Behind the Scenes: MassLive’s coverage of Hampshire College closure
Each week, MassLive publishes so much great journalism, but it can be hard to keep up. That’s why I’ve launched Behind the Scenes: Dispatches from the MassLive President.
This is my chance to highlight key news stories, tell you about upcoming events and offer additional context to our coverage. Along the way, I might also give a shout-out to a great restaurant I’ve been to, or maybe talk about a book I can’t put down.
For the second edition, I sat down with higher education reporter Juliet Schulman‑Hall to talk about her recent coverage of the closing of Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. I attended Bates College, another small New England institution, so this piece struck a chord with me.
Lately, it feels like small college closures are becoming more common, as Anna Maria College closed its doors as well. Juliet’s coverage captured the sense of loss on Hampshire’s campus, and she adds comments from voices such as Ken Burns, who graduated in 1971.
I asked Juliet a few questions about her recent coverage.
Josh: As a higher education reporter who walks around a number of campuses, what made Hampshire College unique?
Juliet: Hampshire College has stood out for its unconventional educational model. Instead of traditional grading, the college focused on narrative evaluations and portfolio-based assessments, empowering students to take control of their education by designing their own fields of study and exploring their curiosity with less structure.
That approach attracted students who thrived in self-directed environments, many of whom have told me that Hampshire is the only place they could’ve gone to earn a bachelor’s degree. The college is a haven for artists, creatives, activists and a large LGBTQ+ population.
While a few other institutions, such as Bennington College in Vermont, share similar philosophies, Hampshire is distinctive because of its connection to the Five College Consortium, which allows students to take classes at Hampshire, Amherst College, Smith College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Mount Holyoke College.
Hampshire was founded in 1965 by the presidents of those institutions as an experiment in rethinking liberal arts education.
Josh: What’s most likely going to happen to the campus when it closes? Is it sold off to real estate developers as part of a bankruptcy process?
Juliet: Hampshire College is selling its campus to pay off $25 million in debt. Many in the college community hoped neighboring institutions might help Hampshire survive or take on some of that land, but there hasn’t been any indication from the college or the other Five College schools that such plans are in motion.
However, a group of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, neighbors and community members formed Hampshire Next — a group independent of Hampshire College and its Board of Trustees — to try to purchase the campus. The group is aiming to raise an initial $10 million in pledges to prove it can serve as a new steward of the school.
Based on my reporting about shuttered campuses in Massachusetts, outcomes can vary widely. I wrote a series in 2024 about whether shuttered college campuses could help solve the housing shortage in Massachusetts. Of the over two dozen colleges that have closed in Massachusetts in the past decade, many have been converted into housing, often luxury housing or otherwise difficult-to-obtain housing.
Some campuses have sat unused for years, draining local economies. Ultimately, how quickly a sale happens typically depends on the property’s desirability, location and how feasible it is to repurpose the buildings or a large campus.
In many cases, finding the right buyer (or buyers) can take years, or deals can fall apart, as seen recently at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy. A proposed sale to convert the campus into housing ultimately collapsed amid concerns that high-density housing could negatively change the neighborhood. Since then, the city’s mayor has agreed to purchase the property for $21 million.
Josh: I’d be curious to know if, given all of your reporting, you think we’re going to see more closings this year?
Juliet: Hampshire College and Anna Maria College, which abruptly announced on April 23, 2026, that it would close, have had enrollment and financial challenges. They are not alone. Based on warnings from accreditors or the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Boston Baptist College, Northpoint Bible College and Montserrat College of Art have also been struggling.
Even schools that haven’t appeared on official watch lists are facing difficulties, such as at Lesley University, where faculty have pushed during union negotiations for protections in the event the institution is acquired by another college.
Higher education is up against a series of challenges, including the value of a college degree coming under increasing scrutiny, a declining number of college-age students in the U.S. and the climbing sticker price.
Even institutions unlikely to close in the near future are feeling the pinch, including Boston University, which laid off 120 staff in 2025 due to federal funding cuts. Right now, I don’t think any institution feels completely safe.
Shout-Outs
One of my favorite traditions inside our newsroom is the shout-outs. This is the way we end our monthly town halls – a chance for anyone and everyone to shout-out a great story they’ve read or help they’ve received from a colleague or mentor.
I’m taking that tradition public with a few shout-outs each week to stories that we’re following, ongoing series or just things that caught my interest.
Let’s start with our continued Red Sox coverage, which has been stellar. If you listen to sports radio as much as I do, it’s great to hear our crew get the attribution they deserve on a regular basis. The one bright spot in all of this mess might be pitcher Payton Tolle. If you are a fan, he’s worth watching – or just read Chris Cotillo’s piece.
If you are tired of pro sports – given all of the recent bad news – you might want to know more about the stellar young athletes who are lighting up scoreboards for their high school teams. Earlier in the month of April, we chose Bella Pires from Weymouth as the MassLive Athlete of the Week for her pitching prowess in softball. And she can belt the ball as well as her team continues to roll over opponents.
Switching gears, it’s worth taking the time to read our series called “Death Under Watch,” which investigates the rising deaths in Massachusetts prisons and jails. The piece is an ongoing series with our partners at the Springfield Republican. Reporters Hadley Barndollar and Greta Jochem go deep into what’s behind the uptick in suicides.
Parting Shot
And one last shout-out to my friend Bob Cohn, who runs the Baltimore Banner. The 3-year-old operation is a finalist in local reporting for a Pulitzer. Their sharp analysis showed that thousands of students in Baltimore can’t get to school on time because of an unreliable public transit system.
That’s all for this week.
Cheers, Josh
