TheOnlineBeacon.com
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Volume 88 • Issue 6
MCLA Pittsfield
New Location Expands Offerings
PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE
Dean of Academic Operations Deborah Foss, State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, Trustees Chairwoman Denise Marshall, MCLA President James Birge, North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard, and state Sen. Adam Hinds cut the ribbon at MCLA’s new Pittsfield location on Tuesday. The location will serve graduate students and continuing education students. BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SENIOR NEWS EDITOR MCLA finally hosted the ribbon cutting ceremony for its newest location in Pittsfield this week. After a month’s delay due to inclement weather, the ceremony was greeted Tuesday with clear skies, big smiles and the soft scent of spring on the breeze. The location, branded as MCLA Pittsfield, shares a building with 1Berkshires, an organization focused on economic growth and development in the region. “The branding of MCLA Pittsfield [is] very important because we’re in Pittsfield and we want people to know,” said Paul Petritis, associate dean of graduate and continuing education. “I just love it, it’s a great city and we’re very fortunate to provide degree, Masters and graduate programs there.” A number of MCLA’s administration were in attendance including: President James Birge, Academic Operations Dean Deborah Foss, and Marketing and Communications Director Bernadette Alden. “We know that sometimes transportation in Berkshire County can be a challenge for finding education or work, and so it’s important for us to be in Pittsfield, which is the county seat and the largest city in Berkshire County,” Birge said.
“I’m really proud of the work that we do. To be able to be agile enough to come to a place like Pittsfield, to renovate this space so that we can have really good learning spaces, is indicative of the commitment that MCLA’s people have to the importance of acquiring and accessing education,” Birge said. Mayors from both North Adams and Pittsfield gave speeches to the gathered audience, sharing their excitement toward the location and its expected impact on Berkshire County. “I’m excited to be here as MCLA cuts this ribbon on its latest location because it is the continuation of a long-standing partnership and a long-standing collaboration through education between our cities and throughout our region,” North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard said in his speech. “I think we all know that education is the key to our economic destiny here in Berkshire County and that MCLA’s presence in Pittsfield will help students to continue, to complete, and to compete as we build the future of our county,” Bernard continued. The main focus of MCLA’s newest Pittsfield location will center on degree continuation programs. These are specially designed courses that follow separate time frames than courses in North Adams but follow the same basic milestones and syllabi.
“A lot of the important work we’re doing right now is preparing our residents, people who live here now and future generations for new economies, new job opportunities, and we’re going have to invest in training programs including college-level programs or vocational training programs,” Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer said. “I’m so impressed by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and all of the things that it represents as an academic institution for the people of Pitts-
the College, departments, facilities, the president, and we feel that every day,” Petritis said. Also speaking at the event was MCLA Pittsfield student Mike Steben. Steben, who came to the event alongside his wife and child, participated as part of MCLA Pittsfield’s degree continuation program in their Interdisciplinary Studies major with a concentration in Business Leadership. He had attended Berkshire Community College, but following a job pro-
“I’m so impressed by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and all of the things that it represents as an academic institution for the people of Pittsfield and the Berkshires,” — Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer field and the Berkshires,” Tyer said. Petritis expressed a direct desire for MCLA Pittsfield to be a model the Berkshire community could use to learn important employment-based skills. Working alongside MassHire and other colleges, such as Berkshire Community College, help enhance the area’s economic development. “Our division, continuing education, gets tremendous support from
motion, he decided to participate in MCLA’s degree completion program when he found he lacked certain skills necessary to the position. Steben stated that it was difficult to compare his experiences from BCC and MCLA. “I think that BCC prepared me for the work I would ultimately do here at MCLA as an adult,” Steben said.
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