Bernard Rodgers announces his retirement

Print Story | Email Story
Great Barrington — Bernard F. Rodgers Jr, Vice President and Dean of Simon’s Rock College of Bard, has announced his retirement from his positions as Vice President and Dean. His retirement from these positions will become effective at the end of the current academic year in June, 2004. He will continue to hold a teaching position at the College. “We are profoundly grateful for the many years of exemplary service Bernie has given to Simon’s Rock and respect his desire to seek more time for his own writing and teaching,” said Emily H. Fisher, chairman of Simon’s Rock’s Board of Overseers. “His deep dedication to the institution, its students, and its mission is reflected in the astonishing achievements of his 19 years as Dean. He has our most sincere gratitude.” “I could not have wished for a better colleague, and Simon’s Rock could not have had better leader for the last 19 years,” said President Leon Botstein. “Bernie has made extraordinary contributions to this community of learning and its intellectual vibrancy, as well as to the college’s rise in national recognition and the growth of its physical plant. He has led the college with an unerring sense of purpose and commitment, and we are happy that he will continue to play an important role in the Simon’s Rock community as a member of its faculty.” Rodgers will continue to teach English at Simon’s Rock. A search for a new dean will begin immediately. Bernard F. Rodgers Jr. has been the dean of Simon’s Rock College since 1987; he came to the college as dean of academic affairs in 1985. Prior to joining Simon’s Rock, he was special assistant to the chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago and an assistant director of the Commission of Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He taught at and chaired the College Acceleration Program of City Colleges of Chicago—a program that offered courses for college credit to high school seniors—and was a lecturer, evaluator, and consultant for projects sponsored by the NEH, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Chicago Public Library. He was awarded a Ford Foundation dissertation fellowship while at the University of Chicago and spent 1979-1980 as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in American literature in Lublin, Poland. Dr. Rodgers is the author of several books, including Philip Roth (Twayne United States Author Series, 1978) and Philip Roth: A Bibliography (Scarecrow Press, 1974; revised and expanded edition, 1984). A member of the national Book Critics Circle, his essays and reviews on modern American literature and culture, as well as on writers such as Aharon Applefield, Milan Kundera, Czeslaw Milosz, and Salman Rushdie, have been published in Fitzgerald/Hemingway Annual, Magill’s Literary Annual, Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Masterplots II, Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction, Chicago Review, the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Issues, the Berkshire Eagle, and The World and I, and broadcast on WBBM-AM and WNIB-FM in Chicago. Dr. Rodgers has been chair of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, vice president of the board of trustees of Fairview Hospital, a member of the board of directors of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, a corporator of the Berkshire Museum and Berkshire Health Systems, and a visiting team chair for the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. degree from the University of Bridgeport, and the B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from Mount Saint Mary’s College. Simon’s Rock College of Bard is the nation’s only four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences specifically designed for younger scholars. Established in 1964, it accepts students after the 10th or 11th grade of high school into a program leading to the two-year Associate of Arts and four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees. In 1979, Simon’s Rock merged with Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Announces New Supplier for Energy Program

DALTON, Mass. – The Town of Dalton has signed a thirty-four month contract with a new supplier, First Point Power.
 
Beginning with the January 2026 meter reads, the Dalton Community Choice Power Supply Program will have a new rate of $0.13042 per kWh. The Program will also continue to offer an optional 100 percent green product, which is derived from National Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), at a rate of $0.13142 per kWh.
 
For Dalton residents and businesses who are enrolled in the Town's Program, the current rate of $0.13849 per kWh will expire with the January 2026 meter reads and the new rate of $0.13042 per kWh will take effect. This represents a decrease of $5 per month on the supply side of the bill given average usage of 600 kWh. Additionally, this new rate is 3 percent lower than Eversource's Residential Basic Service rate of $0.13493 per kWh. Residents can expect to see an
average savings of $3 per month for the month of January 2026. Eversource's Basic Service rates
will change on Feb. 1, 2026.
 
Dalton launched its electricity program in January 2015 in an effort to develop an energy program that would be stable and affordable. From inception through June 2025, the Program has saved residents and small businesses over $1.7 million in electricity costs as compared to Eversource Basic Service.
 
It is important to note that no action is required by current participants. This change will be seen on the February 2026 bills. All accounts currently enrolled in the Program will remain with their current product offering and see the new rate and First Point Power printed under the "Supplier Services" section of their monthly bill.
 
The Dalton Community Choice Power Supply Program has no fees or charges. However, anyone switching from a contract with a third-party supplier may be subject to penalties or early termination fees charged by that supplier. Ratepayers should verify terms before switching.
 
View Full Story

More Stories