In the face of a pandemic, MCLA continues to spur student success

08:00AM / Monday, April 11, 2022Print Story | Email Story

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has continued to receive national recognition and support for its commitment to social mobility and academic success.

MCLA is No. 21 on U.S. News and World Report's list of the 50 public and private "TopPerformers on Social Mobility," which measures how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants. These grants are typically awarded to those whose families make less than $50,000. MCLA was also ranked as a 2021 Top Ten College by U.S. News and World Report for the third consecutive year. It has maintained its position in the top ten list for nine of the past 11 years.

Nearly half of MCLA students are Pell Grant recipients, the highest percentage across the Massachusetts State University System. More than 40 percent are the first in their families to go to college. Nearly 85 percent of students receive some kind of financial aid. But MCLA Pell students continue to graduate at a rate higher than the national average.

"Our students are truly trailblazers," said MCLA President James F. Birge. "So many are taking a new path—many are the first in their families to go to college. Many come from families who lack access to the resources and connections that wealthier families often have. Many are juggling work and family commitments. MCLA continues to be a way for these students to open new doors, have new experiences, and live fulfilling lives, personally and professionally. I'm

incredibly proud of all our students, as well as our incredible faculty and dedicated staff, who are changing individual lives and working toward a more equitable future."

In recent years, MCLA has added new programs that help bolster student support, including the TRiO Program, which works toward increasing the retention, good academic standing, and graduation rates of low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities, with a capacity to serve 160 students a year. MCLA's Office of Admission adopted a test-blind policy in 2020 and waived SAT requirements for students applying for the fall 2021 and 2022 semesters.

Student support doesn't only include academics. In response to economic uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, MCLA established the Resiliency Fund, which has to date distributed nearly $300,000 to 296 students in need. The MCLA Food Pantry combats student food insecurity, supported with student volunteer work and donations. MCLA also boasts over 100 of its own private scholarships, including five new additions since 2020.

The vast majority of MCLA graduates—93 percent—land jobs or get accepted into some of the finest grad schools in the country.

"Helping our students achieve a college education will help them earn more in their lifetimes, find fulfilling careers, and live meaningful lives," said Birge. "Public colleges help contribute to furthering economic equity every day, and we are proud to make this part of our mission as an institution."

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Drury High Students Get a Taste of Local Beef

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:25PM / Saturday, November 07, 2026

The pilot program is being funded by a $180K federal grant and is part of a partnership of Berkshire Agricultural Ventures and Mass Farms to School.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury High School students don't have to ask "where's the beef" from, now that the school has partnered to bring local meat into its food service system.

Nonprofit Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) is partnering with Mass Farms to School to bring locally produced ground beef to school cafeterias as part of a pilot initiative funded by a $180,133 USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant. The program is named for the retired Vermont senator who wrote the original legislation in 2010.

North Adams Public Schools is one of two school district partners on the pilot project, Lenox being the other.

BAV hopes the project can takeoff and expand into more schools or institutions.

"We're really hoping that it takes off, and that we, in the sense of we can work with, or more schools can be part of this in the future, and we can kind of work out the kinks, which I think is part of what this is all about" said Audrey Hackett, BAV's communications and development manager.

She said part of the nonprofit's mission is to help strengthen the local food system and work with local farmers.

"Part of BAV's larger work to strengthen our local food system. So a lot of what we do is work directly with farmers and support a lot of livestock farmers," she said. "More than 40 percent of our farmers in our region are livestock, and so we work directly with them oftentimes, but it's also increasingly an opportunity to work, you know, a level up at the food system level to bring together partners for projects like this that bring more local food into to our not only our schools. I mean, there are lots of opportunities across institutions throughout our region, hospitals, prison systems, nursing homes, and all of that remains to be done."

Last week, students were having burgers made from meat brought by Marty's Local, a regional food distributor that works with more than 160 farms and food producers.

Marty's Local CEO Sandra Thomas said it was great to partner with BAV to help bring the meat to the school, citing that getting more local meat into the market fills a gap in the local food system. Thomas was able to work with Cherry Point Beef, a Western Mass distributor that sources cattle from four local farms.

Food Services Director Thomas Lark said they are excited to be a part of the program and that it's important to be able to showcase local food on the menu, especially for the students to be able to try these new things.

"We want them to see local food on the menu, to know that it's coming from somewhere they recognize. A lot of the time with school lunch, there's a little impression of like, oh, what's this? Where did this come from?" he said. "And so, this is a great way to say, this is what it is. This is where it comes from. Like, it's just down the road. You've driven past here before, and have them understand that, like, we're serving local stuff too. It's not mystery meat from far away."

Lark also said they have been working with the meat since earlier this year, testing out new ideas to bring to the students like a Korean beef bowl.

"Was a new thing, but we thought new ingredient, new recipe, let's really highlight it, and it was pretty successful. We're running it again next Monday. Actually, Marty's truck was here this morning delivering the beef for next Monday, and we're going to run that again. And that was one where the students who were willing to try it really liked it, and were telling their friends like, "Oh, you should have gotten this." So we're excited for Monday, we'll probably see even more kids trying it out," he said.

The North Adams Public Schools were highlighted last year by the state for its farm-to-school initiatives to bring fresh, local produce to students.

A couple students who had the burger for lunch said it was good.

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