Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has welcomed two new colleagues who will work to coordinate the collaboration of community service programs with students, faculty and staff. Spencer Moser began on August 1 as the Coordinator of Service Programs and Activities.
He replaces Anne Geiger who left to pursue a teaching career. In addition to Moser, Massachusetts Campus Compact VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America), Katherine MacLean will join MCLA for one year working with the College and the North Adams Public Schools and city of North Adams on community collaboration initiatives.
Moser comes from City Year Philadelphia, a national service organization where he supervised a team of college students and other youths who provided service and civic project work in inner city Philadelphia.
Earlier in his career, he worked as the Outreach Manager and Group Leader Supervisor for the Experiment in International Living High School Summer Abroad Program. This involved coordinating both for profit and non-profit agency organizations to provide for student service and cultural exchange programs. He also participated in the U.S. Peace Corps Training at St. Helena Island and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa. At MCLA, Moser will coordinate all community service and service learning programs.
Moser holds a master's degree in intercultural and international management and a B.A. in anthropology from St. Mary's College of Maryland. He is pleased to be moving back to the area saying, "I am looking forward to learning and working with the students, collaborating with faculty, and partnering with the community. My wife and I have been eager to return to New England where we lived for many years and have family. We love the outdoors, hiking and the change of seasons."
Moser and his wife, Valerie, reside in Windsor.
Originally from Southern Maine, MacLean has spent the last four years in Rhode Island studying at Providence College. She graduated in May with a degree in public and community service studies. In her year as a VISTA, MacLean plans to help strengthen MCLA's role in the North Adams community by increasing student learning and leadership development through both community service and service-learning.
MacLean's work will advance the partnerships MCLA has already established with many community agencies and area schools, and lay the groundwork to cultivate new partnership ventures. Moser and MacLean will work in the MCLA Center for Service and Citizenship and can be reached at 413-662-5251.
The MACC Americorps VISTA program assists colleges in their efforts to build mutually beneficial relationships with community-based organizations that will result in long-term partnerships and provide that foundation for successful high quality service and service-learning opportunities.
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Pittsfield Council Passes $232.7M Budget
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council unanimously approved a $232.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
It is a modest, almost 2.9 percent increase from FY26.
"I do want to give the community kind of a heads up as we move forward on budgets. What we see coming out of the federal government that's trickling down to the states, it's going to be harder and harder for us as a community to meet our needs under the Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said.
"We're going to have challenges, as we've seen communities across the state trying to override the Proposition 2 1/2, because we have dwindling amounts of money coming from the state and federal government."
She pointed out that, at the same time, utility bills are going up for both residents and the city, as are the costs of pavement and other items.
The amended budget of $232,777,720, down from the $232,782,090 originally proposed, includes cuts to the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the restoration of funds for councilors to attend the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.
The Pittsfield Public Schools' $86,855,061 budget includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. With $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues, it totals $87,200,061 and is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million.
The district's budget will fund 13 schools, as Morningside Community School will retire in the fall, and includes the middle school restructuring.
Councilors also approved the use of $2 million in certified free cash to reduce the tax rate, and appropriated $450,551 for parking-related expenditures.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
