After years of declining enrollment, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams is projecting a second straight year of growth for the fall semester. After seeing student numbers drop precipitously between 2015 and 2024, this year could see the largest incoming class for the public institution in the last five years. If the estimated total of 246 new students commit to MCLA, it would put the college’s total enrollment at almost 1,000. The news comes as liberal arts colleges across the Northeast shutter amid a nationwide trend of high school graduates increasingly seeking alternative options. WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes sat down with outgoing President James Birge to find out what’s working for MCLA.
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MCLA president talks enrollment growth in face of nationwide downward trend
Josh Landes
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WAMC
