MCLA Receives Grant for STEM Pathways Project

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts recently was granted $75,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education for its @Scale STEM Pathways Project.

The project, which builds upon MCLA's STEM Pathways Project, aims to further increase both enrollments in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors and the number of students graduating with a degree in a STEM disciplines. With this funding, MCLA will add supplemental instruction, tutoring and expanded internship opportunities.
 
"We are grateful for the support and investment in STEM education," said Monica N. Joslin, dean of academic affairs. "This will allow us to expand and enhance strategies and successful initiatives which promote students' academic, experiential, and career awareness interests, and also to reach out and work with our sister institutions on best practices in support of student success in STEM majors." 
 
Administered through the MCLA Center for Student Success and Engagement, the college's SSPP employs a STEM student success plan that begins with activities during a student's freshman year, and continues until they graduate. The SSPP delivers enhanced academic support, advising and career planning, and marshals the efforts of MCLA's academic affairs and student affairs departments.
 
The @Scale initiative was launched by the governor's STEM council to focus public and private resources in support of an integrated portfolio of education enhancement projects aligned to achieve the goals of the commonwealth's STEM plan.
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Candidates Sought for Vacant North Adams School Committee Seat

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee is seeking candidates to fill a vacancy on the committee. 
 
Letters of interest should be submitted to Bobbi Tassone, administrative assistant to the superintendent, at btassone@napsk12.org by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6. 
 
The School Committee and City Council will hear from candidates and vote for the new committee member at the council's regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
 
The schedule presented by Mayor Jennifer Macksey was approved at the School Committee's meeting on Tuesday. 
 
The successful candidate will fill the four-year seat won by Chelsey Lyn Ciolkowski in the Nov. 4 election. Ciolkowski withdrew from consideration but not before her name was printed on the ballot, and she earned enough votes for third place in the four-way race for three seats. 
 
School Committee member Richard Alcombright questioned the timing of the process as there is not a vacancy until Jan. 1, and that, technically, Ciolkowski has not resigned.
 
Alcombright is not returning to the committee; his colleagues Emily Daunis and David Sookey both won re-election.
 
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