President Martin at Commencement: "Let the Poetic Be Your Guide"
On Sunday, as the rain held off and thousands of loved ones looked on, the College awarded B.A. degrees to more than 480 members of the class of 2018.
Making Campus Beautiful, One Chair at a Time
In advance of Commencement and Reunion, a small army of unheralded experts—those with a deep knowledge of the best way to shape a tree, cultivate the greenest sod or charm bouquets of flowers from the ground—fanned out across campus to quietly do what they do best: make Amherst beautiful.
First-Years, Sophomores and Juniors Honored for Outstanding Work
At the annual College Meeting, students received prizes in more than a dozen areas of study, as well as for scholarship and citizenship. The majority of awards are named in honor of alumni and faculty whose legacies continue to shape the College today.
“One of the Most Rewarding Experiences in My Life”
Students in a 300-level Spanish course interviewed Puerto Ricans in nearby Holyoke, Mass. Then they went to Puerto Rico to meet the relatives of those original subjects.
The Storm Is Not Over
Students delivered dinners from Valentine Dining Hall to Puerto Rican refugees living nearby, then incorporated the project into their classwork.
A Treasure Hunt for Birds, Bugs and Slime
In a culminating academic experience for the “Adaptation and the Organism” class, students discovered 82 species in the woods and fields surrounding the College—and developed a newfound appreciation for jelly fungus.
A Hole in One and a Marriage Proposal
Hayley Milbourn ’11, a former member of the Amherst women’s golf team, got a hole in one on the 13th hole of a Baltimore golf course this month. A few minutes later, she got engaged on the same course. “There’s only so much excitement a person can take,” she told Golf.com.
Amherst Board Gets New Chair
Andrew J. Nussbaum ’85 has been elected chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. His six-year term, renewed annually, begins on July 1. “Andy has been involved in virtually every aspect of the board’s activities,” says outgoing chair Cullen Murphy ’74, who has served as chair since 2012 and as a trustee since 2000.
Another Good Thing About Mammoths
Smithsonian magazine reports on an effort to create hybrids of the mammoth as a way to fix the Arctic tundra and stop greenhouse gas emissions.