Editor’s Note: We had so much business news this week that we decided to break Business Briefs into two parts. This is the second part.
Bard College Dance Program launches two-year partnership with Villa Albertine
Annadale-On-Hudson— Beginning in fall 2023, the Bard College Dance Program is launching a two-year partnership with Villa Albertine, a cultural institution that supports exchanges in arts and ideas between the United States, France, and beyond. Each semester, artists selected by Tara Lorenzen, director of Bard’s Dance Program, and Nicole Birmann Bloom, Villa Albertine’s program officer for the performing arts, in collaboration with Centre National de la Danse (CN D) in Pantin, France, and other French choreographic centers, will teach technique and repertory courses in Bard’s dance curriculum.
During the spring semester, a choreographer will conduct a one week creative residency in the Luma Theater/Fisher Center with a public showing for the Bard community and masterclasses for the student body. A unique component of this partnership allows Bard dance students to participate in the international dance platform CAMPING at the CN D in Pantin, France, each June. CN D is a public institution created in 1998, devoted to the preservation of choreographic and dance culture. Its distinctive CAMPING dance festival gives students the opportunity to work with choreographers from around the globe, perform their own choreographic projects, and develop teaching practices by conducting morning classes with their peers.
“The team at Villa Albertine shares with Bard College the deepest appreciation of the true value of educational exchange and the enduring cultural benefits of arts in education,” said Gaëtan Bruel, cultural counselor and director of Villa Albertine. ” We have the greatest confidence that this two-year partnership will uniquely support and sustain Bard students in the enrichment of their arts experience while at Bard and shape their future artistry.”
Additionally, this fall, choreographers and performers Marcela Santander (Chile/France) and Volmir Cordeiro (Brazil/France) will join the dance faculty in Annandale-on-Hudson.
***
MCLA welcomes three new faculty members for the 2023-2024 academic year
North Adams— MCLA is pleased to announce that three new faculty members will be joining the Trailblazer community for the College’s fall semester, Dr. Samuel Bruun, Dr. Yavuz Ceylan, and Dr. James Page.
Dr. Samuel Bruun joins MCLA’s Psychology Department as an assistant professor. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2020, where he taught courses relating to developmental psychology, neuroscience, statistics, and gender development. Bruun’s teaching style largely focuses on showing how course content can allow one to develop a greater appreciation for the world at large. “No knowledge is limited to just the classroom, and the more you know the more you can appreciate the complexities of life!” Bruun said. Additionally, he focuses on how cultural context can change how we view different psychological phenomena. What may present a psychological risk in one context could be protective in another, so understanding the context in which something occurs is just as important as understanding the phenomenon itself. Bruun’s academic work has largely focused on two main lines of research. The first examines the challenges and successes faced by gay and lesbian parents navigating the adoption system, and the outcomes of their family systems. His second line of research deals with examining what drives people to make choices about their appearance, and how these appearance choices can be identity-affirming or negating. Bruun is especially interested in the effects of being “forced to choose” which identities are going to be most visible to others, and the impact of not being able to reach one’s ideal self-presentation.
Dr. Yavuz Ceylan joins MCLA’s Chemistry Department as an assistant professor. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Gaziosmanpasa University in Turkey and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the University of North Texas in 2019. His research experience continued in organometallic catalysis design and transition metal-drug interaction, which was followed by postdoctoral research until 2021 in plasmon dephasing. Then, he joined MCLA as a visiting assistant professor of chemistry from 2021 to 2023.
Dr. James Page joins MCLA’s Business Administration Department as a visiting assistant professor. Page is a transformational leader and business professor of accounting who has a keen passion for the enhancement of student learning, development, and academic excellence. He is a relationship builder who believes in student engagement and building community. His vision is to help all students achieve their academic dreams through a strategic and holistic approach. His mission is to improve and enrich lives by meeting the needs of lifelong education and workforce development needs of the communities he serves.
***
Simon’s Rock is pleased to announce a number of new faculty and staff joining the community
Great Barrington— Ushering in the new school year, Simon’s Rock is pleased to announce a number of new faculty and staff joining the community. With the launch of the Bard Queer Leadership Project and the expansion of the Center for Equity and Inclusion, each of these new members of our community speaks to the exciting and progressive changes at Simon’s Rock.
