Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
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The MCLA logo is patterned after the original gates from Murdock Hall, now located outdoors on the campus.
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| Size | 105 acres (0.4 km²) |
| Established | 1894 |
| School type | Public |
| Location | North Adams, Mass., USA |
| Enrollment ¹ | 1,458 undergraduate 353 graduate |
| Faculty ² | 80 full-time 42 part-time |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Navy and Gold |
| Home page | www.mcla.edu |
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is a public state college located in North Adams, Massachusetts. Originally established as part of the state's normal school system for training teachers, it now offers a variety of programs leading to Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees, as well as a Master of Education track. MCLA is the smallest college in the state system.
MCLA was founded in 1894 as the North Adams Normal School, and it offered a two year training course for school teachers. It became the State Teachers College at North Adams in 1932, when Bachelor of Science in Education degrees were first offered, followed five years later by a Master of Education program.
The school was restyled North Adams State College with the 1960 expansion into professional and liberal arts programs, and received its current name in 1997 to recognize its emphasis on the latter.
From the 1960s, the college's athletic teams were known as the Mohawks. In response to concerns about racial stereotyping, the name Trailblazers was adopted in 2002. [1]
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[edit] History
Founded in 1894 as North Adams Normal School; offered first instruction at postsecondary level in 1897; changed name in 1932 to State Teachers College of North Adams, added upper division curriculum, and awarded first degree (baccalaureate) in 1932; added upper graduate program in 1937; in 1960, the college changed its name to North Adams State College; in 1997, the name changed to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), reflective of specialty school status within the Massachusetts State College public system
[edit] Mission Statement
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public, residential, liberal arts college, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Its distinctive purpose is to provide a high quality alternative to private liberal arts institutions at a lower cost.
Special features include selective admission, small classes, individualized attention, and academic excellence in an attractive college setting. A challenging curriculum provides flexibility for motivated students to shape their own course of study and encourages them to combine traditional coursework with experiential learning, such as internships, study abroad, and other field experiences. Working with a diverse student body in an intellectually challenging environment, MCLA faculty and staff develop liberally educated citizens with the knowledge, perspectives, critical thinking abilities, and values necessary to become active members of their communities and leaders in their chosen professions.
To accomplish this mission, we seek to develop curricula that integrate liberal arts and professional studies; affirm the value of excellent teaching and reward scholarly and creative activity; expand opportunities for experiential learning to include field experiences, community service, international programs and independent studies; create a campus community that fosters intellectual, cultural, social and recreational activities that enrich education and where the value and worth of all people are affirmed and celebrated; achieve greater diversity within our faculty, administration, staff, and student body; challenge students to succeed and support them in their efforts; and extend our cultural and educational resources to enhance the quality of life in the Berkshires.
[edit] Location
MCLA is located in North Adams, MA, 1 mile from the downtown area of 14,700, in the northwestern corner of the state, bordering both Vermont and New York. Approximate travel time from Boston is 2 ½ hours; 3 hours from New York City; 1 ¼ hours from Albany, NY and 2 hours from Hartford, CT. The campus has 19 buildings. Located 50 miles from Albany, NY; 180 miles from New York City; 135 miles from Boston, MA
[edit] Degrees
Awards on the undergraduate level B.A. and a B.S. and also confers a Masters in Education M.Ed. and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS). MCLA offers 15 majors 35 minors, on average 300 academic courses offered each semester (Fall/Spring)
[edit] Athletics
MCLA has over 40 student clubs, 11 competitive NCAA Division III sports (men only: baseball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, golf; women only: softball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, tennis, volleyball) competes in the ECAC and the MASCAC
[edit] Institutional Structure
Governing board: Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. Extra-institutional representation: 11 members, all voting. Board of Trustees (appointed by Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) 11 members, all voting. Composition of institution: Administrations: 12 men / 24 women. Academic affairs headed by Vice President for Academic Affairs. Business/Finances headed by Vice President for Administration and Finance. Student Affairs headed by Dean of Students. Full-Time instructional faculty 52 men / 36 women. Academic governance body, All College Committee, meets an average of 9 times per year.
[edit] Admission
Rolling Admissions plan. For fall acceptance, apply as early as Nov. 1 of previous year. Apply by Dec. 1 for early decision. Requirements: Either graduation from an accredited secondary school or GED required to be considered. Entrance tests: College Board SAT or ACT composite. For transfer students: 2.00 minimum GPA with an associate degree from an accredited two year institution or 2.50 minimum GPA without an associate degree from a two year or four year accredited institution.
College credit and advanced placement for postsecondary level work completed in secondary school. Tutoring available. Noncredit development/remedial courses offered in summer session and regular academic year.
[edit] Degree Requirements
Graduation from MCLA requires completing 120 credits of academic work. From these 120 credits, 28-40 are college-wide Core Curriculum credits also 2 credits in physical education. Another one third or more of the 120 credits is required to complete a major. Elective credits may be used to meet the requirements of a second major or minors. Of the 120 credits required for graduation at least 39 must be in upper-division courses (300-level or higher), and at least 45 credits must be earned in residence at the College, To graduate, students must achieve at least a 2.0 grade point average overall and a 2.0 in their major.
[edit] Distinctive Educational Programs
For Undergraduate: Internship, Berkshire Hills Internship Program, travel courses abroad. MCLA belongs to the Massachusetts Council for International Education (MaCIE), College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS), and the National Student Exchange (NSE). Through these associations and connections, we send students on semester or year-long programs to colleges around the world.
[edit] Publications
Student publications, radio: The Beacon, a weekly newspaper: The Mind’s Eye, published biannual literary magazine. Radio Station WJJW broadcasts 140 hours per week.
Was the College and New England premier of the musical Reefer Madness (Musical)
[edit] Alumni
- Daniel E. Bosley - member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1986 - present)
- Thomas Calter- member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 2007 - present)
