Antioch University is still exploring options for a new space in the Elm City after a shared-location plan with Keene State College collapsed earlier this year, Antioch’s president recently told The Sentinel.
The California-based school’s New England graduate campus in Keene is one of five in the United States. In academic year 2024-25, Antioch had 4,700 students across its campuses, 1,327 of whom learned through the Keene campus, according to Karen Hamilton, director of communications and public relations.
In June, Antioch and Keene State announced that an agreement between the two schools to house the former in Keene State’s Joslin House had fallen through. The co-location plan was originally announced in 2022, and underwent a few changes during its lifespan.
For now, Antioch remains at 40 Avon St., which it used to own before selling to Monadnock Family Services in 2022.
Staying in Keene is a priority for Antioch, recently installed President Lori Varlotta said. For her, it’s a matter of determining the optimal location for the school within the city.
“Being a part of Keene is key,” Varlotta said. “Identifying the best place to continue our community impact is something we’re going to continue to explore.”
Varlotta said she did not know why the deal with Keene State had fallen through, as the decision predated her. The June announcement did not specify a reason either, although in September 2024, the schools cited financial constraints in delaying the building of a new Antioch facility on Keene State’s campus, The Sentinel reported at the time.
“Higher education institutions are stronger when we have intra-institutional partnerships, pathways and commitments to the community,” she said of existing relations between Antioch, Keene State and Landmark College in Vermont. “I’m really looking forward to carrying on that tradition, and keeping the door open for possible sharing of space in the future.”
Most recently the leader of California Lutheran University, Varlotta took over as the 23rd president of Antioch in August. She succeeds Chancellor William Groves, who retired after nine years in that role, the university announced in a news release.
One of Varlotta’s main priorities for her tenure as Antioch’s president is spending more time at each of the university’s campuses, she said.
As she enters her third presidency — her first was at Hiram College in Ohio — she’s bringing a combination of experience and humility, she said.
“I’m as much a learner as a leader, so it feels really good to be at this point in my career and to know what I don’t know,” she said. “I’m bringing a really deep and personal commitment to changing the world. Antioch is a beacon of hope in a world that desperately needs some light, and it feels really good to be in an institution that is so strongly driven by its mission.”
Beyond her presidential duties, Varlotta is also serving as the vice president of the Coalition for Common Good. The partnership between Antioch and Otterbein University in Ohio aims to share resources and extend their respective reaches to “shape a more just and equitable world,” according to the coalition’s website.
Varlotta said the coalition offers students the best of both worlds — a close-knit undergrad experience with the opportunity of a large research institution.
Last week, Varlotta concluded touring all five of Antioch’s campuses with her visit to Keene, she said. While in the Elm City, she met with city officials, business owners and Antioch students, and particularly enjoyed a vegetarian sweet potato meal from Granita Enoteca on Railroad Street.
“Getting a feel of the city and people has been really important to me, [as has] making sure that the communities understand our interest in partnering with them,” she said. “We’re small but mighty here in Keene.”
Noah Diedrich can be reached at 603-355-8569, or ndiedrich@keenesentinel.com.
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