Siddhartha V. Shah, Curator and Director of Education and Civic Engagement At the Peabody Essex Museum, is Named Director of The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College

Siddhartha Shah
(AMHERST, Mass., Aug. 10, 2022) — Amherst College announced today that Siddhartha V. Shah, director of education and civic engagement and the curator of South Asian art at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), has been named the John Wieland 1958 Director of the College’s Mead Art Museum. Shah will take over the reins of the Mead from interim director Michael Kunichika–who is director of the Amherst Center for Russian Culture and an associate professor of Russian at Amherst–on Nov. 15.

In his new role, Shah will oversee the museum’s collections, acquisitions, exhibitions and programs, as well as a variety of initiatives aimed at deepening engagement with the community both on and off campus. He will work closely with faculty members across disciplines to make the Mead’s resources available for their courses, research and creative work; with students to foster their involvement with the museum as interns, docents, artists, scholars and visitors; and with area schools and community organizations to expand programming in the region. In addition, he will serve as the museum’s chief fundraiser.

Amherst College Files Amicus Brief With Supreme Court Supporting the Use of a “Race-conscious” Admissions Process

Amherst College Seal
(AMHERST, Mass., Aug. 1, 2022) — Amherst College today filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court of the United States in support of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina and the legality of a “race-conscious” admissions process. In doing so, Amherst reinforced its steadfast commitment to the educational benefits of diversity and the inclusion of race as one component of many in its holistic consideration of each admission application.

Amherst initiated and coordinated the brief, which details the “compelling interest” of a racially diverse student body for liberal arts colleges, consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark Grutter v. Bollinger case nearly 20 years ago. Thirty-two peer institutions joined Amherst as signatories to the brief.

Michael A. Elliott ’92, Professor of English and Dean of The College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, is Named 20th President of Amherst College


Michael A. Elliott

(AMHERST, Mass., June 1, 2022) — Amherst College announced today that Michael A. Elliott ’92, a professor of English and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, has been named its 20th president. Elliott will begin his tenure at Amherst on Aug. 1. He succeeds Biddy Martin, who has served as Amherst’s president since 2011 and who announced last year that she would conclude her term in 2022.

The announcement was made in an email to the College community by Andrew J. Nussbaum ’85, chair of the Board of Trustees and of the Presidential Search Committee, which included faculty, students, staff, and trustees. The committee recommended and the board approved, both unanimously, Elliott’s appointment.

Poet Sonia Sanchez, Author Gary Shteyngart Among Eight To Be Honored at Two Amherst College Commencements This Year

A student in commencement regalia leaving the stage after receiving his diploma.

(AMHERST, Mass., April 26, 2022) — Eight influential leaders in business, economics, neuroscience, art curation, geoscience, higher education, poetry and literature will receive honorary degrees from Amherst College during two Commencement exercises this year. The first event, which will celebrate the class of 2022, will take place on Sunday, May 29, at 10 a.m. on the school’s main quad, while the second, a COVID-19-delayed in-person Commencement for the class of 2020, will occur on Saturday, June 11, at 3 p.m. at the same location. Amherst President Biddy Martin will deliver the traditional Commencement addresses—the final two she will give as president of the College—at both ceremonies.

The 2022 honorands will speak in a series of conversations that are free and open to the public on May 28, and the 2020 honorands will make brief remarks during the graduation ceremony on June 10. Schedules for both weekends are available on the Commencement website.

Amherst College Music Department Donates Steinway Piano to the Drake

(AMHERST, Mass., Feb. 21, 2022) – The Drake, the Downtown Amherst Foundation’s (DAF) soon-to-open arts and cultural venue, will be the permanent home of a Steinway & Sons piano, thanks to a gift from the Amherst College Department of Music. The department donated the instrument after the College made a $100,000 gift to The Drake project in January 2022.

The Emily Dickinson Museum Receives $600,000 Commitment for Reconstruction of the Evergreens Carriage House

Challenge gift from John and Elizabeth Armstrong kicks off major $3.5M 20th Anniversary fundraising effort, Twice as Bold, in support of Museum’s long range plan


Elizabeth and John Armstrong
(AMHERST, Mass., February 17, 2022) – The Emily Dickinson Museum today announced a major pledge of $600,000 from former Board members and long-time friends John and Elizabeth Armstrong for the design and reconstruction of the Carriage House that once stood to the east of The Evergreens, the home of Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin and his wife Susan. The project flows from a recently-completed long range plan, which maps programmatic and capital enhancements over the next decade at the Museum’s historic downtown Amherst location. By significantly expanding access to the Museum and its programs for both onsite and online visitors, the changes firmly establish the Museum as the premier center for the study and celebration of Dickinson’s life and work, and as a source and site of inspiration for new generations of poets, artists, writers, and thinkers.

