@MYOS1634 -check out comment #132. This is apparently the contract offered to those a accepted ED
Limited Faculty should be a cause for concern. (As noted in post #132 above.)
I was actually responding to the contract presented in #132: while the dorm situation doesnt sound bad, the “limited faculty” item would need investigating.
My granddaughter was acceprd ED to Hampshire and was really hurt and sad when the news of possibly not accepting a class came out about two weeks ago…however with the help of Hampshire recruiters she was able to pivot and applied to SarahLawrence and received an acceptance today…For those with similar situations…it is not too late and you can expect some valuable help from Hampshire…good luck
What an unfortunate turn of events for Hampshire. It appears that the current President and Board have committed Hampshire to a path that will ensure its closure, not ensure its future as a functioning college.
The selected course of action is not consistent with the statement from the administration that the school will not close. The administration claims that its budget is balanced and its endowment is performing well, yet takes the extreme step of not admitting a freshmen class (I understand they are admitting the ED students, but the terms seem to be designed to minimize the number who will actually matriculate). Eliminating an entire class will cause the school’s income to be slashed by a quarter for a full four years, creating a financial liability that will increase the chance of closure and reduce the chance that a partnership with another institution will be possible. Seeking a partner while in dire financial straits is not a great idea.
If the administration was truly committed to Hampshire, it would be promoting a Hampshire education in a way that resonates with today’s students. Experiential learning, project based learning and flexible majors are promoted at other schools of all types. The Hampshire model, coupled with some great outcomes (such as two thirds of graduates go on to earn advanced degrees), can be promoted in a positive way that is very attractive to prospective students.
There is another issue that needs to be addressed - Hampshire has a reputation for high drug usage, and it is likely that this has reduced its appeal for many prospective students. Changing the student culture should be a goal of the administration. Certainly, the ideals of a Hampshire education can be exclusive from a culture of high drug use.
It seems the administration is not up to the task of taking Hampshire into the future. It is instructive to compare what happened to Sweet Briar and what is happening at Hampshire. Will a Meredith Woo appear for Hampshire before it is too late?
@dadof2d: Your post raises issues worthy of serious consideration.
The President and Board know a lot more than we do. There were demonstrations protesting potential layoffs. I didn’t see anyone proposing that faculty and staff take voluntary, significant pay cuts to align the school’s expenditures with its current and projected resources. Also, the op-ed by Krakauer specifically pointed to regulatory dark clouds on the horizon:
The President and Board are doing the right thing, no doubt painful as it must be for many current and potential stakeholders.
@SatchelSF
I agree that the President and Board know more than we do, but it is not helpful if they are not communicating it. Their actions are not consistent with what they have communicated. If there is pertinent information that the are not disclosing, that is a problem unto itself.
I wonder if the potential policy by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education is being misunderstood. As represented by Krakauer, it would require all private colleges to have four years of operating budgets in the bank. This makes no sense, as it ignores the income the schools receive from tuition and other sources. It would make sense to have four years of projected deficits, not 4 years worth of total budgets. I wonder how many private colleges could meet the standard as represented by Krakauer?
Are these figures correct regarding Hampshire College’s most recent graduation rates ?
4 year graduation rate of 51.3%
5 year graduation rate of 63.3%
6 year graduation rate of 65%
This source noted that white students at Hampshire College were 6.5 times more likely to graduate than the non-white students.
P.S. Sarah Lawrence graduation rates were 73.7%, 79.6% & 82.2% with significantly fewer white students.
Here is a Higher Ed article, as well as the full Mass BOE Working Group’s final proposal.
The recommendations haven’t been approved, nor implemented, and are only focused on non-profit private colleges. This proposal would ensure students receive 18 months notice re: any closings, and that schools can fund this 18 months of operation. There is nothing about requiring four year’s of operating budget, as Krakauer noted, that I can see.
Here is a notable passage from the report:
“Yet troubling trends cloud the horizon. Working group documents indicate that 24 percent of private nonprofit four-year institutions in the state experienced enrollment decreases of 10 percent or more between 2011 and 2016. Meanwhile, 34 percent experienced expense increases of at least five percentage points.”
