Today we visited Chawton House, Hampshire. 50% off with the Art Fund card scheme. Old, interesting, pretty, good value cafe, sunny weather & ducks.. Perfect.

#Hampshire
#ArtFundCard
#Gardens

Hampshire College’s demise is yet another blow to creative, outside-the-box options in higher education

Hampshire College’s studen-driven, unorthodox approach to education has roots in the early 1900s and a belief that students should be active, engaged learners.

The Conversation

#FensterFreitag #Hampshire

Ruins of Netley Abbey, Hampshire

A room at the south end of the east range with amazing stone vaulting, built during mid C13. It may have been an infirmary or dormitory.

#Hampshire not making the best fist of batting first (a decision they made after winning the toss) in the face of some fine Somerset bowling. They are now 127-7, barely halfway to a batting point.
#cricket #CountyCricket #CountyChampionship #HampshirevSomerset #HAMvSOM

At the same time, #universities regarded as #elite & prominent public #schools receive way more applications than they could ever accept.

“It’s a bifurcated market between the haves & have-nots,” Selingo said. “The question is, how many of the have-nots will follow #Hampshire?”

#education #HigherEducation #LiberalArts #academia #colleges #economy #funding

Part of #Hampshire College’s downfall may also relate to “public discussion in this country about the value of a #LiberalArts #education,” Chrisler said.

“Some of it is a persistent & ill informed, I think, belief at the #federal level that the only value of an education is what you #earn four years after your graduation,” she said.

#HigherEducation #academia #knowledge #colleges #universities #QualityOfLife #worth #value #economy #funding

#HampshireCollege, a small #LiberalArts #school in Western #Massachusetts, will close permanently after the fall semester.

#Hampshire, in #Amherst, MA, joins an epidemic of #college closures over the past two decades. More than 300 US #colleges & #universities closed from 2008 to 2024, acc/to an analysis by The Hechinger Report.

#education #HigherEducation #academia #economy #funding
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/us/hampshire-college-closing-amherst-massachusetts-enrollment.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

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.

The New York Times

I met a lot of good people from Hampshire. This is sad news. We need free thinkers more than ever. #hampshire #hampshirecollege

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/hampshire-college-massachusetts-closure

(edit: add longer hashtag)

‘An incalculable loss’: Hampshire College to close doors after fall semester

Massachusetts liberal arts college laments ‘heartbreaking reality’ and says financial pressures to blame

The Guardian
It makes me sad that Hampshire College is closing. My grandfather's house was across the street from it, so when I visited him, we'd go for walks on the campus. He rented out rooms to Hampshire students, who were interestingly weird people. Hampshire is a weird and different kind of education, but there ought to _be_ that kind of education, even though we're decidedly not in the 1960's anymore and it was built for that time period. When they took in students who left New College in Florida, I thought maybe that would be enough to boost their numbers for a while. The admissions building at Hampshire is actually the house my father grew up in. The college bought it from my grandfather and moved him across the road. The college didn't even outlast my grandfather by that much (<20 years). I'm sad that the time period that people wanted a place dedicated to opening their minds in creative ways (as opposed to degrees with a predictable career path) only lasted about 55 years. I'm an outsider to this and could be making wrong assumptions, but I'm still sad that college won't be there. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/hampshire-college-massachusetts-closure #AcademicChatter #Hampshire #Massachusetts
‘An incalculable loss’: Hampshire College to close doors after fall semester

Massachusetts liberal arts college laments ‘heartbreaking reality’ and says financial pressures to blame

The Guardian