Historic Antioch College Faces an Unsure Future　(1/2)

Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is a private liberal-arts school with a history of social activism. It was the first American college to name a woman as a full professor and one of the first to admit students of all races. Antioch also became one of the first to offer work study programs, so students could gain experience in jobs. And it was among the first to stop using grades to record progress.

A Protestant group known as the Christian Church started Antioch College in 1852. Even in those days it was different from most other American colleges because it admitted women as well as men.

During the 1960s, Antioch students were active in the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War. At that time, the college had more than 2000 students. But times changed.

In 1978 Antioch University was created. Antioch College became the undergraduate residential program. But it has struggled with a shortage of students and money. School officials say students are rejecting the college because it lacks modern dormitories, wireless Internet or new athletic buildings. The number of students has dropped to only 400 this past year.