Ejemplos de utilización

Subcomponent 1.D.1. Actions and decisions reflect an understanding that in its

educational role the institution serves the public, not solely the institution, and thus entails a public obligation.

As noted elsewhere in this chapter, Antioch University has a long history of dedication to the public good and the advancement of social, economic, and environmental justice. One recognition of the institution’s effectiveness in achieving its public purpose was Antioch University’s inclusion on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll twice (2010 and 2012). Representative examples of the types of University actions that earned recognition include:

n The Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS) honored Antioch University as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement as noted above.

n In 2006, AU New England was awarded the “Community Engaged Colleges and Universities” classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, in two sub-categories, “Curricular Engagement” and “Outreach and Partnerships.”

n Since 1999, the Bridge Program at AU Los Angeles has been providing college-level classes to low-income adults at no cost to students. (http://www.antiochla.edu/ thebridgeprogram/)

n AU Santa Barbara sponsors a free public Social Justice Film Series screening films such as “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Race to Nowhere,” and “Food, Inc.”

n AU Midwest sponsors free public lectures on such issues as fracking and injection wells, environmentally friendly landscaping, smaller footprint farms, and gas and oil drilling awareness and education.

More detailed evidence documenting that the University recognizes its responsibility to serve the public good and responds to this mandate is provided in Selected Examples of University Service for the Public Good Report, accessible in the Virtual Exhibition Hall Resource Room.

Subcomponent 1.D.2. The institution’s educational responsibilities take primacy over other purposes, such as generating financial returns for investors, contributing to a related or parent organization, or supporting external interests.

The institution’s educational responsibilities take primacy over all other purposes. Antioch University has 501(c)(3) status with the federal government and is a not-for- profit, private university. It has a self- perpetuating Board of Governors with one concern – the preservation and prosperity of Antioch University devoted to public service. There are no investors, parent organizations,

or external interests supported by the University.

Subcomponent 1.D.3. The institution engages with its identified external constituencies and communities of interest and responds to their needs as its mission and capacity allow.

Antioch University engages external constituencies with its mission. One way this occurs is through the assessment of community needs as part of the program development process. The New Degree Program Approval Policy (5.209) states any new proposal must show “that the program is responsive to regional and/or national needs and appropriate to student markets.” At a general level, Antioch University’s undergraduate degree completion programs developed in response to need for flexible, adult-oriented programs for students with multiple responsibilities. Antioch’s master’s and doctoral level psychology programs developed in response to social need for trained mental health practitioners and researchers. The University’s master’s level education programs developed in response to a need for trained teachers in public and private schools. Its master’s and doctoral level programs in management developed in response to the need for for-profit and nonprofit managers. Our master’s and doctoral level programs in environmental studies and urban sustainability developed in response to growing concern for solutions to critical ecological issues.

Another aspect of responding to the needs

of external constituencies is the primacy of socially engaged experiential learning in Antioch University programs. Based on Antioch College’s ground-breaking co-op programs, virtually all current University programs require student engagement with the community. Representative examples include:

n Undergraduate internships in community businesses, nonprofit organizations, arts organizations, community mental health agencies, and youth organizations.

n Graduate psychology traineeships in nonprofit and for-profit community mental health agencies, listed in Criterion 3.

n Graduate management Field Study Projects for community businesses.

n Graduate creative writing internships in community-based organizations.

n Graduate education student teaching placements in public and private schools, listed in Criterion 3.

n Graduate environmental sustainability internships in public and private agencies.

n Real-world change projects in a variety of community settings in the University’s PhD in Leadership and Change Programs.

More detailed evidence documenting how the University engages with its identified external constituencies and its responsiveness to community interests and needs is provided in the document Selected Examples of University Community Engagement, available in the Virtual Exhibition Hall Resource Room.

Component 1.D Summary As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, private

institution, Antioch University exists to serve its students and the larger society. It has no investors, parent organizations, or external interests supported by the University, and devotes its total energy and resources to the education of adult students with multiple responsibilities, often returning to college after an interruption of study.

The institution is actively engaged with local/regional areas where campuses operate, and programs and services are designed with community needs of paramount importance. Its programs strive to satisfy community needs through rigorous academic programs and experiential learning opportunities in the communities it serves. The overarching function of the University is to serve the public good.