Published in The Omen, Issue 61.2, February 14, 2025
To Succeed, Hampshire Must Get a Lot Weirder
Is Hampshire College in perpetual crisis or merely navigating a turbulent chapter? Students have witnessed firsthand the impact of painful cuts: 9% of non-academic staff laid off, a staggering 25% reduction in library personnel, retirement contributions suspended, and work-study hours slashed. This article dives deep into these pressing issues, offering a fresh perspective, thoughtful critique, and innovative solutions to help Hampshire move beyond its current state of precarity and austerity. Drawing from my experiences as an alum, activist, and journalist, along with on-the-ground and online research, I aim to shed light on Hampshire’s challenges within the historical and broader higher education context.
The Shortfall
Hampshire’s finances are currently under strain partly because of an enrollment shortfall. President Wingenbach wrote to alumni on June 21, 2024, informing them that there will be around 1000 students for the coming years instead of the 1100-1200 forecasted initially. When Jonathon Lash (the last president with a multi-year term before Wingenbach) came to Hampshire, there were 1500 students. It is a more competitive market now, but why settle for the enrollment ceiling during Wingenbach’s administration to be lower than the floor of the Lash administration?
It’s Happened Before
Enrollment has been increasing at Hampshire despite the pandemic and the challenges of rebuilding the admissions department since its decimation in 2019. Everyone I have met in the department seems diligent and cares deeply about the college. The following critique is not a reflection on them as individuals but an opportunity to have an outside look at enrollment challenges that affect everyone at the college. Enrollment has often come in under projections, and caused crises, such as in 2016, 2018, 2019 (when the college didn’t accept a full class), and 2024. How can this unfortunate cycle be broken, especially now that we are reaching the demographic cliff?
What Can Be Done Differently
Below are three potential ways Hampshire can more effectively reach prospective students: improving printed and online media, expanding a marketing collaborative, and creating a video game. However, the specific ideas are much less important than the mindset shift that would enable a more radical approach. Hampshire can break through the increasingly homogenized liberal arts marketing noise with a differentiating boldness. In the article's concluding section, I propose a moonshot, whole-of-community approach that can radically upend the current paradigm to free Hampshire from its survive-not-thrive trajectory.
I contacted Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Fumio Sugihara, requesting an interview. He directed me to Jennifer Chrisler, the college spokesperson (in addition to Chief of Advancement). She didn’t respond to my request, but I was able to ask Sugihara one question during a committee meeting of Hampshire Open Network: If the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) fair had more events, would Hampshire participate? He said they would.
How to Differentiate
Working with students to discover how they first heard about Hampshire and what approaches they think will work is essential. For my part, I’ll show how to improve Hampshire’s marketing messages through short, simple, bold, or even polarizing text. “The reason for this focus on differentiation is simple: When brands are strong and distinct, institutions survive and thrive. If the institution thrives, it can have a bigger impact on students like me.” -Suzan Brinker, Pass/Fail: The Urgent Need for Strategic Leadership in Higher Education.
“We’re different from every other college” suggests Hampshire is unique, but it fails to differentiate when other colleges deliver the same message. The ad says, “Let us show you why,” but it would be more effective if it showed what’s different. The ad on the right describes St. John’s College as A College Like No Other. A book about St. Edmund College uses the same line. Mt. Holyoke tells of an experience like no other as does Augusta University. Hampshire can’t just say it is different; it must boldly demonstrate.
One of Hampshire’s brochures says, “Be the Entrepreneur of Your Own Education.” The intention here is to convey that one’s educational path at Hampshire is self-directed and allows independence. However, this language may be misleading since Hampshire doesn’t have a business curriculum per se.
Hampshire’s ads tout the idea of becoming an “agent of change” or “agent of momentous change.” It has a corporate ring that seems misplaced or dated, like the book title: Agents of Change in a Changing Age. Nor does it convey how the Hampshire community can nurture individuals into a broader alliance versus pursuing change on their own terms - something a change-minded person could pursue independently without needing Hampshire’s context or support. While the aim is to sound bold, it’s the type of claim that sounds too good to be true.
