Антиохский университет подал в суд на коалицию, обвинив её в попытке захвата контроля над вузом

Antioch University, a primarily online school based in Yellow Springs, is suing a group the university created with Otterbein University, a private university in Westerville, to prevent what Antioch University calls a “hostile takeover.” Antioch University and Otterbein University created the “Coalition for the Common Good” in 2023 to share resources. The original agreement made Antioch and Otterbein equals though the Otterbein University president, John Comerford, is the president of CCG. However, the structure is a little more complicated. Antioch University became an operating division of the Coalition for the Common Good, while Otterbein retained its own corporate identity as a subsidiary of CCG, along with its fiduciary board, name, brand, and separate accreditation, said Antioch spokeswoman Karen Hamilton. Antioch continues to have its own board of governors with delegated governance responsibilities and remains separately accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, she said. But in August, CCG scheduled a meeting to amend Antioch University’s bylaws to dissolve the Antioch Board of Governors and amend some CCG bylaws, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 28 in Greene County Common Pleas Court. While the lawsuit states the vote never happened, Antioch University says, “CCG acts as if the AU Board of Governors has been dissolved. As described above, CCG has attempted to hastily oust Antioch’s sitting president, Lori Varlotta.” The lawsuit alleges the issue began when Varlotta analyzed CCG’s finances and long-term strategy. “Her analysis showed that CCG was in financial trouble, that it had not fulfilled its goal of attracting other institutions, and that continued financial distress would interfere with Antioch’s ability to serve its students,” the lawsuit said. CCG responds While CCG was founded in 2023 to include multiple universities, only Antioch and Otterbein are members. The Coalition for the Common Good brought in about $83 million and spent about $88.5 million in the 2025 tax year, according to publicly available nonprofit IRS filings that say the organization ended the year with $32.9 million in net assets. A spokesman for Antioch University noted because of the structure of Antioch University and CCG, these numbers are not entirely separate from Antioch’s finances. Representatives from the Coalition for the Common Good said in a statement to the Dayton Daily News that Antioch University is an operating division of the CCG — “This means, legally, the CCG and Antioch are one and the same.” CCG’s board of directors say the Aug. 28 meeting was an attempt to clarify Antioch’s role as well as CCG’s. They say Antioch’s board of governors resigned when the CCG was created and became the Antioch Advisory Board. “Disagreements have since arisen over the respective authority of the CCG Board and the Antioch Advisory Board,” the statement says. “On August 28, 2026, the CCG Board adopted a resolution to dissolve the advisory board and relegate all authority that it had previously delegated back to the CCG Board and its Antioch Standing Committee.” They say Antioch University has benefited from the CCG, which has helped create new degree programs and millions of dollars in investment and new tuition revenue. “Throughout this process, our commitment remains clear: to support the people who make Antioch University what it is, preserve the mission that gives its work meaning and help it thrive for generations to come,” CCG officials say. Otterbein University officials emphasize the university is not a part of the lawsuit filed. ‘Efforts to take control’ Antioch University’s lawsuit alleges breach of contract, asks for a court to declare any vote to end Antioch University unlawful, and argues CCG should be a joint venture with both parties as equal partners. “CCG seeks to retain the benefits derived from Antioch forming CCG as a joint venture without payment, while CCG attempts to deny Antioch and the AU Board of Governors any voice or authority within CCG,” the lawsuit said. “CCG’s efforts to take control of Antioch’s bank accounts and dictate Antioch’s financial decisions further demonstrate that it seeks to retain the benefits derived from Antioch forming CCG.” The lawsuit also asks the court stop CCG from terminating or adversely affecting any employee affiliated with Antioch, the Antioch Division, the Antioch Board of Governors, or any related entity. “Antioch rejects the CCG Board’s attempt to dissolve the University’s governing board, undermine its president, and nullify its independence — actions we believe are prohibited by the affiliation agreement and governing documents,” Hamilton said. “As Antioch works to resolve this dispute, our priority remains providing our distinctive, learner-centered education to students across the country and around the world.” As of Sept. 1, Antioch says the takeover attempt will not disrupt students’ courses or employees’ work schedules. The president, cabinet and board of governors remain in their position, Varlotta and Steve Crandall, the chair of the board of governors, said in a letter to students and staff Aug. 28. Antioch University is a mostly online school headquartered on the outskirts of Yellow Springs with campuses in several states. It is completely separate from Antioch College, the small liberal art college located on the school’s historic campus in Yellow Springs.