On September 12, Hampshire College announced a reinvention of its academic program. This announcement followed several months of financial and structural uncertainty for the college.
At the forefront of this effort is the college’s eighth President, Edward “Ed” Wingenbach, who was appointed in July this year. The initiative, known as “Hampshire Launch,” is being facilitated by members of the college’s Academic Innovation Planning Group and will result in a plan by November.
The plan will be implemented for the fall of 2020 as the college celebrates its 50th anniversary.
On September 3, students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to participate in working groups as they discussed their ideas for the future of Hampshire’s academics. Following this event, the college hosted virtual working groups for alumni on September 12.
Moving forward, the Academic Innovation Planning Group will host weekly campus meetings for students, faculty and staff. Throughout September and October, the college will facilitate open meetings with the entire Hampshire community. These discussions will culminate in a finalized academic plan that will be voted on by the Board of Trustees by the end of October. Hampshire will also produce a sustainable financial plan to coincide with “Hampshire Launch”.
On November 1, Hampshire will meet with its accrediting agency, the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The college will present its plan to the agency in order to remain an accredited institution. This past June, Hampshire was issued a public notation by NECHE after the agency became concerned that the school was not meeting its standards on one of its categories, Organization and Governance and Institutional Resources. The agency will make a formal decision on Hampshire’s accreditation after the November meeting.
Hampshire will also present its plan to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education as well as to major donors, foundations and prospective students.
Currently, the college is embarking on a major fundraising campaign chaired by alumnus and filmmaker Ken Burns. The campaign’s preliminary fundraising goal is $20 million by June 30, 2020.
Throughout the fundraising and restructuring, Hampshire remains optimistic about its future. In an interview for WGBY’s “Connecting Point,” President Wingenbach emphasized his faith in Hampshire’s experimental course of studies. “What we do matters,” he said, “and if people care about what we do, then we have to do it on our own.”
In an update to its website on September 12, Hampshire announced that it would maintain the student-designed programs and rigorous capstone projects that have become characteristic of the college’s academic offerings.
Student numbers have been promising as well. This fall, the college welcomed close to 750 students, a significant increase from the 600 who were expected. Admissions have also reopened for the fall of 2020.
As for prospective students, President Wingenbach encourages them to explore Hampshire in the coming months. “You should come to Hampshire,” he said, “because you can do at Hampshire things that you can’t do anywhere else in America.”