Molly Albrecht has been named Dean of Students. Albrecht has been serving as Interim Dean of Students since January and has collaborated across the Simon’s Rock community to understand and to help improve the overall student experience. She facilitated a section of our FYE program and initiated Dean’s Hour which provided a forum for student interest and voice.
Prior to joining Simon’s Rock, Molly served as the Associate Director and then the Executive Director of Bard Early College Hudson Valley responsible for co-leading the opening of the expansion into Dutchess County. In her role of Associate Director she was responsible for student support. She is also currently teaching in the BARD MAT program. She holds a MAT from SUNY New Paltz, a B.A in History from Fordham University and Certification in Social Justice in Educational Leadership from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Manhattanville College. (B.A. History, Fordham at Marymount; MAT, SUNY New Paltz.; Certification in Social Justice in Educational Leadership, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) is a faculty member in education and a NYS school administrator. She was the Associate Director of Bard Early College Hudson Valley where she co-led the opening of the expansion into Dutchess County, and is currently a part of the Bard Enhanced Network Teacher Education Capacity Program, where she facilitates teacher trainings on topics addressing climate change curriculum across the disciplines and trauma-informed pedagogy. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Manhattanville College.
Kate Glavin has been named Associate Dean of Studies for Bard Academy and First-Year Students at Bard Academy and Bard College at Simon’s Rock. She holds an MA in Literature from the University of South Dakota as well as an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She was most recently an Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts at Berklee College of Music and taught there for five years.
Dr. Carla Stephens has been named Director of the Bard Queer Leadership Project at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Dr. Carla R. Stephens holds a B.A. in Political Science and History as well as a PhD in History from Temple University. Her areas of interest include the transnational nature of the black freedom struggle in the 1950s-1970s, particularly activism by African Americans in the liberation struggles of the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. She earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership at Montclair State University. Carla became founding faculty at Bard High School Early College in Newark, N.J. in 2011. Dr. Stephens brings leadership training and experience from four years at the United States Naval Academy, a decade as a manager in a Fortune 500 multinational corporation, and 6 years as an educational leader to her new position as Director of the Bard Queer Leadership Project at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
Jack Burkart has been named as a Faculty in Mathematics. Jack Burkart received his PhD in Mathematics from Stony Brook University in May 2021. After that, Jack spent two years doing postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (now SLMath). His research has primarily been spent on problems at the interface between fractal geometry and complex dynamical systems. Jack enjoys teaching mathematics of all types to students, whether they are advanced math majors who want to get a Phd in a subject or first year students who may not take another math course again.
Dr. Kameryn J. Williams has been named as a Faculty in Mathematics. They hold a PhD in Mathematics, The Graduate Center, CUNY (2018) and a B.S. in Mathematics, Boise State University (2013). Dr. Williams traveled around the United States before landing at Simon’s Rock in 2023. After a childhood in the American west, they went to graduate school in New York City. They then held post-doctoral positions at University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, before returning to the northeast. Their research interests are in logic, especially set theory and models of arithmetic, and they are interested in connections between mathematical logic and other areas of mathematics, and to philosophy and computer science. They enjoy teaching in those areas, as well as across the mathematics curriculum.
Kirsten Keels has been named Program Manager for Center for Equity, Inclusion, Community, Council for Equity & Inclusion. Keels is a multifaceted individual with a passion for music, cultural exploration, and self-care. Originally from Arkansas, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Princeton University, where her work focused on ethnography and South Korean language and culture. As a Fulbright Scholar in South Korea, Kirsten had the unique opportunity to immerse herself in researching the relationship between Black People, Black Music, and Korea. Now back in the States, Kirsten is happy to join us at Simon’s Rock.
***
Bennington College achieves high rankings from Princeton Review
Bennington— Bennington College is proud to share that its theater program ranked third in the nation this year in the Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” list. The College also ranked ninth in the nation for its classroom experience. The schools selected for the Best Colleges lists are based on student surveys.
“This year’s rankings are a testament to the power of our talented faculty and students and to our rigorous self-directed education,” said Laura Walker, Bennington College President. “Bennington students work in close collaboration with faculty, are boundlessly creative, and make an outsized impact in the arts and sciences.”
