This summer, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts President James Birge will step down after 10 years leading the public college in North Adams. He guided MCLA through one of the United States’ most volatile decades - the dawn of the Trump era, the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapidly transforming economy, and more. As he prepares for retirement, Birge talked with WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes.
Birge’s successor - Diana Rogers-Adkinson – is expected to take over as the college’s 13th president in August.
