Antioch University Midwest

Background

Antioch College was founded in 1852 as a progressive non-sectarian and co-educational institution of higher learning. Antioch's first president was Horace Mann, the revolutionary educational philosopher whose famous words, "Be Ashamed To Die Until You Have Won Some Victory For Mankind," is still spoken annually at all Antioch University commencement ceremonies.

Under Mann's leadership, Antioch College took the Harvard academic model of Latin, Greek, mathematics, history, philosophy and science to a new level, with an emphasis on educating the "whole individual" with a commitment to social and moral character. The first graduating class consisted of 28 students, with an annual tuition of $24.

Antioch College was also the first to offer courses in the methods of teaching, by College professor Rebecca Pennell- one of the College's ten original faculty members, and the first female college professor in the United States to have the same rank and pay as her male colleagues.

Arthur E. Morgan was president of Antioch College from 1920 to 1936, developing a curriculum in which students alternate on-campus study with off-campus work experience, furthering the Antioch tradition of developing the whole person through education and experiential learning.

Douglas McGregor, a renowned social scientist and management theorist, served as president of Antioch College from 1948 to 1954. McGregor authored a highly influential book, "The Human Side of Enterprise," which revolutionized labor relations by conceiving of employees as inherently creative and self-motivated individuals who had something to offer an organization ("Theory Y"). This notion rippled through the world of managerial practice, challenging the belief that employees must be commanded and controlled because of an inherent desire to avoid work whenever possible ("Theory X").

This socially progressive outlook inspires the role of Antioch University Midwest today.

History

During the 1970s and most of the 1980s, Antioch College offered distance learning to adult students, through the Center for Adult Learning (CAL) and the Individualized Master of Arts (IMA) program. In 1988, these two programs became the School of Adult and Experiential Learning (SAEL), separating from the College and becoming an independent part of Antioch University.

In 1994, SAEL became the McGregor School of Antioch University. Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley assumed the role of President on May 1, 1999. The McGregor School and Antioch College shared the original campus in Yellow Springs, the College providing residential education to traditionally aged students seeking bachelor's degrees, and The McGregor School providing a bachelor's degree completion program to non-traditional students, and master's degrees.

In 2000, The McGregor School was renamed Antioch University McGregor, and in the fall of 2007 AUM moved onto a new campus in Yellow Springs, citing access to technologies and modern facilities as central to its continued growth. The board of Antioch University closed the original Antioch College in 2008, but an association of alumni subsequently purchased its name and assets from the university and Antioch College reopened as a separate, independent, four-year liberal arts college in 2011.

In 2010, Antioch University McGregor was renamed Antioch University Midwest.

AUM Enrollment Statistics

AUM currently enrolls more than 900 students, with 76% in the graduate programs and 24% in the undergraduate programs. The average student age is 39, with approximately 75% of enrollees being female. In 2007, AUM received a Diversity Award from Minority Access, Inc. for their commitment to "inclusion of diverse perspectives" throughout the curriculum, and a 30% minority representation in the student body.

AUM Programs

AUM offers bachelor's degrees in Liberal Arts, Early Childhood Education with Ohio Licensure, Humanities, Management, Health and Wellness, Human Services Administration, Creative Writing, Sustainability and a newly developed Individualized Bachelor of Arts and a certificate in Program Management through an academically intensive model of classes offered on-campus in the evenings and on Saturdays as well as online.

At the graduate level, AUM offers several Master of Arts degrees including the M.A. in Conflict Analysis and Engagement, an M.A. in Management and Leading Change, as well as the Individualized Master of Arts with concentrations in Creative Writing, Philosophy, and Social Sciences. Each of these graduate programs are available with limited-residency using a hybrid online format.

AUM also offers a number of Masters of Education (M.Ed.) programs, licensures, and endorsements certified by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), formerly known as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Teacher licensure is available for early childhood education, middle childhood education, adolescent and young adult, and intervention specialist at both the mild to moderate and moderate to intensive levels. Educators may seek the Ohio Principal Licensure as part of the Masters of Education in Educational Leadership or they may pursue the M.Ed. only. Endorsements are offered for reading, early childhood generalist grades 4 and 5, middle childhood generalist grades 4 through 6, and teacher as leader. Class offerings for the education programs are administered in a cohort model with classes occurring on weekday evenings.

Antioch University Midwest has also launched a graduate-level certificate in Healthcare Consumer Advocacy/Patient Navigation. This program draws students from a wide variety of backgrounds, both within the healthcare system and independently. The HCA/PN program can be a stand-alone certificate or it can be incorporated as part of the Individualized Master of Arts.