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The President 

About Dr. Grant

 

President Mary K. GrantMary K. Grant is the 11th president of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and the first alumna of the College to serve as its president. Under Dr. Grant's leadership, MCLA has expanded academic programming and facilities, including the launch of a new major in Political Science and Public Policy and a related lecture series, and a minor in Cross Cultural Studies and Social Justice; recruited an array of outstanding new faculty; provided students with new study away, internship, research, and service opportunities; overseen growth in enrollment, strengthened the connections between the College and the community; and become part of the Massachusetts State University System.  Dr. Grant has provided consistent leadership in advancing the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) agenda in Berkshire County and statewide.  Recognition of these efforts led to MCLA securing funding for the Center for Science and Innovation. 

Grant with studentsDr. Grant is a passionate advocate for public higher education, and the recipient of the 2010 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I Executive Leadership Award in recognition of her success in increasing MCLA's institutional stature in, and service to, the community, and the 2011 American Council on Education Massachusetts National Network of Women Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award. She chairs the Massachusetts Campus Compact executive committee, serves as a member of the executive committee of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), which champions public liberal arts education in the United States and Canada, and is a former chair of the Massachusetts State University Council of Presidents. 

Recognizing the essential role that science and technology play in securing the future of the Commonwealth and the nation, Dr. Grant serves on the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, the governing board of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's John Adams Innovation Institute, which works to enhance innovation as an integral process of the Massachusetts economy, and the board of directors of MassINC, as well as on the Robert H. Goddard Council on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, which promotes the sciences in higher education, and the Commonwealth Covenant Fund, which supports college loan relief for students studying to enter fields in the life sciences.  

Dr. Grant established the Berkshire Compact for Higher Education, a county-wide initiative focused on strengthening education in Berkshire County. The Compact serves as a model for regional collaboration, operating under the premise that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, should have the opportunity to aspire to higher education. 

Dr. Grant serves on a range of nonprofit boards, including the Berkshire Business Roundtable, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Partnership for North Adams. 

She holds a Ph.D. in social policy from The Heller School at Brandeis University, a Master's degree in public affairs from the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.