In addition to these top ranks for theater and classroom experience, Bennington College appeared in the top ten nationwide for the “most politically active students” (fifth) and for being “LGBTQ-friendly” (sixth).
Bennington’s Drama Department offers students a thorough grounding in virtually every dimension of theater-making, including acting, playwriting, devising, theater history, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, stage management, set design, costume design, and lighting. Students get access to state-of-the-art theater spaces, hands-on production experience, and abundant opportunities to get involved on all levels.
From studying drama at Bennington, many students have continued on to study in graduate programs, pursue cross-disciplinary work, or carve out distinguished careers on stage, film, and television.
Bennington’s classroom experience ranking is reflected in written comments to the publication’s surveys. Bennington students praised their interactions with faculty members, with whom they wrote they are on “a first-name basis.” Students said that faculty “often bring their colleagues in to discuss and connect with students” and that the one-on-one guidance each student receives is “a game changer in terms of getting experience in your field.”
Similarly, the review quoted students’ impressions of diversity and inclusion on campus. “This is a place that is ‘full of people open to self-expression and being who you are, whoever you may be,’ where students are ‘very, very LGBTQIA+ accepting’ and ‘most people are a part of the community.’”
Bennington College ranked in the top fifteen for “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation” (#13), “Best College Radio Station” (#14), and “Most Beautiful Campus” (#15). “If nature inspires you,” one student wrote, “Bennington is the place to be.”
***
Berkshire Community College Signs Articulation Agreement with William James College
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces the signature of an articulation agreement with William James College (WJC) in Newton, Massachusetts, allowing BCC students to transfer seamlessly to WJC.
The articulation agreement provides guaranteed admission for eligible BCC students to obtain a bachelor of science degree from WJC. Students who have completed an associate degree at BCC with a minimum of 60 credits in Liberal Arts (no concentration), Liberal Arts with Psychology Concentration, Human Services/Social Work Transfer or Criminal Justice, with a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher, are guaranteed admission in WJC’s Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Human Services program. Students with 60 credits and a GPA lower than 2.5 are encouraged to apply but are not guaranteed admission.
William James College is a private institution offering degrees and certificates in psychology, counseling, applied behavior analysis and leadership. About 750 students are enrolled at WJC, located in the Boston suburb of Newton.
Prospective BCC students are informed about the opportunity to participate in BCC’s joint admissions program, which includes partnerships with several other colleges across the Commonwealth, at the time they are applying to BCC.
For more details about the guaranteed transfer program at BCC, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/transfer.
***
Berkshire Community College expresses gratitude over passage of state budget access to education to improve with approval of several programs
Pittsfield— Higher education in the Commonwealth has been given a boost with the passage of the state’s $56.2 billion budget, which includes several programs designed to increase access to education for all residents. Berkshire Community College (BCC), the first community college established in the Commonwealth and now one of 15 across the state, will directly benefit from the funding directed to these programs.
Of particular importance is a change to the Commonwealth’s General Laws that allows undocumented students living in Massachusetts to pay in-state tuition and fees. The Tuition Equity Bill stipulates that such undocumented students must have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years and either graduated from a Commonwealth high school or attained an equivalent degree.
“We are grateful to the legislature and to Governor Healey for a budget that invests in higher education and programs that help to ensure equitable access and support, especially for students who have been traditionally marginalized. We are particularly excited that the Tuition Equity Bill was approved,” said Adam Klepetar, BCC Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “We strive every day to be an equitable institution of higher learning, and this bill makes it possible for undocumented students in the Commonwealth to achieve their dreams.”
Approved program funding includes $27 million for the “Early College and Dual Enrollment Programs” in which BCC partners with Berkshire County high schools to offer students free tuition and fees for taking up to 15 college credits; $25 million for “Community College Scholarships in High-Demand Fields” which supports students who are enrolled in high-demand career fields such as Advanced Manufacturing Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Interpreter, Community Health Worker, and Phlebotomy Technician; $20 million for “MassReconnect” which provides Massachusetts residents ages 25 and older with access to free associate degrees and certificates at community colleges in the Commonwealth; $18 million to “Scholarships for Community College Nursing Programs” which supports scholarships for community college nursing students; $14 million for “SUCCESS” Programs, Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services (“SUCCESS”) programs, which focus on vulnerable populations; and $12 million for “Free Community College for All” which is working to provide free community college to all students.
