On Tuesday, Hampshire College became the latest academic institution to announce its closure. There was a time when such failures were rare occurrences. That trickle is turning into a torrent, but the media and academics are missing a critical part of the lesson. There is no greater example of how academics are killing higher education than the death of Hampshire College.
President Jenn Chrisler stated in an announcement that “The College no longer has the resources to sustain full operations and meet our regulatory responsibilities. We want to assure you that Hampshire’s board made its decision only after exploring every possible alternative.”Well, not “every possible alternative.”The college was founded to advance a progressive agenda and pedagogy, including a shift to narrative evaluations rather than grades. It has been one of the most woke colleges in the nation.
In my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I write about how this generation of faculty and administrators has destroyed higher education by prioritizing political and social agendas, purging the faculty ranks of conservatives and libertarians, and creating a culture of viewpoint intolerance.
Schools like Hampshire College wrote off half of the country and offered indoctrination over education. Students were offered little more than woke credentials with few marketable skills or demonstrated abilities with their degrees. By removing the “anxiety” of grades and rigorous academic standards, the college became a comfort zone rather than a learning zone.
As reported by sites like The College Fix, the faculty heralded its woke agenda on climate change and combating racism.
The New York Times article mentions little of Hampshire’s woke agenda and curriculum, noting that many colleges have been closing. It is the same shrug that one sees in higher education.Surveys show that public confidence in higher education is at a record low.The school slogan, “To Know Is Not Enough,” captured that institutional purpose. Yet, it was also not enough to know that your college was failing to get you to reexamine your culture and curriculum. The problem with the academic echo chamber is that many professors would rather their institutions fail than abandon their agenda and bias.
University professors, if anything, are doubling down with the selection of a far-left activist by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and a continuation of their biased faculty hiring practices.
Many families are unwilling to be the captive audience of an institution that maintains an orthodoxy taught almost exclusively by liberal faculty.
I take no joy in the failure of schools like Hampshire College. It is a tragedy of the academic culture that has taken hold of higher education.
You are a moron.
P Enis,
Not the most compelling argument.
Hello Dr. Turley,
I am unabashedly appreciative of your many rye and witty comments. I also find your political analysis to be instructive. lastly, I am also a graduate of Hampshire College, and a traditional American. it was difficult to be there having to brook the white caps of progressive stupidity. at the same time, there were a lot of brilliant students there who no one ever heard from, who were performing amazing academic work, and who went on to do amazing things, things that were economically and socially useful.
When I got there, I started out pursuing economics, which was interesting, but you had to fight your way through the layer of Marxism. I wound up studying history and philosophy of science, got a minor in physics, music, computer science, and history.
in my view the school was done in by the fact that it did not manage its own story very well. It let the progressive fundamentalists dominate the dialogue. There was indeed radical restructuring academic work going on at the school. But that is 10% of the real story. Conservative kids like me kept our heads down and wound our way through it. It will be missed!
Props to you for getting through Hampshire with an alternative viewpoint. I’m hardly conservative, however the group think was real at camp help. And they did write off half the country but appealing more to progressive ideas than the fundamentals of an education, which Hampshire did brilliantly.
I think if you include conservative Democrats they were writing off more than 70%.
Not to mention that their Football Program was a joke. By which I mean this one.
Go woke, go broke.
EVERYTHING IS BEING ‘PRICED-OUT’
Get used to it, the Great-Fiat-Depression has arrived.
Gee that is odd. When I go out to eat the places are pack and you have to wait to get a table. I go to the stores and malls and the places are packed people coming out with full carts or multiple bags. The gas stations you have to wait in like to get to a pump and the vehicles are all new pricey pickup trucks, SUV’s and foreign luxury cars. That doesn’t seem like a depression to me.
That’s odd. Not all of American is identical to that. Is this Santa Barbara or Carmel?
Nothing to see here, move along…
“Eastman now joins the ranks of former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Kenneth Chesebro, both of whom were disbarred for their roles in the election scheme. Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis had her Colorado license suspended for three years in 2024 after pleading guilty to felony charges related to the election efforts.”
Just a bunch of crooks that aligned themselves with a man that has credible evidence that he raped a child.
Show me the evidence or shut up.
They never will K. Now Swallel is another story, same with Biden and his children.
We need to reduce F-1 visas by 99%. We’re just educating our competition. How many schools would close as a result of that?
