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AMHERST, N.Y. – In a private ceremony, ˿����Ƶ College President Gary Olson formally presented an honorary doctor of humane letters to Supervisor Brian Kulpa, who served as commencement speaker for the college’s 2020 undergraduate and graduate ceremonies.

“Supervisor Kulpa has drawn great praise and recognition for his tireless efforts as a leader in our region,” said ˿����Ƶ President Gary Olson. “He is a true role model to our students, and to all of us. Supervisor Kulpa, we would like to honor your life's achievements by presenting you with an honorary doctoral degree.”

In conferring the degree, John Yurtchuk, chair of the ˿����Ƶ Board of Trustees, said, “Congratulations to you, Supervisor Kulpa. You will always be an important part of the ˿����Ƶ community. We are forever grateful for all you have done and continue to do for our institution.”

Since taking office as Amherst supervisor in 2018, Kulpa has focused on ensuring responsible redevelopment and protecting flood plains and greenspace. As part of his efforts to re-green Amherst, Kulpa joined with ˿����Ƶ last fall to announce a college-town partnership with the ambitious goal of planting 1 million trees across town. The five-year initiative was launched with ˿����Ƶ’s “22 for 22” campaign, aimed at planting 22 new mature trees on campus.

As supervisor, Kulpa is also focusing on transforming the old Westwood Country Club into Amherst Central Park and greenspace, implementing town-wide traffic and transportation planning, re-envisioning the Niagara Falls Boulevard corridor, and revising the town’s internal organization.

When accepting the honorary degree from ˿����Ƶ, Kulpa noted, “This is a tremendous honor. ˿����Ƶ College is such an important institution here in Amherst, and it has been for a long time and it will continue to be. I look forward to working with the institution for years to come. ˿����Ƶ College will always have an important place in my heart and will always have an important place in this community.”