NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will bring family, friends and the campus community together for its 123rd commencement after two years of virtual events. 

 

It will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 11 a.m. in the Amsler Campus Center gymnasium. 

 

The commencement speaker will be Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago, who is responsible for providing overall direction to public higher education in Massachusetts and helping shape state-level policies that maximize the benefits of higher education to the commonwealth and its citizens. 

 

Santiago was appointed in July 2015. Working with the state Board of Higher Education, he is responsible for providing overall direction to public higher education in Massachusetts and helping shape state-level policies that maximize the benefits of higher education to the commonwealth and its citizens. On Oct. 1, 2019, Santiago was named the chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Executive Committee.

 

The commissioner has more than 30 years of experience in public higher education, including as  chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and chief operating officer at the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor of economics at both universities and holds a doctorate in economics from Cornell University. 

 

Santiago is also the author or co-author of six books and has published dozens of articles and book reviews, many of which focus on economic development and the changing socioeconomic status of Latinos in the United States. On two separate occasions, in 1996 and 2011, Santiago has been named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine. 

 

In addition, MCLA will confer honorary doctorates to two other members of its academic community: former North Adams Mayor and current Berkshire United Way President and CEO Thomas W. Bernard, and outgoing MCLA Trustee Susan Gold, a longtime trustee and community member who has worked to advance the mission of the college and the quality of life in Berkshire County.

Thomas Bernard

Bernard is a North Adams native and two-term mayor who served from 2018-2021. He is a former MCLA administrator who worked as executive assistant to the president and clerk of the MCLA Board of Trustees, as well as in roles with the Administration & Finance and Advancement teams. After MCLA, Bernard was director of special projects at Smith College. He previously was a development officer at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and served in various volunteer roles in North Adams and at the regional and state levels. 

In his current role at Berkshire United Way, Bernard leads an organization committed to philanthropy and service; to engaging individuals and organizations in the shared mission of building and strengthening community; and to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as an organizational commitment.

 

The son of North Adams Public Schools teachers each of whom was educated at MCLA [North Adams State College], Bernard is a graduate of Drury High School, Williams College, and Westfield State University. 

 

Susan Gold 

 

Susan Gold is an active member of the MCLA community. She is a native of Adams, graduating from the former Adams Memorial High School, and earned her degree from American University. She was a member of the MCLA Board of Trustees from 2010-2021, a foundation corporator since 1989, and a former member of the board of directors, having served from 1992-2010. Gold was co-chair of MCLA's 2016 Presidential Search Committee and also co-chair of the foundation board's ad-hoc Fundraising Committee. Gold is an active community volunteer with experience and expertise in development and fundraising. 

 

She has worked with a number of organizations in Berkshire County including Northern Berkshire Health Systems, the REACH Community Health Foundation, and Images Cinema. She formerly sat on the boards of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, BFAIR, Images Cinema, and Mass MoCA, where she also served on the Director's Advisory Council. 

 

Santiago and Bernard will both receive honorary doctorates in public service and Gold an honorary doctorate of humane letters. 

 

"We have worked hard to keep MCLA safe and follow public health guidelines since the pandemic began in 2020," said MCLA President James F. Birge. "And now, a moment I have been hoping for since then will finally happen: an in-person celebration for members of the graduating class of 2022, who have worked so hard to finish their degrees in a time of so much upheaval. I cannot wait to see this group of motivated, dedicated Trailblazers cross that stage."

 

For more information about MCLA’s Commencement ceremony, visit www.mcla.edu/commencement.