Acclaimed Authors and Poets to Headline Amherst College’s Seventh Annual Litfest

Pulitzer Prize Winners Natalie Diaz and Viet Thanh Nguyen Among Acclaimed Authors and Poets to Headline Amherst College’s Seventh Annual Litfest, Feb. 24-27

Amherst College LitFest 2022: Illuminating great writing and Amherst's literary life

(AMHERST, Mass., Jan. 13, 2022)—From Feb. 24-27, Amherst College will host the seventh annual LitFest, a literary festival celebrating fiction, nonfiction, poetry and spoken-word performance, along with the College’s extraordinary literary life. This year’s lineup includes Katie Kitamura and Elizabeth McCracken, both 2021 National Book Award (NBA) nominees; Pulitzer Prize winners Natalie Diaz and Viet Thanh Nguyen; and journalists Vann Newkirk and David Graham, among others. After last year’s pandemic-induced decision to hold the event virtually, the 2022 festival will largely be in-person, with virtual options for many of the sessions. 

Since its inception in 2016, more than 30 renowned writers—including Anne Applebaum, Michael Chabon, Susan Choi, Masha Gessen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Zadie Smith and Jesmyn Ward—have participated in LitFest, many as a result of a partnership between Amherst College; its award-winning literary magazine, The Common; and the National Book Foundation (NBF) Presents program. More information about the events, the writers and the livestreams is available at amherst.edu/go/litfest. The 2022 schedule is as follows (all times are Eastern Standard):

Amherst College and Rashad Devoe Resolve Lawsuit

(Amherst, Mass., Jan. 12, 2022) — Amherst College and Rashad Devoe have resolved the legal claims recently brought by Coach Devoe, the former head coach of Amherst’s men’s lacrosse team.

Amherst College and Coach Devoe are both committed to increasing diversity across collegiate sports, and particularly in men’s lacrosse. They move forward with mutual respect for the work each has done to achieve this goal.

College Makes Bicentennial Donations to Town Library, Arts Venue

Funds to be Split Evenly Between the Jones Library and The Drake, A New Arts and Cultural Hub Being Developed in Downtown Amherst

Aerial view of downtown Amherst, Massachusetts
(AMHERST, Mass., Jan. 5, 2022) — Amherst College will make a special $200,000 donation–to mark the occasion of its Bicentennial–to two of the town of Amherst’s important institutions, one historic and another one new. The funds will be split evenly between the 93-year-old Jones Library, which is slated to undergo a major restoration and renovation that was overwhelmingly approved by voters last month, and The Drake, a new arts and cultural performance venue for the downtown district.

 “Amherst College and the Town of Amherst have had a 200-plus-year relationship, beginning with the establishment of a charity fund in 1818 by the citizens of the town to give free instruction to ‘indigent young men of promising talents and hopeful piety,’” said Biddy Martin, president of the College. “As we mark the College’s Bicentennial, our ties to the town remain strong. We are especially pleased to be providing support for two projects that will benefit the town and are also aligned with our mission.”

New Collaborative Solar Facility Goes Online

Facility is a first-of-its-kind collaboration among Amherst and four other leading New England liberal arts colleges

EDITORS’ NOTE: Presidents and other senior leaders from the partnership colleges may be available for interviews. Contact the media relations director at each institution: Amherst (Caroline Hanna, 413/542-8417), Bowdoin (Doug Cook, 207/725-3964), Hampshire (Jennifer Chrisler, 202-276-4311), Smith (Stacey Schmeidel, 704/682-2629), Williams (Greg Shook, 202/329-9075).

Drone footage and high-res images available upon request

solar energy facility

(Amherst, Mass.; Brunswick, Maine; Northampton, Mass.; Williamstown, Mass., Nov. 15, 2021)—An innovative collaborative energy project has started delivering electricity to five New England colleges—and to tens of thousands of students, staff and faculty—as a new solar energy facility has gone online in Farmington, Maine.

Launched in 2018, the New England College Renewable Partnership is a first-of-its-kind collaboration among five leading New England liberal arts institutions: Amherst, Bowdoin, Hampshire, Smith and Williams. 

