MCLA Receives State Grant to Support Student Success, Degree Completion

10:43AM / Friday, January 16, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) received $684,096 in State University SUCCESS 2.0 funding to support student retention and degree completion efforts, according to an announcement from Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll.

The grant will enable MCLA to implement comprehensive support services focused on helping vulnerable student populations, particularly Pell Grant-eligible students, successfully complete their degrees.

"This funding represents a significant investment in our students' futures," said MCLA President James F. Birge. "The SU SUCCESS 2.0 program will allow us to provide the wraparound supports and proactive services that research shows make a real difference in helping students persist and graduate."

The State University SUCCESS 2.0 program is modeled on research-based practices including the SUNY ACE/CUNY ASAP initiatives that have demonstrated significant gains in retention and degree completion nationwide.

These evidence-based strategies are designed to help students overcome barriers to degree completion and achieve increased economic mobility for themselves and their families.

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Q&A with State Representative Challenger Andrew Fitch

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
10:01AM / Sunday, August 23, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Sept. 1, voters in the First Berkshire District will decide whether they want to send a new representative to Beacon Hill in Boston.

Andrew Fitch, currently a city councilor in the district's largest municipality — and the commonwealth's smallest city — is challenging former North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, who won the First Berkshire seat in a 2017 special election, in the Democratic Party primary.

There is no Republican on the primary ballot for the First Berkshire seat so the primary will effectively be the election for the seat.

The two candidates met for their only debate on Aug. 13 at Williams College. iBerkshires.com reached out to both candidates to follow up on some of the points raised in the debate and get their thoughts on some other issues facing the district.

Below are excerpts from a conversation with challenger Andrew Fitch:

Question: From the very beginning, you talked about the campaign as a listening experience, and this week you're continuing that with the bike tour …

Andrew Fitch: Knocking on doors that have never been knocked on before. … I was riding through, I believe it was Hinsdale coming into Windsor, and they started to yell at me, 'No!' And then the guy was like, 'Wait a second. That's Andrew Fitch.' They actually knew who I was, and they were actually wanting to chat with me.

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