OTTERBEIN PITCHED GROWTH.
ITS PROGRAMS WERE ALREADY SHRINKING.
ANTIOCH INHERITED A TURNAROUND, NOT A LAUNCH.
Key Data that Describe Otterbein’s Transferred Programs
OU’s “READY TO SCALE” NARRATIVE DOESN’T FIT
President Comerford’s account, tested against the program record.
1
OU’s enrollment decline came first. The AU transfer announcement came later.
Combined degrees awarded fell from 107 to 96 to 89 in the three years before July 2022.
2
President Comerford’s own figures reveal the weakness.
Business fell 208 to 187 and Allied Health 91 to 72 before the announcement. Education grew.
3
The CRNA program lost its hospital partner, necessitating a complete reboot.
President Comerford’s letter states the partner pulled out in fall 2022.
4
The CCG was built on growth; AU was forced to rebuild before it could scale.
Declining enrollment and the CRNA partner loss undercut the picture of a turnkey rollout poised for growth.
Sources: IPEDS conferrals in the supplied chart; President Comerford’s June 5, 2026 letter. Conferrals and enrollment are distinct measures; neither establishes profit.
5
The nail in the coffin. In President Comerford’s own words, announcing the transfer of programs was premature.
“The 2022 announcement that the programs would move was a mistake. . .when the next school joins the CCG, we would not announce the end of their programs until Antioch is fully established to pick up their enrollment without delay.”
OU PROGRAMS WERE ALREADY IN DECLINE
Combined degrees awarded by the five Otterbein graduate programs before the transfer announcement
107 to 96 to 89
Awards fell in each successive year, down 17% from 2019–20 to 2021–22.
Source: IPEDS conferrals in the supplied chart. Conferrals lag enrollment; the announcement is not the effective transfer date.
NONE OF THE FIVE SHOWED SUSTAINED GROWTH
Degrees awarded by program in the three academic years before the announcement
MSN: 29 to 22 Allied Health: 18 to 12 Education: 20 to 16
MBA fluctuated (25, 22, 24). CRNA ended where it began (15). Neither showed sustained growth.
Source: IPEDS degree conferrals in the supplied Otterbein chart.
THE PREANNOUNCEMENT DECLINE IN CONTEXT
Master’s degrees awarded by Otterbein’s five programs, 2018–19 through 2024–25
Before the announcement, combined awards fell from 107 to 89 across 2019–20 to 2021–22.
Source: IPEDS conferrals, as shown in the supplied chart. The announcement marker is not an effective transfer date; degrees awarded lag enrollment.
JULY 2022 ANNOUNCEMENT
WHILE AT OU, NURSING FACED TWO HARSH HEADWINDS
MSN degrees were declining before the announcement. Then the CRNA clinical partner withdrew.
BEFORE JULY 2022
MSN awards fell 31 to 22
FALL 2022
The CRNA hospital partner pulled out
Antioch then faced rebuilding the clinical partnership before the program could expand as planned.
Sources: IPEDS degree conferrals in the supplied chart; John Comerford’s June 5, 2026 letter (Fall 2022 partner withdrawal). Awards are not enrollment or margin.