MCLA, BIC Partner for MBA Program

08:06AM / Thursday, July 13, 2023Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) are partnering on the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program to enhance and expand experiences and career connections to prepare graduates for innovation-driven careers in the Berkshires and beyond.

"It's incredible to see two major Berkshire County institutions come together to leverage the growth of MCLA's programming with the BIC advancement opportunities," said James Birge, MCLA President, and BIC Board Member. "I'm looking forward to the networking and educational opportunities this will provide for our MBA students and the collaborations with industry leaders at the BIC."

Through this partnership, MCLA will contribute to the BIC's efforts to foster growth within the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and all regional technology and innovation-based sectors by being a collaborative-synergistic shaper of the student experience.

Starting this fall, BIC will host students for 10 Saturdays through the spring for MBA students. The classes will be taught online and on-site at BIC in a hybrid format. Applications for the Fall 2023 program are due by August 18.

"To explain an MBA influenced by innovation… you could substitute the word innovation for creativity. What we're able to do by having the classes at the BIC is that we're allowing students to be adjacent to the creative process," said Dr. Dennis Rebelo, Chief Learning Officer at the BIC. "To be able to spark additional thinking that conjures up new ideas that can also be socially responsible is a big win. You may think about technology as anti-human but we think about it as really serving humanity.. we think about things more from a humanitarian standpoint."

"The possibilities are really limitless for our students to embrace and be a part of the future of advanced technologies," said Dr. Joshua Mendel, Associate Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education. at MCLA.

This partnership allows MCLA to fulfill the critical needs of the manufacturing industry in Berkshire County on both the undergraduate and graduate level to grow and enhance the future of the county's workforce.

An MBA information session is scheduled for July 18 at 5 p.m. at BIC in the Milltown Board Room on the second floor. To register visit mcla.edu/mba.

Tags: BIC, MCLA,

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Berkshires Remember First Responders, Military Personnel Lost at 9/11 and Aftermath

By Jack Guerino & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:30PM / Friday, September 11, 2026

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre speaks at Friday's memorial.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The county's two cities held memorials on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Great Barrington was scheduled to hold a dedication of piece of steel from the World Trade Center at 6 p.m.

North Adams held its ceremony in the fire station's side garden starting at exactly 8:46 a.m., the time Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.

The small square of grass was packed with police officers, firefighters, wire and alarm personnel, dispatchers, and Northern Berkshire EMS employees, and city employees, officials and community members.

After the ceremonial tolling of the bell, an honor guard presented the colors.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey said it felt odd welcoming people to a very solemn event.

"What happened 25 years ago put a mark on emergency services. It put additional pressure on police, fire, EMS, and dispatchers," Macksey said. "While we remember those who lost their lives during 9/11, and those who ran to help as many as they could during 9/11, we have to pause and appreciate those who continue to serve despite that awful threat that occurred 25 years ago."

She said it was a direct attack on the United States and all of its people.

"It was a question of our freedoms and our ability to be safe in our communities," the mayor said. "I can say today that here in North Adams, it could happen to us, but I know with the professionalism of our Fire Department, Police Department, EMS, and our dispatch team, we are a better community; we are a safer community than we were 25 years ago."

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