Ford Student Center Hosts Grand Opening Celebration

On Friday, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., students, faculty, alumni, and trustees gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Ford Student Center (Ford). Stations, tastings, and live music were featured throughout the building to show off newly finished spaces on Ford’s first, third, and fourth floor.

On the first floor, also known as the Greenways level, the Wellbeing Makerspace invited students to write a gratitude card to someone they feel thankful for or, alternatively, create a fabric square featuring words beginning with C, in honor of 50 Years of Coeducation (50CO) at Amherst. The squares will become part of a larger quilt to be unveiled in March 2027. 

In the next room, Book & Plow Farm and the Office of Outdoor Education celebrated their new shared space by hosting a sensory exploration of the natural world, with produce from the farm for students to sample. The space will become a new source of collaboration between Book & Plow Farm and the Office of Outdoor Education. 

The multiple student resource centers within the Office of Identity and Cultural Resources, as well as the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life also opened their doors for students to explore their new spaces and enjoy several sweet treats. 

On the fourth level, named the Upper Level, the movement room offered two classes, Barre and Yoga & Sound Bath, previewing some of the classes that will be held in the space after fall break. On the third level, named the Terrace Level, Stanley’s Cafe, the newest addition to campus dining, offered complimentary tastings of its new menu, including avocado toast with beet hummus and prosciutto fig toast. 

Live music played throughout the building: Drew Angus performed in the Alumni Pub, Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos performed in the Ginsburg Theater, and Signature performed on the terrace. Students commemorated the occasion with stations such as the photobooth located in the lobby on the Upper Level and the build-your-own Amherst College Lego miniature figure located in Room 304. 

Associate Director of Class Engagement and Giving Sara Kibbey said the evening was about “bringing students and community together.” She expressed excitement for the chance for alumni and trustees to witness the significance of the building and interact with students, estimating that about 250 alumni attended the event. Leadership Gift Officer Ryan Levine echoed this emphasis on community: “This is the culmination of a lot of different factors bringing the campus together and our alumni and constituent communities to build something to make us better,” he said. 

Students also observed this dynamic. Katie Ng ’29 said having alumni back on campus at the same time as students “brings a new energy to [the opening] of the space.”

Although students have grown accustomed to Betty’s Kitchen since its opening on Aug. 24, the grand opening provided a first look at the rest of the building. Several students emphasized that they expect Ford to become the campus community hub they felt Keefe Campus Center (Keefe) never was. Piper Stimler ’28 pointed to how the tables, meeting spaces, and couches “really invite people to stay, and linger, and socialize.” Sophia Brege ’27 shared a similar perspective, saying that “Keefe was a bit too small to become a hub for everything.” She expects Ford to be a “really nice place for meetings and gatherings of all different sorts.”

Students also expressed how the building’s location is part of its appeal. “Everything is now centralized. Valentine Dining Hall (Val) is on the opposite end of campus, so [the new building] brings everything together,” said Levine. Ben Edwards ’28 pointed to The Steps, which connect Betty’s Kitchen, the First-Year Quad, and the Science Center. “I’m a big fan of the steps because they seem like a crossroads for the campus,” he said. 

Students’ feelings about Ford depend partly on how long they knew Keefe and Val. Oliver Connopack ’30 arrived while Ford was still under construction and had neither to compare it to. “I kind of grew into this space being solely dining, and then when all the recreation opened, it was like a whole new world opened up to me,” Connopack said. On the other hand, Marek Hill ’28 has already noticed a shift in how students interact in Ford compared to Val, where long tables perpetuated the student-athlete divide. “I feel like already in this space, I’ve had the pleasure of sitting with more people and learning about their experiences,” Hill said. 

Students were already scouting their favorite spaces. “You will find me probably twice a week in the mind spa and at the ping pong table,” Connopack said. Zlatin Ivanov ’28 is most excited about utilizing the music rooms with his jazz band. “We’re going to be performing biweekly in Ford,” he said. 

Others were drawn to the outdoor spaces.  “[The deck] seems like a fun place to spend time outside without being outside,” Susanna Kelman ’29 said.

To conclude the evening, students, faculty, and alumni gathered on the terrace and the King/Wieland Quad for a 15-minute drone show, projecting a large purple A, the mammoth, Memorial Hill, and the Amherst College crest.