Letter: Taking Pride in Hampshire College’s Accomplishments
Hampshire College. Photo: hampshire.edu
My sixty years of involvement with Hampshire College have rewarded me in ways too many to count, and now with a sadness too deep to measure. I’m proud of what Hampshire has accomplished, and even proud today of how its president and trustees have confronted the overwhelming circumstances forcing it to close at the end of 2026.
They are making strong “teach out” arrangements for students, and have enlisted the help of eight good colleges. They’ll be working hard to protect the faculty and staff. Then, they’ll deal with Hampshire’s beautiful campus and the financial challenges that have been impossible to overcome. The many achievements of its alums can never be erased, and Hampshire’s academic innovations have improved the world of higher education in ways too many to count.
To be on the Hampshire campus the morning of the closure announcement was to see tears, hugs, smiles, and students concerned about their futures and hopeful for what will be coming next for them.
Ken Rosenthal
Ken Rosenthal has been involved with Hampshire since 1966, was its first chief financial officer, taught law classes there, was a trustee, an interim president, and is the proud father of an alum.
The loss of Hampshire will leave a gaping hole in Amherst’s identity. Thanks, Ken, for the unsung role you have played in making the school a success story.
It’s time to get our brains around the stark realization that there were and are many individuals who have served the Town of Amherst mightily, who would not have been here, but for the existence of Hampshire College. There was a multiplier effect that goes beyond Hampshire’s primary, substantial role in the history of liberal arts education in America. Some people came for four years, and left to do great things. Others came, and stayed (or came back), and made significant contributions to the life of the Town. We need some way for the people of the Town to celebrate and honor what we residents all received from Hampshire. This loss is unspeakably sad.