Citizens Petition for Attorney General Investigation
Fifteen Greene County, Ohio residents submitted a petition to the Ohio Attorney General asking for an investigation of Antioch University.
The concerned Greene County residents, led by Otha Davenport of Xenia, Ohio, expect that the investigation may clarify the factors that lead to the closure of Antioch College in June of 2008. The college was founded in 1853 with Horace Mann, a progressive educator, as its first acting president. “This [petition] gives the community, the county and the state of Ohio a voice in the future rebuilding of this unique educational institution,” stated Davenport.” Antioch University is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Ohio. Nonprofit organizations are established and recognized under local, state and federal law as institutions that serve a public purpose. This purpose may be social, health, education or other activities that serve the public interest.
“Antioch College is a national treasure and deserves better treatment than was provided by the people entrusted with its care over the past 10 years,” Davenport added, “The number of Fulbright Scholars, Rhodes Scholars and Nobel Prize winners from Antioch are far more than one would expect from the college based on its size. It is truly a national resource.”
In regards to the university, Davenport contends that the Ohio Revised Code recognizes that “one of these institutions may take or not take actions that fail to serve the public interest.” The code also stresses that a group of concerned citizens who live in the same county as the one in which the institution resides, can petition the Ohio Attorney General. The petition may call for an investigation of the actions or inaction of Antioch University’s administration and board of trustees. The attorney general can take steps to correct the situation, including but not limited to removal and replacement of the administration and/or of the board of trustees, if the investigation reveals issues.
Petition signers assert that members of the current Antioch University administration and Antioch University Board of Trustees carried out poor judgment in planning, fund raising and creating academic changes. The citizens hope that any wrongdoing, misfeasance or incompetence done by the university administration and/or board of trustees will be recognized and addressed accordingly by the Ohio Attorney General.
- PETITION – Statement of Facts
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ag_PT_SoF.pdf (72 kb)
- Appendix A – Failure to Inform Donors/Alumni
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- Appendix B – Board Size
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- Appendix C – Fiduciary Duties
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- Appendix D – Investment Committee Minutes
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- Appendix F – Memo, Re: McGregor Bond
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- New Appendixes - TBA