Changes in program aim to increase enrollment

Students want more structure than Antioch has had traditionally, an official said.
YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (AP) -- Antioch College, a small liberal arts school with a history and emphasis on social activism and civil disobedience, is buttoning up its academic program to stop declining enrollment.
The school, located in this village about 20 miles east of Dayton, offers a cooperative education that blends work experience with classroom learning. But enrollment has declined from more than 2,000 in the 1960s to 500 in recent years.
Traditionally, its system was loosely structured. Students made nearly all their co-op arrangements themselves and had solo experiences across the nation.
Now they're going in groups, and a coordinator oversees their co-op.
"We had maintained our system as loosely structured: high-choice, high-freedom, as an exploration, an adventure," said Richard Jurasek, executive vice president of Antioch. "But there are fewer people who want that. They wanted more traditional, less nontraditional; more mainstream, more predictable."
Changes began after the school's trustees hired a panel of outside educators in 2003.
Looser requirements
Students still will work full time for a business, government agency or organization as part of their co-op. Jobs include raising food in the desert and developing art workshops for school children.
But the number of co-op experiences a student must participate in has been reduced from four to three, and the required after-graduation co-op has been eliminated so students can finish college more quickly, preferably within four years.
Although last fall's freshman class was only 63 students, at least 140 students are expected this fall, the school said.
The school has had more applications for the upcoming school year than at any time since the 1970s. The hope is to expand enrollment within the next few years to about 800 students.
And many ingrained aspects of Antioch haven't changed. Classes aren't graded; students either pass or fail. Students still can design their major; seniors are expected to complete a senior project.