When Hampshire College enrolled its first class of students in 1970, it offered a new breed of liberal arts education, one meeting each student's interests and motivations, emphasizing learning across disciplines and close relationships with teachers.

For the next 56 years, Hampshire provided just that, becoming a beloved alma mater to scores of unconventional learners who sought, and found, a college experience "unlike anywhere else - and unlike anyone else's", as the school's site still promises to deliver.

"It was the first time in my life where I truly learned in school," said Alec MacLeod, an artist and educator who enrolled with the second class of Hampshire students alongside film-maker Ken Burns. For his senior project, MacLeod invented a fictional country, designing its history and geography, even its cuisine and folklore, under the guidance of an anthropologist, a philosopher and an artist.

"I can't imagine I could have done that anywhere else," he said of Hampshire. "It's a special place where special things can happen."

But future students searching for the imaginative, quirky and occasionally unstructured undergraduate experience Hampshire became known for will have to look elsewhere. This week, the college's president and board announced that the upcoming fall semester will be Hampshire's last and that the school will shutter permanently due to low enrolment and years-long financial problems. In 2025, the school had set a goal to enrol 300 students - it got about half that number.

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