Hampshire College, a small liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced it will close after the fall semester due to financial difficulties, including a failure to increase enrollment and generate sufficient revenue. The decision, driven by "increasingly complex" financial pressures, will allow current students to complete their studies at Hampshire or a partner institution.
AMHERST, Mass. — Hampshire College , which includes award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, announced on Tuesday that it was closing later this year.
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The school’s Board of Trustees voted to close after the fall semester over what its president and the board described as “increasingly complex” financial pressure. In a statement put out by the board and its president, Jennifer Chrisler, the school said efforts to increase enrollment, refinance existing debt and bring in new revenue from land sales had fallen short. “The rationale behind this painful vote reflects several realities. The College no longer has the resources to sustain full operations and meet our regulatory responsibilities,” the school said in a statement.
In a separate statement on Instagram, Chrisler acknowledged the decision was difficult. “This is an incredibly painful moment for the Hampshire community, and we are doing everything to support our students in completing their studies and assist our faculty and staff in navigating what comes next,” she said.
The school said the timing of the closure will allow current undergraduates at the small liberal arts school in western Massachusetts to complete their education at Hampshire or a partner institution. The school, which was founded in 1965, has struggled for several years. It launched a $60 million fundraising campaign in 2020, which resulted in several big donations, including a $5 million gift in honor of Burns.
can transfer there and, with the help of student aid, pay the same amount in tuition they are paying in Florida. The two academic institutions each are known for progressive, free-spirited students, a lack of traditional grades, and opportunities for students to design their own course of study.
The school joins a long list of small schools in New England and across the country that have been forced to close in recent years. College closures have become increasingly common as campuses compete for a shrinking pool of U.S. students. Birth-rate decreases have translated to fewer college-age Americans overall. At the same time, some states have seen smaller percentages of high school graduates heading to college since the COVID-19 pandemic. Those shifts have left higher education with more supply than demand. Many colleges, especially small, private ones, have seen long-term enrollment decreases that put a pinch on finances. New England, with its high concentration of colleges, has been especially hard hit in recent years.
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Hampshire College Closure Financial Problems Enrollment Liberal Arts
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Hampshire College in Amherst will permanently close in the fallFounded in 1965 as a campus determined to 'radically reimagine liberal arts education,' the small liberal arts college started facing significant financial headwinds seven years ago. It failed to find a 'strategic partner' to help afford its operating expenses.
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Hampshire College to close after fall semester amid financial strugglesHampshire College, which includes documentary filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, announced it is closing later this year. The school's Board of Trustees voted to close after the fall semester over what its president and the board described as “increasingly complex” financial pressure.
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Hampshire College, which counts filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, is closing later this yearHampshire College, which includes documentary filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, announced it is closing later this year.
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Hampshire College, which counts filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, is closing later this yearHampshire College, which includes documentary filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, announced it is closing later this year.
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Hampshire College, which counts filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, is closing later this yearHampshire College, which includes documentary filmmaker Ken Burns among its alumni, announced it is closing later this year.
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Hampshire College, alma mater of Ken Burns and other notable alumni, to closeHampshire College, a small progressive liberal arts school in western Massachusetts known for notable alumni like filmmaker Ken Burns, announced it will close after the fall semester.
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