For Admitted Students

Dr. Jane Fernandes is the first deaf woman to lead an American college or university. She is a native of Worcester, Mass., and has three decades of experience in higher education. Fernandes is committed to education and social justice wherever she serves. In 1993, she received the Alice Cogswell Award from Gallaudet University for valuable service on behalf of deaf citizens. She has dedicated her career to making education excellence accessible to all students. She knows we learn more about ourselves in a rich environment open to everyone and works to ensure that no one is so defined by their circumstances. 

A Message From the President:

Fall 2025

Dear future Antiochian,

Congratulations! You are about to make a life changing choice. I love our small, beautiful community at Antioch College. I can’t wait to see how you help shape it.

Let me introduce myself and preview some of what is to come and who will help you on your journey. I serve as Provost. That means I am responsible for the faculty who will teach and mentor you, the student experience that will shape you, and the curriculum and meaningful work that will prepare you to make a difference in your community and chosen profession.

Antioch College has always been a college that changes lives. We aren’t like other colleges and we don’t think we need to be. Our signature approach to classroom, co-op, and community (the “3 Cs”) means you will be transformed by our focus on interdisciplinary inquiry, meaningful work, holistic advising, and a shared commitment to justice and putting learning into action. Antioch graduates are prepared to help lead the world into a future that works better for everyone. 

We are proud that the world is again beginning to notice that we are onto something:

• Antioch has a unique applied liberal arts curriculum based in interdisciplinary inquiry, experiential learning, and action. This year, that earned us a 2024 Leading Colleges Award for Social Justice.
• Last year, we scored 4.5 out of 5 on the Campus Pride Index, becoming the most affirming private college in Ohio. Inclusion matters in our community.
• Last year, we achieved the status of a Federal Work College, becoming the tenth in the nation and the first in Ohio. Meaningful work is embedded in all that we do.
• Now, we are becoming a destination for the surrounding community with our unique “campus learning hubs” where we put learning in action: a sustainable microfarm, community theater and gallery, literary review, holistic wellness center, student-driven campus shop, and a justice center named after one of our most beloved alumni, the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom.

You will begin to receive regular messages from various folks at Antioch as you consider your journey and as we prepare for your arrival. In particular, let me introduce you to the team of Deans who are each responsible for one of the signature ingredients of an Antioch education:

Classroom: Dean Snyder, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, dsnyder@antiochcollege.edu

Co-op: Luisa Bieri, Dean of Cooperative, International, & Community-Based Learning, lbieri@antiochcollege.edu

Community: Sherri Ihle, Dean of Students and Community Life, sihle@antiochcollege.edu

You will get to know each of us – and many more – in your time at Antioch. Always know that we are rooting for you and our doors are open to you.

Generations before you have made this choice, then gone on to change the world. We can’t wait to meet you and introduce you to everyone who makes Antioch special, including Jane Fernandes, our President. 

See you on campus!

Brian Norman

Provost and Principal Academic Officer

bnorman@antiochcollege.edu

View the letter in PDF format.

Congratulations on your admission to Antioch College!

As the Dean of Cooperative, International and Community-based Learning at Antioch, I want to welcome you and invite you to join our community.

Meaningful work is a core part of Antioch’s distinctive educational experience, which is gaining more national recognition than ever before. Antioch received a Leading Colleges 2024 Social Justice Award in recognition of the vibrant, inclusive community we continue to build together, and just last month we were featured in Newsweek magazine for our distinctive approach to integrating meaningful work into a liberal arts education. Last year we also achieved Federal Work College designation, among only ten colleges nationally and the first in the state of Ohio. I am proud to be at Antioch at this exciting time, and want to share with you more about our work program—a hallmark of an Antioch education for over 100 years.

All of our students participate in a dual work program that includes Cooperative Education (Co-op) and Antioch College Works. Learning at Antioch occurs across our “3 Cs”: what we commonly call Classroom, Co-op and Community. Throughout, you will develop skills, try out ideas, and explore potential career paths alongside a dynamic network of mentors, advisors, coworkers and friends. You will build connections throughout our campus, our local region, as well as across the country and around the globe.

Campus Work Crews
All students at Antioch get to join a work crew and contribute 5 hours each week at a campus learning hub or other area. You can choose to cultivate sustainable practices at our Antioch micro-Farm and Farm-to Table kitchens, or add to local and national justice efforts of the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom. You can work alongside arts professionals at The Foundry Theater or The Herndon Gallery. Work crews help run the Olive Kettering Library, and gain a holistic approach to individual and community health at our Wellness Center, offering fitness, yoga, swimming, pickleball and more to members of Antioch and the Yellow Springs community. Whatever work crew you join, you will both join a tight-knit community and gain meaningful work experience along the way.

The first 5 hours of campus work per week are required for all residential students who live on campus to earn the Work Program Tuition Grant in your financial aid award. You may choose to work an additional 5 and up to 10 more work hours for a paycheck. We will support you to find a balance between work and your studies, so we’ll provide regular check-ins on your academic progress and hours worked.

Prior to coming to Antioch, you will receive a Job Preference Form to share your interests around which work crew you’d like to join. In addition, we’ll ask you to submit your resume, so that we can share the skills and talents that you bring with crew supervisors, as you join your first work crew in the fall.

Co-op in the World
You will also spend up to a third of your academic program—a minimum of three academic terms—engaged in full-time work, research, or self-directed learning enterprises that have earned Antioch students an international reputation for creativity, industriousness, and ingenuity. At the core of the co-op experience is professional engagement—meaningful work in challenging settings where you generally can expect reasonable compensation for your contributions.

You will work closely with your Co-op Advisor—a faculty member dedicated to helping you on your co-op journey—on deciding where to apply and effectively landing a job. Not only will you graduate with an outstanding education, an impressive resume, and compelling stories of co-op adventures in distant locales, you also will discover your unique talents as you take action in the world.

Please don’t hesitate to reach with any questions as you make this important decision. On behalf of the whole
team in the Work Program, we look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,
Luisa Bieri
Dean of Cooperative, International and Community-based Learning
Associate Professor of Cooperative Education, Community Arts & Performance
Antioch College | Cooperative Education Program
One Morgan Place | Yellow Springs OH 45385 | South Hall | 937.319.0099

View the letter in PDF format.