How Will Amherst Choose a New Mascot? — This spring a committee of alumni and students is
beginning to answer that question. "Our job is to create a process that's transparent and that allows our various constituencies—alumni, students, faculty and staff—to express their opinions," says Annette Sanderson '82.
Professor Named as National Book Awards Judge — Ronald C. Rosbottom, the Winifred L. Arms Professor in the Arts and Humanities and professor of French and European studies, will serve as a
judge on the nonfiction panel for the 2016 National Book Awards. He is the author of
When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944, which was long-listed in that same category in 2014.
Amherst Responds to Congressional Endowment Inquiry — On Feb. 8, President Martin received a joint letter from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means requesting information about Amherst's endowment. The leaders of the 55 other U.S. private colleges and universities with endowments of $1 billion or more were sent the same query. Amherst
submitted its reply on April 1.
Alumna Explores "Catastrophic Happiness" of Parenting — This week's
New York Times Book Review features a new memoir by Catherine Newman '90. "As she sees it," the reviewer notes, "the categories of together and apart are woefully insufficient to describe the sometimes sublime, sometimes claustrophobic relationship between mother and child."
Professors' Opera Honored Again —
Life is a Dream, by composer and music professor Lewis Spratlan and librettist and Spanish professor James Maraniss, has a
long and unusual history. Completed in 1978, it won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 but was never fully staged until 2010. Now it has won the
Charles Ives Opera Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Student Launches Lecture Series on Amherst History — Michael Harmon '16 created a
six-part series in which longtime professors teach about Amherst's past and defining characteristics. Watch
videos of talks on 1960s activism, pioneer faculty women, Amherst poets and more.
This Is How a Superhero Sounds — Ashley "Monty" Montgomery '16 came to a startling discovery during the course of her
research into superhero movies: not only are males in the superhero genre not as adaptable as they seem to be, but the females are always in the process of saving their counterparts—while also getting less of the glory.
Made Your Reunion Travel Plans Yet? — More than 100 college- and class-sponsored programs are now posted online.
Register and view the most up-to-date schedule.
