Education — Small private colleges face challenges as major universities restructure.

Education · 2026-04-15

TODAY'S SIGNAL — The structural reshaping of American higher education accelerated this week with two stories that bookend the crisis facing tuition-dependent private institutions. Hampshire College's closure — after years of debt, deficits, enrollment decline, and accreditation threats — represents a worst-case outcome that dozens of similarly positioned schools are watching closely. Syracuse…