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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Alice Speri

Hampshire College was ‘a magical place’ for a progressive education. It couldn’t survive this era

Students walking through Hampshire College campus in Amherst during winter.
The Hampshire College campus in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 2019. Photograph: Boston Globe/Getty Images

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.

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