Amherst College Launches Bicentennial Podcast Celebrating the Amherst Experience and the Liberal Arts

Narrated by Award-Winning Actor Jeffrey Wright ’87, “Amherst at 200: Celebrating Mind, Heart, and Community” Features Conversations With Accomplished Alumni and Past and Current Presidents

Illustration of the Mt Holyoke range with the word Amherst at 200: Celebrating Mind, Heart, and Community
(AMHERST, Mass., Nov. 12, 2021) — As part of a host of activities and initiatives marking its Bicentennial year, Amherst College has launched a compelling new podcast showcasing the Amherst experience and the liberal arts. Titled “Amherst at 200: Celebrating Mind, Heart, and Community” and narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright ’87, the series kicks off with a moderated conversation between College President Biddy Martin and two of her predecessors, Anthony Marx, now president and chief executive officer of the New York Public Library, and Tom Gerety, former New York University Law School professor and executive director of NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice who has since retired. Ten remaining episodes—plus three special encore episodes of conversations between Martin and other alumni—are devoted to the individual stories of extraordinary Amherst graduates. The first two episodes will be available for download on Nov. 12, with new episodes released now through December.

Amherst College to End Legacy Preference and Expand Financial Aid Investment to $71 Million

Changes in Admissions Policies and Financial Aid to Assure An Amherst College Education Is Within Reach

With the New Program, 80 Percent of U.S. Households Would Typically Pay No Tuition and Half Would Pay No Tuition, Housing or Meals

(AMHERST, Mass., Oct. 20, 2021)  Amherst College today announced that it is ending the longstanding practice of a legacy admission preference. Paired with a new, expanded financial aid program focused on improving financial and programmatic support for both lower- and middle-income families, Amherst is sending a clear signal to prospective students that its education is within reach for all.

Legacy students—children of alumni who are academically well-qualified—have represented approximately 11 percent of each class. Going forward, legacy status will no longer factor into the College’s holistic admission process, creating greater opportunity for more applicants.

Weston Dripps Named Director of Sustainability at Amherst College

1992 Alumnus Will Also Serve as Director of College’s New Center for Sustainability

Weston Dripps
(AMHERST, Mass., Sept. 27, 2021) — Weston Dripps ’92, executive director of the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University, has been named Amherst College’s director of sustainability and inaugural director of Amherst’s new Center for Sustainability, announced Provost and Dean of the Faculty Catherine Epstein. Dripps will begin his new position on Jan. 1, 2022.

“The search committee was deeply impressed with Wes’s expertise, experience, accomplishments, enthusiasm and ambitious vision for what is possible for a center for sustainability in a liberal arts environment,” said Epstein. “Sustainability is at the heart of the College’s mission, and I know Wes will do a tremendous job of growing and implementing sustainability initiatives across the College.”

Dripps will report to Epstein, the College’s chief academic officer, in recognition of Amherst’s commitment to sustainability as a core part of its academic mission and practices. His agenda is ambitious. He has been charged with creating and supporting opportunities for students to engage in scholarship focused on a just and sustainable future; building collaborative relationships that enhance teaching and experiential learning; engaging the community in sustainability initiatives to inform strategic planning, management of resources, and operations and facilities planning and design; and helping Amherst move toward carbon neutrality. (The College’s Climate Action Plan calls for climate neutrality by 2030.) 

Amherst President Biddy Martin Announces She Will Conclude Her Presidency Next Summer

Martin’s Tenure Reflects Period of Extraordinary Growth and Accomplishment

 

President Biddy Martin
(Amherst, Mass., September 13, 2021) — President Biddy Martin, who has served as the 19th president of Amherst College since 2011, announced today that she will conclude her tenure next summer, after 11 years leading one of the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts colleges. Her years of leadership will mark one of the longest-serving presidencies of the College─and the longest in 50 years─with remarkable achievements across the institution’s priorities.

“The end of the ’21-’22 academic year will be the right time for me to begin my next chapter,” said Martin in a message to the Amherst community. “I look forward to writing, having more time to read, lingering over coffee with friends, playing more, and contributing what I can to the causes that matter to me. It will also be a good time for a new president to assume the role: the College is in excellent financial shape, has a remarkably talented and diverse student body and an outstanding and increasingly diverse faculty and staff, exciting projects in the works, and is making progress toward its goal of inclusiveness and equity….It is an honor to be part of an intellectually curious community that aims high, values critical and independent thought, finds joy in one another’s company, and is committed to current and future generations.”

“The Board has accepted Biddy’s decision most reluctantly, with immeasurable gratitude for her inspired service to Amherst as our 19th president,” said Andrew J. Nussbaum ’85, the chair of the Amherst College Board of Trustees, in a message to the community. “Biddy’s contributions to Amherst have benefitted every aspect of the College: expanding our brilliant and dedicated faculty; attracting the most diverse and extraordinarily talented students; raising more financial support for the College than any of her predecessors; growing our endowment to secure Amherst’s financial future; implementing an ambitious, achievable Climate Action Plan; engaging with our alumni from every generation; and modernizing the administrative function of the College ─ all with her trademark humor, common sense, graceful intelligence, and unmitigated passion for Amherst’s mission and values.”