BOSTON. — Berkshire Community College, Williams College, and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will receive more than $12 million in American Rescue Plan Funds.
On Tuesday, U.S Rep. Richard Neal announced that Berkshire Community College, Williams College, and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will all receive a slice of the nearly $90 million in emergency funding for colleges, universities, and students in Massachusetts' First Congressional District under the American Rescue Plan.
"The success of our local colleges and universities is critical to the success of our students and to the strength of our community," said Neal in a press release. "Educational institutions here in Western and central Massachusetts and across the country have been steadfast in their mission of delivering quality education in the face of this pandemic. The American Rescue Plan makes a historic investment that will secure the future of these valued institutions and provide struggling students with urgent relief that will allow them to stay on track and complete their education."
BCC will receive $3,969,913, Williams College will receive $4,200,741, and MCLA will receive $3,942,592.
The funding will help local institutions cope with the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue serving their students safely. At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness, and other hardship.
The American Rescue Plan provides $36 billion for nearly 3,500 public and private, nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park.
Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue.
The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting.
A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court.
Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition.
"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said.
Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey.
Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use.
"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.
Lenox Memorial High School has named Sai Sanjana Meesala as valedictorian and Chloe Parsenios as salutatorian for the graduating class of 2026. click for more
Pittsfield High School has announced the students who will speak at graduation ceremonies on Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m. at Tanglewood in Lenox. click for more
The ceremony took place under a large tent behind the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the School's Holmes Road campus and was broadcast worldwide via Zoom. click for more