Professors at the College had a positive response to Marx's first appearance in front of the College community, when he was officially introduced by Chair of the Board of Trustees Amos Hostetter, Jr. '58.
"I am very impressed with President Marx in his first appearance before the College community. I did not meet with him personally, but my impression is one of a person with a great deal of energy, intellectual integrity and seriousness of purpose," said Associate Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Martha Umphrey.
"Tony Marx strikes me as a vibrant mind and dedicated scholar. It will be exciting to work with someone of his caliber who has been involved so recently teaching undergraduates himself," said Assistant Professor of Music David Schneider.
The faculty expressed particular satisfaction with Marx's academic background.
"I'm very pleased to see that he is an active and prolific writer, a thinker. I think the search committee has been responsive to the faculty's desire for a president who may be able to speak for the role of liberal arts education in a society that is facing an educational crisis," said Professor of Political Science Thomas Dumm.
"I'm particularly pleased that he has worked in and published about Africa and other parts of the Third World," said Professor of English and Black Studies Rhonda Cobham-Sander.
Professor of English and Russian Dale Peterson also expressed confidence in Marx's academic background. "I'm very encouraged by the president-designate's serious scholarly commitment to comparative cultural studies," said Peterson.
Morton Schapiro, president of Williams College, also voiced his satisfaction with the choice. "The Amherst presidency is one of the great jobs in American higher education, and I have no doubt that Tony Marx will make the most of this tremendous opportunity," said Schapiro. "Tom Gerety has been a wonderful friend and colleague and I look forward to establishing a similar relationship with President Marx."
President Carol T. Christ of Smith College agreed. "I very much look forward to working with President Marx. He seems a wonderful choice," said Christ.
Students also shared their first impressions of Marx, which were positive.
"I got the opportunity to meet our next president Tony Marx at the trustee advisory committee and I found him to be a very friendly and down to earth individual," said Christian Sanchez '05. "Marx, like Gerety, seems to me to be very approachable and outgoing,"
"It's a messy world, and his experience with political science will come in handy when he has to speak for the best liberal arts college in the country. It's great to have someone with international experience leading our school," said Ian Shin '06.
Professors at Columbia, where Marx is currently a professor, wished him well in his new position but expressed their regret at losing him.
"We will sorely miss Tony for both his scholarship and his educational leadership. I have rarely seen someone so full of ideas and energy for improving education at all levels," said Robert Jervis, a professor of political science at Columbia.
"With his wit, charm and knowledgeability, Tony Marx has been a great asset to Columbia's political science program. Faculty and students in comparative politics will miss his energy and scholarship," said Professor of Social Science at Columbia Charles Tilly.
"Professor Marx was great fun to work with because he wore his learning lightly and loved to listen-and laugh," said Mark Kesselman, professor of political science at Columbia. "He has all the attributes that predict to his enjoying great success at Amherst. Your gain will truly be our loss," said Columbia Professor of Political Science Rodolfo de la Garza.