I am so happy to see the return of the Antiochian and I am beyond grateful to the Alumni Board and the College for making this a priority. As I enter my last and final year as a Trustee for Antioch College, I am in awe with the progress the College has made during my tenure on the Board of Trustees.
As we celebrate 175 years of Antioch College this year, I think it’s imperative we celebrate all the work that led us to this moment. I also think we must be honest about the challenges we have faced and will continue to face, especially in this current political climate.
I was emailing with a fellow alumni leader a few weeks debating some current realities the college faces. And they remarked that hindsight is 2020 and we likely had no idea the work it would take to purchase and re-open a 160-year-old start up. I couldn’t agree more.
I remember the first class of the newly re-opened Antioch College; they had all meals catered because the kitchen was not ready to serve meals. I am sure it mattered to the students, but to us it didn’t matter because our beloved Antioch was re-opened.
After nearly a decade as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees, and most recently as Chair of the Board since 2021; I am exhausted but also very clear Antioch is heading in a good direction.
Antioch needs all of us right now, not because it’s on the brink of closure (can I just say we all need to stop saying that, seriously), but because justice is under threat in ways we have not seen for generations or maybe ever. As we celebrate 175 years, let’s all commit to Antioch for another 175 years. Antioch has given all of us so much, now it’s time we all give back: make a monthly or annual giving plan; share about Antioch to your local communities and recruit students who would be a good fit; donate your time and expertise to events at the Foundry Theater, Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom and our ever-flourishing Antioch College Farm.
Together we can win victories for humanity, I hope to see many of you at Reunion this year, I will be celebrating my 20th anniversary.
Cheers!
Shelby Chestnut
Chair, Board of Trustees for Antioch College
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