AMHERST — Faculty at Hampshire College have started organizing an effort to “re-envision” the school, providing the first steps for what they say is a way to keep Hampshire independent and “thriving.”
The proposal was released Wednesday and lays out four initiatives the faculty say will turn the school’s current “crisis” into a new college plan. The re-envisioning program has been endorsed by two former presidents of the college, Gregory S. Prince Jr. and Adele Simmons, as well as by Penina Glazer, the former dean of faculty and vice president.
“Recent decisions regarding Hampshire’s future present the Hampshire community with an astounding opportunity to reboot – to work collectively to create a college that stays true to its roots in experimenting education, student-driven inquiry, interdisciplinarity, and informed approaches to the problems and prospects that face the world today,” the paper reads.
Hampshire is currently seeking to partner with another institution amid financial difficulties and will not be accepting a full class of students this fall.
As a first step, the document proposes the creation of a council made up of faculty, staff, students, alumni, Five College colleagues and other stakeholders. The council would then meet in the near future to begin planning sessions.
Christoph Cox, a professor of philosophy at the college, said the process of forming the council began Thursday afternoon.
The release of the faculty re-envisioning plan was accompanied by an endorsement from Prince, Simmons and Glazer, who in a joint statement said that the proposal represents the spirit that created Hampshire and that charting Hampshire’s future “must begin with faculty and their collaborators who know firsthand what the task involves.”
When asked about the faculty’s proposal, Hampshire College President Miriam “Mim” Nelson said that the school is considering all options, including the re-envisioning document.