College as a president and as a person. They share their memories and wish him the best of luck in future endeavors.

Lisa Raskin,

Dean of the Faculty

I'm personally very saddened by the news, but also understand Tom's desire to follow up on his other interests. He has been a superb colleague and friend. Tom has had a wonderful tenure here and he can be very proud of his accomplishments.

Lauren Sozio '04

My first encounter with Gerety was this past fall when I walked into my own room, completely oblivious to the fact he was going to be there, and found him sitting at my desk, in my chair completely strewn with dirty laundry, talking with my roommate. My first thoughts were, the president of the school is sitting at my desk and he thinks I'm a slob, but my apprehensions quickly went away when he got up to introduce himself to me, and I realized what an approachable, down to earth guy he really was.

He always seems to be immersed in the students, whether it be supporting teams on the fields, or just checking in to make sure a student's life is running smoothly. I remember him asking me about my spring break in Cancun, concerned with the safety and interested in the smaller details of nightlife and beaches. It is not everywhere that you can find a president who is so connected to the student body and genuinely interested and accessible to the students more on the level of confidant and peer than supreme authoritarian.

Ben Lieber,

Dean of Students

[President Gerety] really has strengthened the College in a number of ways. The comprehensive campaign was an enormous success and he deserves a lot of the credit for that. He has proven himself to be a remarkably skillful fundraiser and he's also thrown himself into all different avenues of improving the campus. The physical facilities have improved tremendously during his tenure-[Kirby] Theater, Webster, the art building, the athletic facilities-real tangible accomplishments that he'll leave behind him ... Any conversation with Tom Gerety could take a turn into the most intellectual discussion that anyone might have. That's also a tribute to his nature as well.

Steve Ruckman '01

When I was working as SGO President, there were more than a few times when I met with President Gerety to discuss policy issues about which our opinions greatly differed. In these meetings, our conversation would quickly become empassioned (only in regards to the issue at hand, of course), as I defended my stance and he questioned it. It was during these moments of heated discussion that I saw the teacher in President Gerety, and appreciated that his leadership was rooted in an academic tradition.

Like a good law professor, he would draw out my position in order to find its strengths and weaknesses, and then offer his own alternative account. But he was never so stubborn as to let matters rest there. If I was convinced of my views on campus policies and could defend them, he would do his best to facilitate their being put into practice. Critical thinking is rightfully given a high value at Amherst, and it is good to see this value echoed in Amherst's president.

Michelle Oliveros-Larsen '02

President Gerety has been part of my life at Amherst since my very first week as a freshman. As my freshman seminar professor, I got to spend two days a week with him in a small group, most of which centered around discussion and banter. It blew my mind that the president of a college would take time to teach such a class, and that he seemed so genuinely interested in getting to know each of us. Even after the class was over, I felt like I could talk to him if I needed to, and he always managed to say hi to me if he saw me around, or give me an encouraging hug ...

As I go off to Columbia next year, I go knowing that President Gerety was a vital part of the team of people who cared about me and my future enough to help me get where I wanted to be and unfalteringly worked to help me get there ... Making individual students feel like they are just as important as any dean or trustee is a gift which Gerety gave out freely, and any president after him will have big shoes to fill if they hope to inspire as much admiration and camaraderie as he did.

Edward N. Ney '46,

Life Trustee

Life's experiences show that the president (C.E.O.) of any organization is the one who deserves the plaudits or jeers of the public when they move on to other interests. Tom Gerety has done a fine job-the College continues to rank high, very high by any measure. The Treasury is full and students find Amherst one of the most challenging colleges to matriculate at and later graduate [from].

It's a smart leader who knows when to move on-that time is when the enterprise is in top shape. I'm sure we all wish Tom the very best as he continues to pursue interests that are all about contributing to the common good of our nation and the world.

Well done, Tom, and good luck. You've done us well.

Tripp Whitbeck '03

I remember realizing what a truly human, and down-to-earth, college president he was, when he approached me at the Homecoming Game my freshman year about becoming the College's mascot. I was just a little freshman, diligently painting myself purple to show support for the football team. After evidently seeing me painted for several weeks, President Gerety actually came up to me and said that he was "excited by my spirit," and wondered if I would like to do what I was doing in a somewhat official capacity, as College mascot. President Gerety got the ball rolling on an opportunity that I would never have thought possible.