Many of them would like to stay in the US and work here.
So what!
If they stay they are on Team USA, paying taxes, creating jobs, living the American Dream of adding to the melting pot that made America great.
This story coincides with Elsie Stefanik’s book – Poisoned Ivies – about the moral collapse of elite schools, whose presidents could not say that calling for the genocide of the Jews violated their university’s code of conduct. That became the most watched congressional-testimony clip in history.
Oldman, I think you’re exactly right to link Turley’s post with that hearing and Stefanik’s book.
I haven’t read Poisoned Ivies yet, but I watched the testimony you’re talking about, and it was jaw‑dropping to see presidents of “elite” schools unable to say that calling for the genocide of Jews violated their own codes of conduct. You don’t get that kind of moral fog by accident. That’s the product of a formation pipeline we’ve been feeding with tax dollars and federally backed loans, while pretending it’s just about “access” and “opportunity.”
And it’s not just the Ivies. Public money is still flowing into programs and centers that are openly hostile to the West and to America’s own civilizational foundations, all under nice labels like “critical studies” and “area studies.” The result is the same, we are literally paying to form the kind of elites who can’t show basic moral clarity on something as simple as calls for genocide.
Olly – 👍
“would rather their institutions fail than abandon their agenda and bias.” That’s true of leftists wherever and whatever they colonize: entertainment, education, law enforcement, government, you name it.
The far bigger crisis here is there is little to no “enforcement” of the U.S. Constitution [a wartime governing charter].
Take politics and partisanship completely out of the equation. It’s blatantly illegal and unconstitutional under the First Amendment for any public university [government entity] to infringe on Freedom of Speech.
It’s blatantly illegal and unconstitutional for any public college professor or public teacher [government officials] to infringe on legal First Amendment speech.
Both Republicans and Democrats occasionally violate the U.S. Constitution, where is the constitutional-enforcement? There is a major breakdown in the American model of government. There is no substantial enforcement mechanism or maybe the “Citizens United” (elections transforming into auctions where highest bidder wins) totally destroyed this enforcement mechanism?
Trump may be the most disloyal president to his Oath of Office loyalty oath in over 200 years, but this is systematic crisis – there are no constitutional-cops on the beat to enforce the U.S. Constitution. Enforcement benefits all Americans of both parties.
Phrases like “Trump may be the most disloyal president to his Oath of Office” more often than not are disregarded as typical TDS BS when you don’t cite even one example. Quite frankly, in recent years, Biden displayed far more disloyalty by actively enacting policies that were struck down by SCOTUS in forgiving student loans, essentially forcing other taxpayers into footing their bill. Specifically, in August 2024, SCOTUS blocked parts of the SAVE plan while lower court litigation continued, and as of early 2025, various federal courts have struck down or halted pieces of Biden’s newer forgiveness schemes, citing continued executive overreach.
Trump and Putin were BOTH supporting Orbán, a known Putin lapdog. The so-called ‘Russian hoax’ was no hoax whatsoever.
“The so-called ‘Russian hoax’ was no hoax whatsoever.”
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Are you serious???? If you are you’re Koo Koo for Coco Puffs Krazee
Ukraine impeachment was continuation of failed Russia collusion plot to take down Trump, docs show
“Within days of Robert Mueller’s underwhelming Russiagate testimony before Congress, the Ukraine saga which would lead to Trump’s impeachment was being launched.”
https://justthenews.com/accountability/whistleblowers/ukraine-impeachment-effort-was-continuation-failed-mueller-effort
Gabbard refers impeachment whistleblower to DOJ for criminal investigation
“ODNI can confirm a criminal referral was sent to DOJ related to one or more former employees of the Intelligence Community and their role in the 2019 impeachment of President Trump,” an ODNI spokesperson told Just The News.
https://justthenews.com/government/security/gabbard-refers-impeachment-whistleblower-doj-criminal-investigation
Hear that sound? That is the sound of the Russian collusion narrative falling apart.
Collusion would require Putin to trust Trump to stick to a plan, something Trump is clearly unable to do. It would also require Trump to shut his mouth and keep a secret, but Trump cannot do that either.
So, no, there was never collusion.
However Trump was Putin’s preferred candidate as Putin can easily manipulate Trump.