I understand the strategy of trying to move prospective students from casually interested, to engaged, to campus visitor, then to applicant. Still, Hampshire keeps showing a similar ad dozens of times asking to sign up for the mailing list using the same text. Alternating 10-20 different phrases would be more effective so that the viewer learns another reason to get interested with each ad.
Here are three iconic and incredibly impactful campaigns that we can learn from:
The I❤️NY campaign is concise - just four symbols, yet its message and instant connection to New York City is unmistakable. It’s a logo, slogan, and trademark recognized worldwide and one of the most effective marketing campaigns of all time. It was all the more original as it was designed long before the ubiquitous use of emojis and abbreviations in texting.
Apple’s Think Different ad series contrasted with its competitors by highlighting creativity and innovation instead of product specifications. According to Forbes, “By featuring images of famous innovators and thinkers, the campaign appealed to consumers' aspirations and values. It positioned Apple as a company that shared their desire to change the world and make a difference.” Please check out the full commercial here.
While not promoting a specific college, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” is perhaps the most effective higher ed campaign ever. It raised over $2.2 billion to help more than 350,000 minority students attend college. Most Americans in the latter part of the 20th century would have instantly known that slogan, the ad campaign it was from, the organization it was for, and the fund's purpose.
Here are a couple of graphics that I think work well within the Hampshire context:
This is a Hampshire classic; I think it was a brochure cover in the 1990s. It communicates that Hampshire is unique in a credible way because a regular college wouldn’t make an ad like that.
I came up with the name Local Frogs for Hampshire College Alumni of Western MA, which also fits with the requirement to be short, simple, and bold (in a playful way). Thanks to Mark Tuchman for the logo design. LocalFrogs.org is a snapshot of the 2019 concept.
Hampshire should utilize brainstorming from the whole community, but as an example, here are a handful of possible taglines for an alternative brochure cover:
The crossed-out cookie cutter means that Hampshire is not cookie-cutter. This message is like one idea subtly embedded in Hampshire’s Logo, where the H for Hampshire is the negative space between the blocks representing the other colleges in the consortium; Hampshire is what other colleges are not.
In a sea of bland or similar ads, the boldness of this ad stands out and quickly sorts out who would or would not be interested, saving time for prospective students and admissions staff. Clarity also helps reduce attrition since people know what they are getting into earlier.
Consortia that Change Lives
Martin Van Der Werf is a former editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education and Policy Director at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. In his article, “Why is College Student Recruitment So Uncoordinated?”, he discusses the deluge of marketing materials received by people looking into colleges. His next article proposes various groupings of colleges that could form a consortium to reach students focusing on a particular school category.
Loren Pope wrote Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) in 1996, which included high praise for Hampshire. The colleges listed in the book began having college fairs with his blessing and later formed the CTCL organization. It is one of the consortia mentioned in Van Der Werf’s article. I went to their fair in Chicago this past August and talked to representatives of numerous colleges. The counselors were passionate and knowledgeable, but most of the colleges needed to show more strongly how they differed from each other.
The book was last updated in 2012, and a fresh version would be helpful, but they are unlikely to update it again. Below are some other ideas for how the organization could better evolve to serve its participating colleges. Hampshire can encourage this direction; alternatively, it can join or create different consortia or band together with a subgroup of colleges to add fairs.
The organization could explore ways to add more fairs to reach more students. They would need to consult to see what’s feasible for most of the colleges. Recently alumni were invited to accompany staff at the fair, and I think current students should also be invited.
If permitted, they could add the relevant portion of the CTCL book to each college’s entry on the website. Hampshire should look at this webpage of a college in Florida, which is dedicated to their CTCL content. Hampshire could do something similar on its website and in the CTCL directory; here is Hampshire’s directory page. The overview page has just one paragraph and needs more essential points about why Hampshire's differences are beneficial. The video is eight years old, and most of the professors in the video are no longer at Hampshire; it pre-dates the Learning Collaboratives and should be replaced with This is Hampshire, a video that is just one year old.
