Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Berkshire Community College Graduates Historically Large Class

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Class valedictorian Jeremiah Reagan says he found himself at BCC in in nursing, earning his associate's degree from the program. See more photos here. 
LENOX, Mass. — The largest Berkshire Community College class in more than 10 years crossed Tanglewood's stage on Friday night.
 
It was also President Ellen Kennedy's last BCC commencement in the position, as she will step down at the end of June.
 
"It has been the greatest gift of my professional life to have been on this journey with you, all of you," Kennedy said. 
 
"Though our paths will now diverge, I know that the memories, the relationships, the moments of conflict and pain that led to new possibilities and growth, those will stay with me always." 
 
The 341 graduates in 38 programs of study earned a total of 377 awards: 218 associate degrees, and 159 certificates. This is the highest number of graduates the college has had since 2014, when it conferred awards to 362 students.
 
Graduates ranged in age from 17 to 68, and while a majority live in Massachusetts, others are from Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, Vermont, and West Virginia.
 
Travis Murach, who earned an associates degree in liberal arts, took the mic as he crossed the stage to receive his diploma to say he had been at BCC for a total of 15 years, dropped out three times, and has finally done it. 
 
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