Hampshire College, Ken Burns' alma mater, closes

[Hume]

“It was the first time in my life where I truly learned in school,” said Alec MacLeod, an artist and educator who enrolled with the second class of Hampshire students alongside film-maker Ken Burns. For his senior project, MacLeod invented a fictional country, designing its history and geography, even its cuisine and folklore, under the guidance of an anthropologist, a philosopher and an artist.

Hampshire College was ‘a magical place’ for a progressive education. It couldn’t survive this era

Hampshire is latest school to fall to declining enrollment amid a decades-long crisis affecting liberal arts colleges

www.theguardian.com

 

[Hume]

"The Trump administration, which has declared US colleges and universities “the enemy”, has waged an unprecedented campaign against them that has only exacerbated the crisis.

 

[Hawkeye10]

"The Trump administration, which has declared US colleges and universities “the enemy”, has waged an unprecedented campaign against them that has only exacerbated the crisis.

The closure of small universities has been a long time coming and has nothing to do with Trump. This has to do with universitas failing to deliver value, and that the small ones have trouble competing on lifestyle......very few people go to University to learn, they are interested in other things, which the small and usually rural universities cant really provide.

 

[Hume]

The closure of small universities has been a long time coming and has nothing to do with Trump. This has to do with universitas failing to deliver value, and that the small ones have trouble competing on lifestyle......very few people go to University to learn, they are interested in other things, which the small and usually rural universities cant really provide.

Trump literally is trying to shut down universities and demanding payoffs.

 

[Hume]

Mr. Burns said Hampshire’s demise was because of a shift in American culture, not just demographics.

“It was dedicated to a transformational education, in an era when higher education has been hijacked by the transactional,” he said. “A college education is, to some, like a Louis Vuitton handbag. And that’s not Hampshire.”

Hampshire College Will Close Amid Student Enrollment Declines

Other small private colleges like Hampshire have closed in recent years as financial pressures and competition for students increase.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Hawkeye10]

These closures are not isolated events. According to BestColleges.com, more than 80 private nonprofit schools have closed or merged since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 50 shutting down entirely. Financial fragility is widespread and accelerating.

A Preliminary List of Private Colleges in Trouble

A data-driven source asking tough questions about US higher education. Featured in national publications, including The Chronicle of Higher Education.

www.highereducationinquirer.org