Meet President Michael A. Elliott

In June 2022, Amherst College announced that Michael A. Elliott ’92, professor of English and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, would become its 20th president. Read more in Amherst’s press release.

President Michael A. Elliott

The Latest from President Elliott

Read messages to the community from Amherst College President Michael A. Elliott, and watch videos of talks and speeches. 

Presidential Priorities: Student Community, Working at Amherst, and Serving the Greater Good

Presidential Priorities for Amherst College

As we look to the future of Amherst, we seek to build on our extraordinary history in three core areas. 

Q&A With Michael A. Elliott ’92

Michael Elliott working in his office at a wooden desk with a computer

“This is Not an Exercise in Nostalgia for Me”

Amherst Magazine

A onetime editor of The Amherst Student is now president of his alma mater. Michael A. Elliott ’92 answers our questions about who he is, what he believes and why he came back.

Read the Interview

As an undergraduate at Amherst College, I encountered the power of a liberal arts education to transform the lives of its students and to shape the world far beyond the campus.” — President Elliott

Biography

Michael A. Elliott ’92 is the 20th president of Amherst College. A distinguished scholar of American literature and culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries, he has published widely on the history of fiction in the United States, Native American literature, and practices of public history. He holds a B.A. from Amherst College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University.

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Two adirondack chairs with the mountain range in the background

Between 2 Mammoths

In this video series, President Elliott invites a member of the community to sit down and chat about all things Amherst. These short dialogues offer a connection point and snapshot of life on campus.