MCLA Appoints Two to Board of Trustees

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has announced that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker approved the appointment of Kathleen Therrien, Class of 97, as the alumni trustee and has appointed Dr. Robert Reilly as a trustee.

Therrien has served in this capacity since August 2016 when she was first elected to serve the remainder of the term of that vacant seat. Therrien is the director of trust and estate administration at Williams College.

Reilly is president emeritus of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Education Society and a school committee member of the Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical High School (McCann Tech).

MCLA President James F. Birge said he is delighted to welcome Therrien and Reilly to the MCLA Board of Trustees.

"Along with her experience as the director of trust and administration at Williams, Kathleen Therrien brings to the Board valuable experience from working with the college's Foundation, and as chair of our Capital Campaign Planned Giving Committee," Birge said. "Robert Reilly has vast experience in higher education, including as a visiting scientist at MIT, and teaching at MCLA and UMASS-Amherst. In addition to speaking to numerous professional organizations throughout the world, Dr. Reilly was the director of EdNet@UMASS and a founding director of K12Net.

"I look forward to working with both of these Trustees as we continue to advance the work of MCLA," Birge said.

An alumna of the College who attended as a nontraditional student, Therrien earned a bachelor of science degree in 1997. In addition, while she was a student on campus, Therrien was a member of the Delta Mu Delta business honor society and the Alpha Chi honor society.

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.