$5M gift made to Hampshire College in honor of Ken Burns

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Hampshire College has received an anonymous $5 million gift in honor of one of its most famous alumni, award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, that will help the school continue its academic transformation. The gift announced Tuesday is the second $5 million gift the college located in Amherst has received since it launched a $60 million fundraising campaign January 2020, following a financial crisis that prompted the school to consider a merger. Hampshire has now raised more than $33 million toward the goal. President Ed Wingenbach called it a “historic moment.” Burns said he was humbled.