MCLA Current Student Scholarships - Tentative

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts offers a variety of scholarships and awards to students throughout their college careers.  They reward high-achieving students as well as provide financial assistance.  The scholarships and awards outlined below are designed for currently enrolled MCLA students. This is not a comprehensive list of scholarships and awards. Each year a final list of current year scholarships and awards is produced by the Financial Aid office. Recipients are selected on the basis of their eligibility.   For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office in Eldridge Hall (413-662-5219).

Academic Achievement Scholarship
Awarded to a current student to honor their academic achievements at MCLA. Scholarships will be paid in the fall semester and applied toward educational expenses.

Academic Achievement Transfer Scholarship
Awarded to a current transfer student to honor their academic achievements while at MCLA. Scholarships will be paid in the fall semester and applied toward educational expenses.

The MCLA Alumni Association Scholarship
Established by alumni of the College to support qualified students who are active in college extracurricular activities and who demonstrate financial need.

Melvin Band Scholarship in Mathematics
Established in 2004 by friends, colleagues and Melvin Band's family members to award students pursuing a major in mathematics who show mathematical talent and future promise.

Bernstein Fund for Journalism
Established by Ellen Bernstein, community member, to award an annual scholarship to a student with the aspirations to work in the field of print journalism.

Blue Chip Scholarship
Established by Buffy Lord '98 and her mother, Deborah Smith, to honor Angie and Roscoe Smith,  Ms.  Lord's grandparents and Ms. Smith's parents.

Board of Trustees Scholarship
For members of the student body who have maintained a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and have demonstrated financial need.  This scholarship was established in 1982 by the Board of Trustees.

Ruth P. and Nicholas Boraski Scholarship
Established by Nicholas Boraski, retired General Electric Company executive and his wife, Ruth.  Mr. Boraski was also a member of the Board of Regents of Higher Education.  Multiple scholarships will be given.

Frederick K.  Bressette 1946 Performing Arts Scholarship
Established to memorialize Frederick K. Bressette a longtime and much-loved faculty member, to support students pursuing degrees in the Performing Arts.

Centennial Endowment for International Study and Travel Scholarship
Established in 1993 by Catherine Tisinger, ninth president of the institution, to support students who wish to study abroad.

Nancy Wright Scalise Cozzaglio Scholarship
Established in 2011 by Dale Scalise-Smith and Joseph Scalise to provide undergraduate students with scholarship funds.

Charles Jackson Craig Foundation Scholarship
Established by Barbara & John Craig, community members,
to award scholarships to MCLA students who demonstrate a strong desire to complete his/her education at MCLA.

Community Service Scholarship
 Awarded to a current MCLA student in recognition of their academic achievement and dedication to community service. Scholarships will be paid in the fall semester and applied toward educational expenses.

Donald R. Dion, Jr. Scholarship
Established in 1996 by Donald Dion, a local businessman, the scholarship is intended to motivate, reward, and provide financial aid to a student who is preparing for a career in Economics or Business Administration.

Educator's Scholarship
Established in 1993 by an anonymous alum of the College who believed in the value of the teaching profession.  The award is to honor this profession by recognizing a student who intends to become a teacher and has shown academic excellence in the study of this field.

Susan Foley 1973 Scholarship
Awarded to an undergraduate student who is pursuing a degree in Education.

Jenny Rosenberg Fyler 1913 Scholarship
Awarded to a student of high academic caliber with financial need.  It was established in 1987 through a bequest from Carlton D. Fyler in memory of his wife, Jenny.  Mrs. Fyler was a member of the class 1913, a long-time supporter of the Alumni Association and an early member of the Century Club.

James A. Hardman, Jr. Scholarship
Award Amount: Amount equal to in-state tuition and fees. Awarded to a student who has a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in journalism.  This scholarship was established to honor Mr. Hardman, who was the editor and publisher of the North Adams Transcript.

Todd Robert Hermon Scholarship
Awarded to the most promising sophomore in theatre performance or production.  It was established in 1988 by the parents of former student, Todd Robert Hermon to reflect his interest in theatre.

John M. C. Hess Scholarship
This award will memorialize the integrity, commitment, and leadership that Professor Hess brought to his students and colleagues in his 36 years of service to the College.

Lola and Edwin Jaffe Arts Management Scholarship
Established to provide scholarships to students pursuing degrees in Arts Management.

Evelyn Hampel Jorge 1944 Scholarship
Awarded to undergraduate or post-baccalaureate students intending to attain licensure to teach.  This scholarship was established by Mr. and Mrs. Jorge to express their appreciation for the education Evelyn received at North Adams State Teachers College and to promote and encourage young teachers.

