The new Dining Commons will have the infrastructure necessary to meet and exceed standards set across our peer institutions. The new culinary offerings will honor Amherst’s ongoing commitment to locally produced, sustainable, high-quality food, will provide kosher and halal meals, as well as allergen-free dining areas.
Dining Commons
Dining Commons Seating Areas
The space will seat 900 people, nearly 50% more than Valentine Hall’s capacity, in a variety of configurations that accommodate different sizes and types of gatherings and events.
Honoring Professor Stanley Rabinowitz in the new Student Center & Dining Commons Café
Many indescribable elements can shape the Amherst College experience—but much of that experience is clearly defined by the connection shared with professors who invest in their students and the promise of all that Amherst students can achieve in the world.
If you would like to support this special tribute to Professor Rabinowitz with a leadership gift, please contact us at specialinitiatives@amherst.edu.
This investment takes shape formally in the classrooms and lecture halls but also in less formal ways—over coffee or a meal, sharing in conversation and impromptu scholarly discourse and debate.
Professor Stanley Rabinowitz was legendary for holding court in cafés or restaurants to impart his wit and wisdom.
Whether you bumped into him at the Black Sheep or another local Amherst favorite, Professor Rabinowitz was welcoming, engaging, and full of advice and humor.
These impromptu visits helped inspire generations of students at Amherst College—and for this reason, we plan to honor his memory and the spirit of these Café Conversations with Stanley in a meaningful way.
As we build the new Student Center & Dining Commons, we envision a vibrant café Professor Rabinowitz would have frequented to share in raucous laughter, meaningful insights, and delicious food and beverages. The café will serve as a destination for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends.
Located on the corner of the building facing the Quad (seen above), with seating indoors and outdoors on the adjacent terrace, this will be a prominent place for relaxing, connecting, and people-watching.
We invite you to consider a meaningful gift to this significant naming in memory of our beloved professor, colleague, and friend, Stanley Rabinowitz. There will always be an honorary seat reserved for Stanley at his namesake café—and we look forward to welcoming you there, just as Stanley would have.
Game Area
The game area is a large indoor space on level three with an adjacent roofed outdoor area that will be outfitted with recreational equipment such as pool, ping-pong and foosball tables, and spaces for card and board games. A dedicated room for electronic gaming can be found on level one.