CTCL needs to find its own voice or become irrelevant as it gets further away from the book that spawned it. The organization should add a content director to create or curate articles, video reports, podcasts, and round table discussions exploring issues in student-centered education or highlighting unique programs at the member colleges.
Posting engaging content frequently to the website and social media will help drive more traffic to the site and the fairs. This content takes time to build an audience, so it's important to start soon and ramp up. The content offers a two-for; it can also be broadcast on the marketing channels of the individual colleges as they are covered.
Audrey Bilger, President of Reed College (a CTCL member college), wrote about Higher Ed’s PR problem in the Chronicle of Higher Education and suggested a PR campaign. “What we see too infrequently in the media are stories of satisfied alumni who believe that getting a college education changed their lives.”
Fees from the participating colleges would cover funding for more fairs. Philanthropists, corporate sponsors, educational foundations, and other non-profits interested in alternative colleges could pay for new endeavors.
While other colleges do have virtual reality tours, no other college uses a video game to promote itself. Making a video game would show that Hampshire is unique. While it may seem outlandish, many examples of alternative media use and collaborations have benefitted Hampshire. There are also video games already on the market that are set in colleges, and video games are used to promote businesses. Note that Hampshire’s game design program was ranked #6 in the nation in 2017 and Best in Northeast in 2021.
Limits on the project's time, cost, and scope must be established, focusing on its purpose and target audience. Possibilities include leveraging the existing artwork and storyline of “Taking Root” (though it needs an update). Students might work for academic credit, alumni could volunteer, etc. Also, it should not be counted on to increase enrollment – any increases should be considered a bonus.
The video game is aimed at a wider audience than just video game players, and it is not intended to promote just the game design program. It is about promoting a weird college in a weird way and opening up new marketing channels to reach new students. For the foreseeable future, Gen Z will remain the primary target market for prospective Hampshire students. Video games are the second-largest proportion of their media consumption time, second only to social media (while Hampshire is reaching out on social media, those platforms are saturated with college advertising). Gen Z likes creative and interactive; 72% like video games.
Collaboration and innovative media use are part of Hampshire’s DNA, and its website states, "Collaboration is at the core of who we are.” The Making of a College was written about the college's founding, a huge collaboration that included the new college committee formed by four schools and the Hampshire College Conference. The book increased professors’ willingness to come to work at a brand-new college.
The founders were keenly aware of the need to consider being on the cutting edge of technology applications. “The College intends not only to use new technologies where it is sensible and economically possible to do so, but to introduce its students to their meaning and use as a part of liberal education in the present age.” The Making of a College, page 108.
In 1970, Hampshire sent a record album to prospective students. In 1985, Hampshire sent a record album inviting alumni to attend Hampshire’s Fifteenth Anniversary. For a subsequent anniversary, a cassette was sent. This alternative media use reminded people of the creativity and uniqueness of Hampshire.
Hampshire College library installation collaboration is described in Working Together at the Heart of the College. The library director, gallery director, Prof. Long, and students collaborated to create an extruded wood lettering installation with a quote from The Making of a College. This staff/student/faculty collaboration shows marketing savvy.
Using games to show off Hampshire is not new. The Kern Center, which helps showcase Hampshire to prospective students, has ten games built into the building (hints here). These were designed in collaboration with the founder of the game design program and have been featured in the New York Times.
The 2019 crisis at Hampshire: Staff, faculty, students, parents, and others raised money, planned an alternative course for the college, and pressured the board. The movement creatively utilized social media, earned media, opinion articles, fundraising, Slack, Discord, and more. A Re-envisioning Committee also came up with ideas such as Learning Collaboratives.
For years, new students (and some prospective students) received Taking Root in the mail, a guide to navigating one’s time at Hampshire. It also generated some buzz outside of the college. It was designed by Mark Tuchman 81F and Barbara Gail 81F and was revised several times. Also, as part of Tuchman’s Div. III, he made a board game called Quads and Mods. I interviewed him via Zoom, where he told me, “The goal of the book was to make a guide for new students, and my secret goal was to instill in people an understanding of how unique this whole institution was, especially at the time that it started, and also the idea that it should keep reinventing itself.” Hampshire’s beautiful woods also inspired them to illustrate the path through the Hampshire experience as an exploration.
