Center for Community Engagement Community & Economic Development

Barber Shop and Books

This community-building initiative takes place weekly in Johnson Chapel, Room 004. Originally organized and facilitated by Professor Frank Leon Roberts (English) and Bo Oranye ’23, and revived with C.J. Mitchell ‘25, it is rooted in the rich cultural tradition of Black barbershops as sites of intergenerational community dialogue. Learn more in this news article.

Center for Restorative Practices

The Center for Restorative Practices houses a campus-wide collaborative effort spearheaded by students, administrators, faculty, and staff with the goal of incorporating restorative philosophies and practices into the Amherst College community. The CRP identifies, builds, and coalesces a set of programs and resources with the intention to build community and prepare all members to deal with the inevitable conflict that will arise even as we work to create a more inclusive Amherst. Access tools and resources from the CRP.

Sanctuary Trails

The College’s Wildlife Sanctuary includes approximately 500 acres in a diverse collection of open fields, wetlands, flood plain woods, river, upland woods, plantation pines, and ponds—and is an important place for both recreation and research. Learn more about the sanctuary, including a guide to the trails.

Amherst BID and Chamber of Commerce

Amherst is a vibrant community with a walkable mile of cuisine, culture, art and independent film at the center of an extensive network of trails for hiking, biking, arts and literature.  Learn more through the Town of Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) and the Chamber of Commerce.

Town of Amherst DEI

The Town of Amherst embraces and is strengthened by the unique and dynamic backgrounds of its community members. The Town believes in fostering and maintaining a safe and welcoming community, which is based on mutual respect for our residents, students, employees, businesses, and guests.  The Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is committed to carrying out this work.

Valley CDC

Since 1988, Valley Community Development has worked on addressing the needs of our community through economic and housing development. Valley serves Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties for homeownership and small business services and primarily Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, and Easthampton for affordable housing development. Learn more about the work of Valley CDC.

Categorical Data Analysis for the Greater Good

Shu-Min Liao

The application of statistical methods for categorical data is ubiquitous in the modern world, especially in social sciences, biomedical research, and economics and business. However, many traditional statistical tools (like linear regression models) are not designed to handle observations classified into categories and thus inappropriate for analyzing such data. Read More

Economics of Entrepreneurship

Jake Blackwood

This course explores the economic importance of entrepreneurship, with a focus on recent empirical findings. Students study the roles entrepreneurs play in innovation, economic growth, and rising living standards, as well as determinants of entrepreneurial success such as finance, geography, and entrepreneur characteristics. Read More

Housing, Urbanization, and Development

Gabriel Arboleda

This course studies the theory, policy, and practice of low-income housing in marginalized communities worldwide. Students study central concepts in housing theory, key issues regarding low-income housing, different approaches to address these issues, and political debates around housing the poor. Read More