Science Center Celebration

November 2, 2018

Remarks by Biddy Martin, President of Amherst College, during a celebration on October 20, 2018, of Amherst's new Science Center.

Transcript

What does it say about Amherst? What does it say about the community that we have completed this set of projects, not just the Science Building but the dorms that became necessary, and the landscaping,
which I think is pure genius?

The set of projects we've completed say something about our commitment to beauty. To natural beauty and to the beauty of a built environment that is compatible with the natural beauty of this campus. It says that we care deeply about science. It says something about our commitment to sustainability. It says something about the importance of the liberal arts emphasis on integration.

We have faculty and students who warrant a facility of this sort, whose research and teaching deserve to occur in a place that allows them to do their best work.

We have an alumni body and a Board of Trustees who are also ambitious on behalf of the college and willing to
support its academic mission to ensure that Amherst remains the best possible undergraduate institution in the country.

This is not a case of "If you build it they will come." They are here. They are our esteemed faculty, whose academic
distinction is only surpassed by their talent and commitment as educators of our students. And they are our students right here, right now.

A building at the end of the day is just a space. It is those people who make this space a place.