Straws in the Wind - Part 316

To the Amherst College Alumni Community:

I am writing to share the sad news that Hampshire College has announced that it will begin preparations for closure by the end of the fall 2026 semester. The announcement comes after years of very hard work and dedication by Hampshire’s leadership and faculty in the face of mounting financial and operational challenges, and I am sure that this decision was extraordinarily difficult to make.  

The closure of Hampshire will be a profound loss not only to our region and to the Five Colleges, but to anyone who cares about higher education. I know it will be especially painful news to those of you who studied on Hampshire’s campus and developed friendships with Hampshire students over the last six decades.

Since its founding, Hampshire has pioneered innovations that have been widely adopted by colleges and universities across the country. From its pathbreaking approach to interdisciplinary teaching and research, to giving students the freedom to design their own course of study, to an abiding commitment to environmental sustainability, Hampshire has left a lasting impact on how faculty teach and students learn in every undergraduate institution, including ours.

Amherst’s relationship with Hampshire is particularly deep. A gift from an Amherst College alumnus was critical to Hampshire’s founding in 1965, and the College’s first vice president and second president was Amherst staff member and future trustee Chuck Longsworth ’51. Dozens of Hampshire students study each year in our classrooms, and the College’s faculty and staff collaborate closely with ours. We have been partners in the development of the Five Colleges, Inc., and the vibrancy of the Connecticut River Valley, and many people who work and study at Amherst have spouses and friends who are members of the Hampshire community.

In the coming weeks and months, Amherst will be working to assist our colleagues at Hampshire as they begin the difficult process of winding down operations. This is a challenging and uncertain time, and Amherst will offer support to the faculty, staff, and students where we can. And I hope that the entire Amherst community will reflect with gratitude on our six decades of partnership and the extraordinary contributions Hampshire has made to higher education.

Michael A. Elliott ’92, President, Amherst College

Source: Email sent by Amherst and forwarded to yours truly by a blog reader.