MCLA Ranked No. 7 Top Public Liberal Arts School in 2024 U.S. News and World Report

08:34AM / Tuesday, September 19, 2023Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has earned the No. 7 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for a third year in a row.

The College's continued commitment to affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report with additional rankings: No. 1 for Top Performer on Social Mobility in the state, No. 2 in the country, and No. 22 for National Liberal Arts Colleges.

MCLA has appeared on U.S. News' list of Top Ten Public Colleges for 9 consecutive years. The College has also been acknowledged in its list of National Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Mobility since the organization adopted this ranking in 2019. This list measures how well institutions graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, typically awarded to students whose families make less than $50,000, though most Pell Grant money goes to families with income below $20,000.

"Each year that MCLA appears in the Top Ten Public College rankings I am reminded how incredibly committed our faculty and staff are when it comes to the growth and success of our Trailblazers by demonstrating an unwavering dedication to excellence," said President James F. Birge, Ph.D. "I am grateful to be part of an institution like MCLA that has made enormous improvements over the last year and its rankings for Top Performer on Social Mobility."

More than 42 percent of MCLA undergraduate students receive Pell Grants, and 51 percent are the first in their families to go to college. Overall, 93 percent of students receive some kind of financial aid.

"Enrolling at MCLA makes such a difference on student and faculty lives as well as on the community at large," said Brenda Burdick, Chair of the MCLA Board of Trustees. "I'm truly amazed by the ongoing success of MCLA – an institution that consistently shines as a top-notch provider of high quality, accessible, and affordable education. Being recognized as a Top Ten Public College affirms this commitment."

U.S. News ranks colleges based on indicators that reflect a school's student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution achieves its mission of educating students.

For more information, go to usnews.com/colleges.

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Greylock School Geothermal Funding Raises Eyebrows

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Thursday, November 21, 2024

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As the Greylock School project moves into Module 6 — design development — there's a nagging question related to the geothermal system.

There's been concern as to whether the system will work at the site and now a second concern is if it will be funded.

The first question is so far partially answered based on investigative drilling at the closed school over the last week, said Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio.

"There was the potential that we couldn't drill at all, frankly, from the stories we were hearing, but ... we had a good we had a good experience here," he told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "It is not an ideal experience, but it's pretty good. We can drill quickly, and the cost to drill, we don't expect will be that high."

He had spoken with the driller and the rough estimate he was given was "reasonable relative to our estimate." The drilling reached a depth of 440 feet below grade and was stopped at that point because the water pressure was so high.

The bedrock is deep, about 200 feet, so more wells may be needed as the bedrock has a higher conductivity of heat. This will be clearer within a week or so, once all the data is reviewed.

"Just understanding that conductivity will really either confirm our design and assumptions to date, it may just modify them slightly, or it's still possible that it could be a big change," Saylor said.

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