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The President 
About Dr. Grant

Mary K. Grant is the 11th president of
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts President Mary Grant(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; 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; launched the College's first comprehensive Capital Campaign; and become part of the Massachusetts State University System.  In response to these initiatives, MCLA has been ranked among the top ten public liberal arts colleges in the country for the last two years. Dr. Grant has also provided leadership in advancing the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) agenda in Berkshire County and statewide, spearheading efforts leading to MCLA successfully securing $54 million to fund the new Center for Science and Innovation and renovate Bowman Hall.


Dr. Grant is a passionate advocate for public higher education, civic engagement, and community service.  She is 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; the 2011 American Council on Education Massachusetts National Network of Women Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award; and the 2011 Francis H. Hayden Award from the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.  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 President Grant and Steve Crowethe future of the Commonwealth and the nation, Dr. Grant serves on the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council; the governing board of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's John Adams Innovation Institute; the board of directors of MassINC; and the Commonwealth Covenant Fund.  Dr. Grant also serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Berkshire Business Roundtable, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Partnership for North Adams.

Dr. Grant established the Berkshire Compact for 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 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, and in 2012 was awarded an Honorary Degree from Williams College.