Board Statement: February 18, 2019

Yesterday the Board of Trustees of Hampshire College met to discuss progress on the efforts to envision and plan for Hampshire’s future. The Board voted to issue the following statement:

First, we affirm that President Miriam E. Nelson has the full support of the Board of Trustees as she guides Hampshire College through this time of transformative change. We greatly respect and appreciate her integrity, knowledge, skill, and fortitude as together we work to forge the future for this extraordinary institution we all cherish.

Second, the Board acknowledges again the depth and validity of concern within the community for Hampshire’s future, and the many questions that have arisen about options for sustaining the College. We recognize that this has been a very difficult time.

Third, it is with the Board’s authorization and encouragement that President Nelson is pursuing opportunities for the future of Hampshire College. Any path forward, of financial necessity, will involve significant restructuring of the College. But in all cases we are guided by the principles we share as a community, including our commitment to students, faculty, staff, and alums and our integral values of inclusion, equity, and justice. As important, we will uphold Hampshire’s mission: “to foster a lifelong passion for learning, inquiry, and ethical citizenship that inspires students to contribute to knowledge, justice, and positive change in the world and, by doing so, to transform higher education.”

President Nelson will be sharing information—and inviting feedback—about options for moving forward, first with the campus committees directly involved in the ongoing visioning process and then more broadly. With President Nelson’s leadership, we believe that together we will find a strong and sustainable pathway to secure Hampshire College’s future.

Signed:

Henry W. Astor 88F P16
Fraser Bennett Beede
Judy N. Bornstein 82F
Jesus A. Colmenares 03F, Alumni Trustee
Anne M. Downes, Staff Trustee
Linda A. Earle 70F
Sascha Freudenheim 89F
Jose Fuentes 05F
Carolyn Greenspan P13
Luis A. Hernandez 70F, Board Vice Chair
Gaye Hill P02, Board Chair
Richard M. Hurd 74F
David H. Matheson P11 P13
Lucy-Ann McFadden 70F
Daya Samantha Mena 15F, Student Trustee
Ali Mirsepassi P12
William S. Null 72F P08
Michael Plenty 01F
A. Kim Saal 70F, Board Vice Chair
Carol Salzman 71F
Lise Sanders 90F, Faculty Trustee
Julie B. Schecter 71F
Ellen Sturgis 77F
Anthony Thomas 07F
Pasha Dritt Thornton 85F P04
Maria M. Vallejo 72F
Carol Varney 90F, Alumni Trustee
Mingda Zhao 98F