I do hope Hampshire and UMass Amherst work something out, there is much in the press that they continue to discuss a partnership.
The fourth stated goal of the working group is to maximize likelihood of student degree / program completion.
Hampshire College President has noted the school’s ethical obligations to both current & prospective students. With a four graduation rate of only 51%, Hampshire College has an ethical obligation to get to the six year mark for current students as the six year graduation rate is 65% (by way of comparison New College of Florida has the same 65% six year graduation rate while Marlboro College is at 50% and Sarah Lawrence at over 82%).
I understand and appreciate all the efforts of Hampshire and MA regulators to improve graduation rates etc. My only gripe with all of this is that Hampshire excitedly solicited my daughter’s ED application, accepted her with a big merit scholarship and accepted our deposit. Apparently, these discussions started last fall prior to us even visiting the campus. If Hampshire is planning to make significant changes and has financial challenges, they should announce all this BEFORE admissions season. There are other kids in the lurch as well. My daughter applied to Hampshire ED but others applied to Hampshire as a back up and now their applications have been revoked. Hopefully, they’ll be accepted at other colleges… The new president and board are supposedly just trying to plan ahead to protect students but they just managed to screw over a bunch of kids in that effort.
There are a lot of schools that close their doors doing less for their students than Hampshire is trying to do. I know current applicants, parents, and students are bitter about this. But it actually could be significantly worse.
Lesson Learned: It is important to check any targeted school’s financials (primarily endowment), first year attrition rate & graduation rates.
With respect to first year attrition rate, I have seen Hampshire College’s retention rate listed at 79% and at 81% for two different recent years. Basically a retention rate of 80%. Losing 20% of a first year class at an LAC should be an area of concern. When matched with a 4 year graduation rate of 51% & a 6 year graduation rate on only 65%, serious concerns arise. Add in a small endowment, the concern should rise to a very serious level.
Among the US News ranked LACs, #81 Cornell College & #90 New College of Florida & #95 Bennington College have retention rates of 81%.
#95 College of the Atlantic & #95 Ohio Wesleyan are at 80% & 79% respectively.
116 Goucher College is also at 79% retention rate.
116 Marlboro College is at 72% with a very low 6 year graduation rate.
143 Warren Wilson College has a very low retention rate of just 63%.
168 Guilford College in North Carolina is at 70%. Imagine losing 30% out of a first year class of less than 400 students.
Financials are just as important as fit when evaluating colleges.
I have questioned the low retention rates with parents and students at Hampshire, and they asserted that some students can’t handle the Hampshire program or end up not liking it, and transfer to a school with a more conventional curriculum.
Also, first year retention rates, as well as graduation rates correlate with the selectivity of the college. The amount of financial aid (percent need met) also roughly correlates with selectivity. Less selective colleges have students that are not as well prepared academically and financially to continue on beyond year one.
Checked the 2017 Forbes Financial Grades for Colleges. Hampshire College had a grade of “C+”. Lots of colleges with grade of “C”.
One of my kids’ friends is on the other side of the country attending a school that Forbes gives a D rating. He seems to be thriving but yikes, I’d be concerned about making that commitment.
@voyager24 That is wonderful news for your granddaughter! My daughter was Hampshire ED acceptance as well. Her school counselor suggested she apply to Sarah Lawrence and she submitted last week. We assumed that she would have until mid March to hear back, but apparently not based on your granddaughter’s experience! Did she submit to SL immediately after she heard about Hampshire? Best of luck to your granddaughter and thanks for the info!
By the numbers, it looks like they’re shutting down rather than relaxing standards to get retention and graduation rates up. As a non-Hampshire person I don’t know what those standards were, but apparently they were challenging for a lot of students. A lot of students would rather use the flexibility to get an easy path to a degree if they’re having trouble, but apparently for all its flexibility Hampshire didn’t bend that much.
To honour it’s motto…To know is not enough…Hampshire should have handled her “sustainability”(Hampshire buzz word ) by having a charette instead of this charade !