Dive Brief:
- Hampshire College President Ed Wingenbach is set to leave the private nonprofit after his term is up in June, according to a news release Monday.
- Wingenbach is departing to become the president of the American College of Greece. Hampshire’s board plans to launch a search for a new president in February. If a successor isn’t named by July, Jennifer Chrisler, vice president for institutional support, will step in as interim president, the college said.
- After joining Massachusetts-based Hampshire in 2019, Wingenbach led the college through a turnaround effort that included a fundraising push and curriculum overhaul.
Dive Insight:
In announcing Wingenbach’s planned departure, Hampshire noted that applications have doubled, rising to 2,286 in 2024, and total enrollment has grown by 60% since 2020.
By fall 2024, it reached 844 students and anticipates it will enroll 1,000 by 2026-27 — that’s up from 500 roughly two years ago.
The college also fundraised $47 million in direct operating support.
During Wingenbach’s time, the college transformed its approach to curriculum, reached carbon neutrality, and launched a division of Justice, Equity, and Antiracism.
Arguably the most important achievement of the college was its financial turnaround, as all other efforts hinge on the institution’s survival. Hampshire’s turnaround comes at a time when other small private institutions in the East are struggling and several have shuttered.
In 2019, Hampshire’s finances were in such straits that it opted only to admit a partial incoming class that fall. By June 2020, the college had racked up a total operating deficit of $7.1 million, more than double the year before.
Even with enrollment growth and record-making donations for the college, Hampshire has made painful cuts recently to stay on top of its budget.
Last summer, it announced it would cut 9% of its employee ranks after it fell short of enrollment projections. Officials also made the cuts to make good on a pledge to balance Hampshire’s budget by the 2026-27 academic year.
“We’re still growing, enrollment is still increasing,” Wingenbach told Higher Ed Dive at the time. “This is really more about ensuring that we can continue to be successful as the parameters of that growth change.”
Hampshire is currently on track to achieve a balanced budget by 2027, the college said in Monday’s release.
“Hampshire has a strong foundation for a successful future, proving that this extraordinary vision of education can endure and flourish,” Wingenbach said in a statement.
