Your Life at Amherst—in 1971

The Open Curriculum has been introduced. President John William Ward will soon be arrested for protesting the Vietnam War. An alternative college guide calls Amherst men “some of the most sought-after cats in the East.” Look back with this excerpt from Nancy Pick ’83’s Eye Mind Heart: A View of Amherst College at 200, one of the keepsake Bicentennial books commissioned by the College.

Next Stop: Ph.D.

The classes of 2020 and 2021 include Amherst’s first cohorts of Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows. Three of these young alumni are on their way into Ph.D. programs.

The Sky Doesn’t Have to Be the Limit

Whether she’s scanning the skies to discover planets or investigating new ways to help the population become more math-literate, Assistant Professor of Astronomy Kate Follette is changing the game.

Assistant Professor Shayla Lawson Asks: What Would It Mean to Leave Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka Alone?

“Talented athletes are great at performing under stress,” writes Lawson in Bustle, “but the intensity with which we pick apart women athletes doesn’t support their greatness.” Lawson’s book This Is Major is the DeMott reading for new Amherst students this year. Lawson will deliver the DeMott Lecture on Aug. 28; alumni and families can register to join the livestream to watch from home.

Karen Hastie Williams, Barrier-Breaking Lawyer and Amherst Trustee Emerita, Dies at 76

The first Black woman to work as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk, Williams went on to become one of Washington, D.C.’s “leading mentors for women and people of color in legal and government circles,” according to a New York Times obituary. She was also the daughter of William H. Hastie, Amherst class of 1925, the first Black man to serve as a U.S. District Court judge.

Daughter and Grandson Remember Dr. Charles Drew ’26 on NPR’s Morning Edition

In a StoryCorps interview, Charlene and Ernest Jarvis discuss the life, death and legacy of Drew, who is known today as “the father of blood banking.”

Astronomer David Helfand ’72 Featured in New Yorker Article About James Webb Space Telescope

Helfand talks with writer Rivka Galchen about the long-delayed and soon-to-be-launched telescope, as well as about his family, education and career. The article also alludes to the work of astronaut Jeff Hoffman ’66, who helped to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. Learn More

Planning a Visit to Campus?

Before you come, check the guidelines to see what areas of campus are accessible to alumni, families and other visitors. Guidelines