Antioch College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852. It was the founding, constituent college of Antioch University, which Antioch College remained a part of until 2008. The College remained closed for three years before reopening in 2011, and fully separated from the university as an independent institution by 2014. Antioch is one of only a few liberal-arts institutions in the United States featuring a cooperative education work program mandatory for all students. Democracy and shared governance, especially as a means to activism and social justice, are at the heart of the college.