Sad News?

When heard of this today, my initial reaction was sadness. It's almost always a sad day when an educational institution dies. Almost.

It seems that Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, will be closing its doors on 1 July 2008. It is uncertain whether it will re-open, though --- as one might expect --- its administration is putting on a brave face.

According to the press release issued by the college:

Over the past several years, Antioch College has experienced a continuing decline in its student enrollment. Given its small endowment and heavy dependence on tuition revenue, this low enrollment has threatened the College’s survival. Efforts to balance the College’s budget over the years through faculty and staff reductions, programmatic changes and deferred maintenance of the physical plant have eroded the confidence students and parents have in the College’s academic program. After careful analysis the Board determined that the College’s resources are inadequate to continue providing a quality education for its students beyond July 1, 2008.

The College’s low enrollment and lack of adequate funding led to the decision to suspend operations and declare financial exigency as required by the faculty personnel policy.

Now, this is a situation with which every College has struggled. Just last year, trustees of the new Benedict Arnold Coll... er, Randolph College, formerly Randolph-Macon Women's College, decided to go co-ed, much to the chagrin of alumnae and other admirers. Happily, my alma mater, Hampden-Sydney College, has enjoyed a growing enrollment, and may be in the strongest position of its 231-year history.

Of course, what Antioch's administrators fail to mention is perhaps the real reason, identified in this week's Opinion Journal: "famous for sundry curious radicalisms like requiring verbal consent before two students may kiss --- was designed to accommodate 2,700 students, but will soon close its doors indefinitely. Its enrollment, now around 300, is no longer sustainable."

One hopes that the far Left would get the message.

But I doubt it.

H/T to the Friar.