MCLA Welcomes New Faculty Members

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts recently welcomed five new assistant professors to campus, where they have joined the departments of Biology; Business Administration; English/Communications; Fine and Performing Arts; and Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work.

Dr. Sarah Herrick joins MCLA’s Department of Biology as an assistant professor. She comes to the campus from Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., where she was a teaching assistant in the department of biology and chemistry, and also has worked as a fitness coach at M.E.L.T. Fitness Studios in Connecticut. Herrick earned her Ph.D. in physical education from Springfield College, where she specialized in exercise physiology. She earned her master of science degree in exercise physiology from Springfield College and her bachelor of science degree in physical education from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn.

Dr. Kerri Nicoll joins our Sociology/Anthropology/Social Work Department as an assistant professor. She comes to MCLA from the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she was a primary instructor and a teaching assistant. Nicoll earned her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Michigan’s Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Political Science, and also holds master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practices in Philadelphia, Pa., as well as master’s of divinity degree from the Princeton Theological Seminary. Nicoll earned her bachelor of arts degree in English Creative Writing from Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

Dr. Jenna Sciuto joins MCLA’s English/Communications Department as an assistant professor. She comes to the College from Simmons College in Boston, where she was an instructor, and from Northeastern University in Boston, where she was a teaching assistant. She earned her Ph.D. from Northeastern University in English. Sciuto earned her Master of Arts degree in English and American literature from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and her bachelor of arts degree with honors in literature and cultures in English from Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.