his death sentence, ‘You will not easily find another.’”