In truth, it is because of people like President Gerety that I came to Amherst College. He has an ability to be "in power," but to be truly accessible, and truly willing-to-chat. There is a lack of silly posturing, which I might have expected from my college president! He will be missed.

Amos Hostetter, Jr. '58,

Chairman of Board of Trustees

Transitions like this are bittersweet. Bitter because Tom's departure is the departure of a beloved colleague. He will be missed as our president for almost a decade and as a friend. Sweet, however, because Tom is making a positive decision to undertake another career. While there are no specifics yet, I am confident he will reincarnate probably in refugee or environmental work. He feels there is more to be done out there, and we take pride in his commitment to further public service.

While Tom has left an impressive legacy, I think he will be most remembered for two particular achievements. First, he has assembled an extraordinary staff. His good judgment about people has enabled him to build an outstanding team that hopefully will be here long after his departure. Second and most importantly, he has brought a new level of civility to Amherst College. While the debate here is no less spirited and intense, I think we are dealing with each other with a little more respect and compassion than we did a decade ago, and for that we all have Tom to thank.

Joseph Kushick,

Professor of Chemistry

I have found him to be a wonderful listener. I always had the impression that he was paying attention and really hearing what I had to say, and that he took it seriously and reacted appropriately. I never had the sense that he was somewhere else, which is a rare thing to find in a senior level administrator with many things on his mind.

Will Johnson '03

From the infancy of his administration, throughout the course of his tenure as president, Tom Gerety has led by example. Ours is a generation that is consumed by success, and more than any other academic that I have encountered, President Gerety understands this. Whenever I saw Gerety, he always seemed to push me to do something different, something worthwhile. "The rest of the world can wait," Gerety would often say. "Before jumping out into the world, find your passion, find your dream." Now Gerety is leaving to go pursue a dream deferred. Yet again Gerety is leading by example, and for that I think all of us should show him a tremendous amount of gratitude and respect.

Bill Pritchard '53,

Professor of English

Some presidents get disliked because they have certain favorites on the faculty ... that wasn't his mode. There is a certain fairness in his dealing with people.

Walter Nicholson,

Professor of Economics

I think that the general mood of the College is as upbeat now as I have seen it. This is in no small part due to the efforts Tom has made. He deserves our thanks.

Michael Kiefe,

Chief Advancement Officer

Throughout his presidency, Tom Gerety has worked closely and very effectively with me and my colleagues to nurture Amherst's relationships with alumni, parents and friends around the world. Alumni relations, fund raising and communications-the areas that make up Advancement-come naturally to Tom. He is a brilliant public speaker who finds true enjoyment in drawing Amherst folks into the life of the College. He cares about people's feelings, and he pays attention to the details of their lives. He is a wise judge of character, and he has a keen sense of the appropriate. It is a treat to work with Tom because he is so curious and lively. He is a mentor and a very dear friend.

Eric Osborne '04

President Gerety always seems to have a smile on his face and a jovial nature about him that is very welcoming. I'll certainly miss that when he's gone. But it is true that now is as good a time as any for him to leave, and I am very excited to see who the College chooses to replace him and how that choice will affect the direction Amherst takes.

Karen Williams,

Trustee

I will miss the intellectual excitement that Tom brings to Board discussions. I will miss his leadership-his commitment to exploring new ideas, to holding students and faculty to a rigorous standard of excellence, to recognizing that a school small in size does not have to fear grappling with the tough issues, and to leading his peers in recognition of the extraordinary contributions that arise from a multiracial, multiethnic, economically diverse student body. In difficult times Tom has demonstrated an extraordinary gift for compassion from which many of us have benefited. A man of many talents, he will be missed.

Colin Diver '65,

Trustee

I knew Tom Gerety as a fellow law professor and fellow law school dean long before he became president of Amherst. But only during the past four years, since my election to the Board of Trustees, have I come to appreciate fully his remarkable skills as an academic leader. Over the past four years, I have seen Tom in just about every kind of professional setting-intense discussion, rancorous debate, easy socializing, exuberant celebration. The context changes, the subject matter changes. But Tom is always Tom-thoughtful, attentive, open, firm as a matter of principle, flexible as a matter of implementation. He sees in the details of daily administration the working out of important strategic and even moral questions. He states his views, not as ordained truth, but as working hypotheses-to be defended by reason, and, when appropriate, to be surrendered to reason.

Amherst is a frothy, cantankerous place that doesn't want to be led, however much it may need to be led. Quiet strength is what Amherst has needed, and quiet strength is what Tom Gerety has given it.