BCC Recognized Among Nation's Leaders in Student Satisfaction

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has been recognized as one of the nation's highest-performing colleges and universities for student satisfaction, according to higher education technology company EdSights, earning a place on EdSights' 2026 Student Voice Score Honors List.
 
The Student Voice Score Honors List recognizes the top-performing 20 percent of participating colleges and universities within each higher education sector, celebrating institutions that are setting the national standard for student experience and success.
 
The recognition comes as the newly released 2026 Student Voice Score Report found that student satisfaction has increased nationally for the third consecutive year, offering an encouraging counterpoint to many of the challenges currently facing higher education.
 
"At BCC, student success is at the center of everything we do. Being recognized by our own students as one of America's leading institutions for student satisfaction is a tremendous honor. It reflects the dedication of our faculty, staff, and campus community," said BCC President Hara Charlier.
 
Key Findings from the 2026 Student Voice Score Report
The 2026 Student Voice Score Report reflects feedback from more than 125,000 students attending 257 colleges and universities across the United States and found:
  • Student satisfaction increased for the third consecutive year, with the national Student Voice Score rising from 15.0 in 2024 to 22.3 in 2025 and 30.0 in 2026.
  • Students consistently report that supportive relationships with faculty and staff, a strong sense of belonging, and access to timely support services have the greatest influence on their overall college experience.
  • Institutions that actively listen and respond to student feedback are outperforming peers on measures of student satisfaction and engagement.
The report also identifies opportunities for continued improvement across higher education, including administrative communication, financial aid processes, campus services, and access to academic resources.
 
The Student Voice Score (SVS) is the nation's first ongoing benchmark that captures student satisfaction directly from students and at scale. Developed by EdSights, the SVS provides colleges and universities with a standardized measure of the student experience while recognizing institutions that consistently earn exceptional feedback from their students.

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PHS Air and Water Quality Within Accepted Levels

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Air and water quality testing at Pittsfield High School came back within acceptable levels, and the administration is open to additional testing. 

Last week, the School Committee accepted test results on the facility that has sat on East Street for nearly 100 years.  The report was done in collaboration with Atlas Technical Consultants and the Pittsfield Water Department. 

Readings were "acceptable" in all tested locations, and there are recommendations for monitoring humidity, replacing equipment, and additional air monitoring when needed.  Some retesting needed to be done, and a couple of sink faucets were removed in the process. 

"If you want every room sampled, we can do it," Mayor Peter Marchetti said in response to Ciara Batory's concerns about air sampling in only a handful of rooms. 

"This is the report that came back, and this report does not show that children are in danger."

Limited indoor air quality readings were done in rooms 102, 103, 104, and 116 on June 31.  Air quality testing was also done two years ago. 

Humidity levels were slightly above American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers guidelines in rooms 103 and 104; monitoring and dehumidification are recommended. 

The report says that mold spores captured in rooms 103 and 104 likely originated from an indoor source.  Custodial deep cleaning was done right before samples were taken, and a retest showed levels within an acceptable range. 

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