Music and Poetry at Amherst

June 2, 2023

A program of vocal and instrumental music by Jesse Carr ’73, Ken Gold ’73, P’11, Greg Hayes ’73, Paul Salerni ’73 and Scott Wheeler ’73, concluding with the Brahms Academic Festival Overture for eight hands at two pianos. The Amherst Glee Club and Conductor Arianne Abela will appear on video in two premieres, both dedicated to the memory of Professor Lewis Spratlan. Presented by the Class of 1973.

Mentors: How They Can Help, and How to Be a Good One

June 2, 2023

A panel featuring a physician whose mentor helped shape his career as an inventor and led to a world-famous program that finds and fosters inventors, and a minister and another physician who talk about mentoring younger colleagues (and being trained to do so effectively).

Activism and Advocacy After 2020

June 2, 2023

A panel discussion focing on how the tumultuous events of the current historical moment—from the protests following the murder of George Floyd to the insurrection of Jan. 6—have reshaped, revitalized or redirected the activism of several members of the Class of 1988.

Progress on Diversity in the United States - Amherst College Reunion 2023

June 3, 2023

Amherst graduates spanning the past 60 years share their perspectives, critiques and proposals on progress in the pursuit of diversity in the United States, with an emphasis on higher education but also how diversity in that area conditions diversity in other aspects of American life.

The Future of the Car

June 3, 2023

America’s favorite mode of transportation, the personal automobile, is moving into an electric-powered—and eventually driver-optional—future. Panelists describe the issues and obstacles in the transition to an electric-car future and the driverless revolution already occurring in California, Arizona and Texas.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…Your Laptop and iPad??

June 3, 2023

A panel discussion about the current ways audiences view and prefer to enjoy filmed entertainment. Do the changes in the entertainment industry and the shift of focus to streaming platforms reflect permanent cultural shifts, or will there be a post-COVID return to popcorn and movie theater seats?

All About the Amherst Endowment: A Conversation with Our Chief Investment Office

June 3, 2023

Letitia Johnson took over the College's endowment in 2019. It's grown by $1 billion—that's Billion, with a "B"—since then. What investments did she inherit and how has she changed the portfolio? Moderated by Amherst Trustee Nick Zerbib ’93, a Managing Director at Stone Point Capital.

How to Flee an Empire

June 3, 2023

Two weeks after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, Mickey Berdy ’78 was the last journalist at The Moscow Times to leave Russia. In this presentation, she talked about about how to escape, how to start over and the chances for change in Russia.

Black Women of Amherst College: Continuing the Conversation

June 3, 2023

The award-winning Black Women of Amherst College podcast tells the untold stories of Black women throughout Amherst College’s history, including before coeducation, spotlighting “the invisible work of Black women” in higher education and throughout society.

What’s Up with the Supreme Court?

June 3, 2023

A panel discussion looking at the role of precedent, pros and cons of theories of constitutional interpretation, recent and upcoming decisions of the Court suggesting a shift in outlook, where the Court appears to be headed, proposals for possible reform of the Court, and ethical issues of Supreme Court Justices.

Breakthroughs in the Brain: New Treatments to Combat the Rise in Mind Disorders

June 3, 2023

Precision neuropsychiatry. Psychedelics. Telemedicine. Find out about the cutting-edge diagnosis and treatment of brain illnesses from leading experts at a time when depression, anxiety, addiction, Parkinson’s and other conditions are on the rise.

Lessons from Amoebae: Teaching and Training Scientists at a Research College

June 1, 2023

In this lecture, Marc Edwards, Assistant Professor of Biology, will share how his research program works to develop a deep mechanistic understanding of how cells move and how the Edwards Laboratory aims to train the next generation of scientists. Professor Edwards was recently featured in an episode of "Between 2 Mammoths". Professor Edwards will chart the lessons he’s learned and the discoveries he’s made together with students during his time at Amherst College.

Teaching Our Children About Emotions: The Psychological Science of Parent Emotion Socialization

June 1, 2023

Psychological research suggests that parents play a critical role in teaching children about emotions and how to regulate them. Parents may react to children’s emotions in ways that are supportive and help them to understand and effectively regulate their emotions, or in ways that are unsupportive and communicate that emotions are not acceptable. How parents react to children’s emotions can then have downstream effects on children’s social adjustment and their risk for developing psychological disorders. In this talk, Julia McQuade, Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology, will present research from her lab at Amherst College that examines how parents influence the emotional development of children with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who often experience challenges regulating their emotions. Her work suggests that, although parents do play an important role in shaping children’s emotional capacities, not all children respond to parent behaviors in the same way.

Academic Freedom Today—And the Day After Tomorrow

June 1, 2023

Academic freedom today is in distress. Conservative state legislatures have passed bills eradicating tenure and banning the teaching of controversial topics. Disturbing anecdotes circulate about intolerant and censorious students. A growing administrative class stands accused of chilling the speech of faculty and students alike. In the background, increasing numbers of professors teach and research on short-term contracts, lacking the protections of tenure. In this lecture, Adam Sitze, the John E. Kirkpatrick 1951 Professor in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought, will consider these events and dynamics in relation to the history of academic theory more generally. At the core of this lecture will be a question: Are our received doctrines of academic freedom adequate to the crises we face today? And if not, how might we rethink and renew those doctrines so that academic freedom can endure into the future?

Ukraine—What’s going on? Poetry, Photos and Commentary

June 2, 2023

Though he feels he is no expert, Emmanuel Aronie ’68 has deep roots in Ukraine. Three of his grandparents were born there. His first trip to Ukraine was in 1989 as part of a 25-day curiosity tour of the Soviet Union. He lived in Ukraine for most of 1992, 1995 and 1999. Because of other seasonal visits, his passport is stamped “Ukraine” or “Ukr” more than 50 times. He has lived in Ukraine since Aug. 10, 2022. Among other things, he has been leading English-language seminars and participating in an English-language movie club. In this presentation, he plans to address three questions: 1. What is daily life like? 2. How do Ukrainians feel about all the aid they are receiving, humanitarian and military? 3. What is the endgame of the current war with Russia and beyond? Presented by the Class of 1968.