President of Hampshire College Resigns ‘Effective Immediately’
“would be a distraction from the necessary work”
Two members of the board of trustees have already stepped down as well. This will not come to a happy ending.
Inside Higher Ed reports:
Hampshire President Quits; Board Votes to Try to Stay Independent
Hampshire College’s president, Miriam E. Nelson, announced Friday that she was leaving her position, effective immediately.
In a letter to the campus, she defended her analysis that the college needed substantial changes in its structure and financing to remain viable. She also, however, said that opposition to her leadership “would be a distraction from the necessary work” of placing the college on sound footing.
The college also announced that its board had voted to start a fund-raising campaign to remain independent. While the board has not in recent months ruled out that possibility, it has been pursuing partnerships — a strategy opposed by many students, alumni and faculty members who believe that it would be impossible to find a partnership that would not erode Hampshire’s values.
Nelson’s announcement comes the same week that the board chair left her position, also saying that the intense criticism she had received was making it difficult for the college to consider options.
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