U.S. Colleges and Universities

Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, announced it will close after years of mounting financial strain, leaving students, faculty and the surrounding community confronting the end of a distinctive small liberal-arts experiment. College leaders cited persistent budget shortfalls and shrinking enrollment that left the institution unable to sustain operations despite attempts to find partners or new revenue streams; the news prompted students to scramble for transfers and alumni to weigh in on the loss of the school's idiosyncratic curriculum and campus culture.