Jane Kerr Kahlert 1922 Scholarship
Awarded to students in good academic standing with financial need.  It was established in 1987 from a bequest of the estate of Jane K. Kahlert, a graduate of the College.                                            

Margaret, Frances, Nellie Karrey Scholarship
Awarded to a student in good standing with the College.  It was established in 1993 by Nellie Karrey '31 in memory of her sisters, Frances and Margaret, who attended this institution and pursued successful careers as teachers.

MCLA Scholarships
This scholarship offers awards to students with financial need.  It also recognizes academic achievement.

Ames Samuel Pierce Scholarship
Awarded to a student in good standing with the College.  It was established in 1986 by former Professor of History, Ames Samuel Pierce.  The award is a tangible expression of Pierce's long standing belief in the value of higher education.

Lee Hamilton Ransford Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to a student who has displayed creativity in any of its varied forms.  It was established by Dorothy Guisti '64 and Charles Ransford to honor the memory of their son Lee Hamilton Ransford.

Kathleen M. Shea Memorial Scholarship
It was established by the Kappa Omicron Sorority in memory of their fellow sister who was one of the founding members of the sorority.

J. Michael Silsby 1976 Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 2002 by Michael's wife, Sheila, to commemorate the commitment and dedication of J. Michael Silsby to the human services of Western Massachusetts and of the Commonwealth.

Anna Ruth Chase Spurr 1930 Memorial Scholarship
Established in 1987 as a memorial to Anna Ruth Chase Spurr'30, by her husband, Colonel Jerome Lyon Spurr. The scholarship was created because of Mrs. Spurr's cherished memories of North Adams, both with regard to her classmates and the faculty that inspired her love of teaching.

Scholarship for Third World Study
This award was established in 1986 by former Professor Charles Mark to provide assistance in funding a student interested in doing fieldwork in a third world environment, including sites in the United States of "third world" minorities; for example, an Indian reservation, a Black, Hispanic, Asian ethnic settlement, or a Mennonite community.

Donald A. Thurston Communications Scholarship
This scholarship was created to honor a man who had worked successfully and effectively in the communications industry for more than fifty years.  The award is to encourage students to acquire a comprehensive knowledge, including innovative and experimental approaches, of the communications field.

Visual Arts Scholarship
Established with a bequest from the Rita Card '43 estate to support students in the visual arts.

Mitchell L. West Opportunity Scholarship
A respected member of MCLA's administrative staff for 17 years, Mitchell West served first as the Individual Enrichment Program (IEP) Outreach Counselor in Admissions and later as Coordinator of AHANA (Asian, Hispanic, African and Native American) Student Programs and Services.  In both these positions, Mitch demonstrated his commitment to the College and to providing opportunities for students who might be less advantaged than their peers.

Don Westall 1969 Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was established to memorialize long time and much-loved MCLA Alum and Foundation Director Don Westall '69.

Sharron Sprague Zavattaro 1985 Scholarship
This scholarship was created by Sharron Zavattaro '85, a respected member of MCLA's administrative staff. The purpose of the fund is to support students studying abroad.

Terms and Conditions

• Scholarships are distributed annually.
• Students must be attending full-time during the semester in which the scholarship is paid unless otherwise stated in the scholarship criteria
• All scholarships which specify grade level refer to a students' status at the time of application.
• All scholarships are deducted from a student's college bill and are not paid directly to the student.
• Students who withdraw during the semester are subject to the College's Refund Policy.  As a result, a portion or all of the scholarship may need to be re-paid.  Please refer to the Refund Policy included in this brochure.

Scholarship Refund Policy

The following are the return policies for all Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts students who are recipients of scholarships funded through the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Foundation, Inc., as approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors.  Please note the Foundation adheres to the same return policies adopted and published by the College in the College Catalog and Financial Aid Guide. 

• Refund Policy:
  Withdrawal prior to the first day of classes (official opening) - 100% of the scholarship is returned to the Foundation.
  
  In the event of withdrawal after the start of school or the reduction of credit hours (during the add/drop period) the College will determine the amount of the scholarship that is unearned up to the 60% point of the semester.  Any and all unearned portions of the scholarship will be returned to the Foundation by the Bursar's Office.   At no time will the student be the recipient of any unused portion of scholarship proceeds funded by the Foundation.
  
  
• Leave of Absence:
  A leave of absence is considered an official withdrawal and any return of funds will be calculated based on the above criteria.