Trump did threaten Ukraine President Zelenskyy with delay or refusal on shipping needed military support in exchange for creating a fake news story to undermine Biden’s campaign.
A show for debating wokism vs conservatism with Jon as the host and referee.
The pedagogy at Hampshire College centered on student-driven curricula and systematic critique of established systems can function as a powerful incubator for perspectives aimed at substantially reexamining the foundations of the U.S. constitutional order. So, what is the valid, marketable degree from such a college ?
“what is the valid, marketable degree from such a college”
A BS in BS? Such a graduate could have a promising career in politics…
Good question. I think you misunderstood what Hampshire delivered. Yeah, there were plenty of useless degrees but that’s not unique. They had some very very good professors. Take for example a guy like Herb Bernstein. He got to the school in like ‘75. He was fresh off his fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. His work there was on the dynamics of neutron spin.
While teaching a full academic course load, he continued doing theoretical research. His investigation was all about quantum mechanical systems and Einsteinian criticism of it. I believe he was the principal investigator under an NSF program, where he would codesign experiments in quantum communications, and he would work with outside teams of experimental physicists who could take as many as 10 years to go from idea to measurement. These teams have won four Nobel prizes.
Ken Burns, Jon Krakauer, Liv Schriever, Lupita Nyingo, Elliot Smith from The Smiths, Barry Sonenfeld, Rod Roddenberry, Lee Smolin (physicist), Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), Jeff Hollander(Founder of Seventh Generation), Eric Berg (the very hungry cattepillar),Stephen McDonnell (Founder of Applegate). stefan Ellis,( combat photographer)… dang. What a open minded place…
So while it’s popular to bark and bay about the frisbees, there were a lot of really brilliant people there. you just never heard about them.
OT:
Today is National American Sign Language Day. ASL is very expressive and beautiful.
My wife is an Associate Prof at a Top 10. She works seven days a week, including most quarterly breaks. There is a lot of administrative overhead, often assigned, and unresponsive and some petulant students where you wouldn’t expect: the 300 and 400 levels, which consumes time through encouragement and hand holding.
There are a lot of great students. A lot of them. But the not-so-great include practices of: not coming to class, not responding to prof emails, not handing in assignments on time, and demanding special accommodations after zeros. Tactics used by questionable students include claims of misogyny and racism which, surprisingly, sometimes results in a 2.0 from a 1.8 because profs don’t want to deal with the overhead. My wife’s position is “a 1.8 is a 1.8, do better,” and she has the supporting documentation.
It’s A Demographic Trend
U.S. college enrollment is experiencing a significant decline, driven by a “demographic cliff” of fewer 18-year-olds and lower immediate college-going rates. Total enrollment dropped 15% between 2010 and 2021, with 2.7 million fewer students compared to a decade ago, forcing increased college closures.
Key Demographic and Enrollment Trends
The Demographic Cliff: The number of high school graduates is projected to fall steadily through at least 2041, with a 13% decline expected in the primary pool of 18-year-old applicants.
Lower Attendance Rates: Only 62% of high school graduates enrolled directly in college in 2022, down from 70% in 2009.
Sharpest Declines: Community colleges have been heavily impacted, losing nearly 40% of enrollment between 2010 and 2023.
…………………………….
Turley’s insistence that these closures are because of wokeness is simply an oversimplification.
Good, you go ahead and live in that fantasy world, we will all move on.
The Three Generation Phenomenon
First generation of immigrants arrives in America thrilled and grateful to live in a land of freedom and endless possibilities. Work night and day and achieve success.
Second generation sees, appreciates and understands first generation’s sacrifices, hard work and enjoy what first generation provided for them.
Third generation grooves on the good life, parties, expects the world to be handed to them and loses most of first generations drive, understanding and willingness to sacrifice for the future.
the demographic cliff is real.
In times of market stress the weakest fail first and fastest.
Maybe a few of the very small number of conservative colleges will also fail. But I would be shocked if tghe failure will not concentrate on the left.
Yes this is a response to demographics.
Guess what – that is how free markets work.
If you have something to sell you are likely competing with many others who are also selling what you are.
You are also competing with other possible uses of the money that people might spend on what you are selling.
The fact that we have limitless desires and limited funds means we must make choices as to what we want most.
The declining size of 18yr olds has put more pressure on colleges.
And those that are the least desireable are the losers.
That is how free markets work.