Sean Song collaboratively designed an RPG video game as their Div III at Hampshire, picking up skills such as coding, writing, and arts. Another example is a video game Word Snack, made by Hampshire students, faculty, and staff in three months. A class of 19 students made Pirate Squabbles in four months. The story and script of the feature-length film Snowflakes was made collaboratively with its cast. Made for a Div. III, it was a fictional movie that was set at Hampshire and portrays students.
Several games include colleges. Sims 4: Discovery University is about life at college. Campus Life is a video game based on the student experience and is set to come out in 2025. There was even a simple video game set at Hampshire College called Winter Break. The game was made in 2016 by a Hampshire-student-run video game collaborative. Visual novels are another category of games. Professor Layton (inspired partly by Indiana Jones, another archaeologist/professor character) is one of the most successful video games in the visual novel category. A final category to look at is advergames, games designed to promote a particular business. Hundreds of corporations have made them, including Burger King, Disney, Dominos, Pepsi, KFC, Toyota, Nerf, General Mills/Chex, Frito-Lays/Cheetos, 7Up, and even the U.S. Army. While they are very different from Hampshire, this can be an effective form of marketing, or they would not be spending the money to create them.
Process of Making the Game
Making and promoting the game could offer students and other community members opportunities to collaborate and solve real-world problems creatively, including how to complete a significant project that is on time, fun, effective, engaging, informative, and inclusive of marginalized groups. They could work interdisciplinarily across silos and learn about game design, marketing, and various aspects of higher ed admissions and administration.
I spoke with Jennifer Gutterman, Assistant Prof. of Game Design and Game Studies at Hampshire. They suggested that if it’s to go viral, it might need to reach a more mainstream audience, so it could be like the Game of Life. However, in this case, players choose between a traditional college and one like Hampshire. I spoke to an alum who was co-founder of a game-making collaborative while at Hampshire called Glowlime Games. He said that to keep students engaged, it’s important to get credit for working on the game like an independent study, but it’s essential to remember “it's a great resume piece,” and for people who want to get into the game industry, “it's a huge leg up.” Isaiah Mann 2013F.
Conclusion
To move beyond precarity, Hampshire must combine several approaches:
Have far higher enrollment goals - then launch a moonshot that unites the community to break past limiting beliefs of what is possible.
Partner with students, staff, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders to run various surveys, think tanks, and design contests that help imagine new ways of improving enrollment.
Co-create the new reality with the activated community by welcoming them into groups that help execute these plans and expand the types of admissions ambassadors
Budget conservatively, decoupling from the aspirational enrollment goal. Set community expectations at the very low end of what is possible because surprise cuts leave students, staff, and faculty scrambling to adjust to the new reality and upset at the perceived lack of transparency.
Create and publish contingency plans for budget shortfalls and prioritized expenditures when fundraising and enrollment improve.
A paradigm shift in thinking is needed to leap beyond limiting beliefs. We learned from 2019 that all those who care about the college need to act as curators, custodians, or parents of Hampshire - that’s when we prevented closure, set goals, imagined a new future, and got started.
These stakeholders challenge the institution to see new possibilities that are hard for some to see from within. Their additional energy, support, knowledge, and connections helped the college maximize its potential and prevented Hampshire from closing. Far too often, administrators who are strapped for time and worried about their autonomy ward off outsider ideas, individuals, and initiatives that are trying to help. These concerns can be addressed through open dialogue and by allowing volunteer projects to be run by other volunteers instead of delaying innovative initiatives until the administration has more capacity.
Hampshire has a unique culture and pedagogy, and the goals to rebuild the college are admirable, but it doesn’t appear to run its administration differently from other colleges. What is admissions doing that is really different - and radical? It is currently promoting a radical program in a conventional way. The goal is to make the approach to admissions as radical as the rest of Hampshire, exuding the authenticity needed to change the game.
Jonathon Podolsky is a Hampshire alum, activist, and a member of the Education Writers Association. More at www.Podolsky.cc