Thirty-nine years ago this week, the then Four Colleges­-Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts–increased their cooperation with one another by expanding their shuttle buses' schedules. The Colleges' two buses had been making nine trips per day, an inadequate rate that did not satisfy Valley students; thus, the new schedule incorporated nighttime rides.

At this point, Four College cooperation was minimal, though there had been growing recognition that change was necessary. President Calvin Plimpton of Amherst College remarked, "We haven't begun to crack the ice on this cocktail, let alone put the whiskey in." The Four College Student Coordinating Board was then created to raise cooperation awareness, to enhance the bus schedules and to lower phone rates between South Hadley, Amherst and Northampton. The Board, however, met with little success.

After the Four College Committee issued a report on the state of cooperation, the Colleges began to implement more collaborative activities. Together, the Colleges developed an astronomy department, a joint calendar, a film center and an educational FM radio station (WFCR) that broadcasted daily. Communication between Four College departments increased, with more faculty seminars such as those in American studies and modern European history. Shared fields specifically for undergraduate students also arose, including classics, Italian and botany.

Although the number of Four College students traveling to other institutions for classes grew over time, the number remained relatively low. While 14 students took part in the undergraduate student exchange from 1950 to 1951, 270 did so in the fall semester of 1966. That semester, only 109 Amherst students went off campus to take a class at another college. This small statistic was not limited to the College as 86 undergraduates enrolled in courses at Mt. Holyoke and Smith, whereas a mere 33 Mt. Holyoke and Smith students combined enrolled in courses at Amherst. One reason given for these limited numbers was the discrepancy between class schedules at Amherst and Smith.

Four College cooperation still had far to go. Hampshire College had recently been incorporated into what became Five Colleges, Inc., but this was little more than a financial collaboration. Several questions remained: What role would Hampshire play in the consortium? How would the Colleges retain their individuality? And at what pace would cooperation continue?