2022 COPLAC Annual Meeting
Sunday, June 26- Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
375 Church Street, North Adams MA 01247
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is honored to host the 2022 COPLAC Annual Meeting and Conference from Sunday, June 26- Tuesday, June 28, 2022. This is the first in- person conference hosted by COPLAC since 2019. MCLA is excited to welcome our colleagues to the Berkshires and our campus in June.
The 2022 Conference theme is Equity and the Power to Transform. MCLA is committed to creating a campus culture that values, represents, and honors diversity. We actively to recruit and retain diverse students, faculty, and staff. MCLA fosters meaningful dialogue both in and out of the classroom to encourage critical awareness, respect, and appreciation for similarities and differences. We strive to critically address dynamics of inequality, and encourage collaboration and purposeful engagement to achieve social justice on campus and in the community. We look forward to the opportunity to learn and share with our colleagues from across the country.
Welcome to North Adams, and to MCLA!
I’m delighted to have our COPLAC colleagues join us at MCLA for our summer meeting this year. I hope that while you are here, you get to learn in the liberal arts way, exploring different topics that will give you deeper perspectives, new ideas, and a fresh look at the ways our approach to higher education changes lives, personally and professionally.
The Berkshires are an epicenter of arts and culture, so take advantage of that while you are here! Our campus benefits from being surrounded by museums, performing arts venues, incredible nature preserves, and more, and the experience adds to the enriching education our students receive at MCLA. This page offers resources about travel, lodging, and local attractions.
About MCLA:
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA
is designed to elevate our students as individuals, as leaders, communicators, fully
empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 127-year commitment
to public education, we have fortified our commitment to equitable academic excellence.
For nine of the last 11 years, MCLA has been named a Top Ten College by U.S. News
and World Report. MCLA also appears on the organization’s list of top National Public
Liberal Arts Colleges. Since the list was created, MCLA has risen to #21 as a Top
Performer on Social Mobility and ranks first among all Massachusetts schools, which
measures how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants.
| Sunday, June 26 | |
| 2 - 5 P.M. | Registration |
| 5 P.M. | Campus Tour |
| 5:30 P.M. | Opening Reception |
| Monday, June 27 | |
| 8:30 - 10 A.M. | Welcome Breakfast |
| 10:25 - 11:15 A.M. | Session A - Community Organizing as a Model for Student Empowerment (MCLA) |
| 11:30 - 12:20 P.M. | Session B (Virtual) - Transforming teaching and learning at the root: A grassroots approach to faculty development (MULTICAMPUS) |
| 12:25 - 1:15 P.M. | Session C - Affinity Groups as a Strategy to Advance Equity Among Faculty (MULTI-CAMPUS NSF) |
| 1:15- 2 P.M. | Lunch |
| 2-3 P.M. | Collaboratory - Moderated discussion with attendees who are interested in future collaborations or resources sharing on the topics presented today. Discussions with today's presenters about practice and digging deeper into presentations, resonances, person action plans |
| 2- 3:20 P.M. | Board of Directors Working Meeting |
| 3:30 - 4:30 P.M. | Board of Directors Business Meeting |
| 5 - 6 P.M. | Keynote Address with MA Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Carlos Santiago |
| Tuesday, June 28 | |
| 10 - 10:50 A.M. | Session D (Virtual) - Promoting a Positive Campus Climate through Transformative Professional Development (SUNY GENESEO) |
| 10:55 - 11:20 A.M. | Session E - Using a Values-Based Framework to Achieve Equity and Justice for Students, Faculty, and Staff (MIDWESTERN) |
| 11:30 - 12:20 P.M. | Session F (Virtual) - A Decolonizing and Indigenizing Cohort: One Model to Work Towards a More Equitable, Inclusive, and Culturally-Competent Campus (UM MORRIS) |
| 12:25 - 1:15 P.M. | Session G - Flipping the Hidden Curriculum: Creating Equity for First-Generation and Non-Traditional College Students (USC AIKEN) |
Conference registration is now closed. We look forward to the upcoming conference!
Located in the Berkshires, our area is known for its mountain ranges, hiking trails, and panoramic views. Our home town of North Adams is brimming with young, creative energy and the regional economy is booming as a result.
Our classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching and about seeing their students thrive on every level; personally, academically, and professionally. We engage in the most relevant conversations of our time by bringing the most celebrated thinkers and speakers to campus through nationally known public lectures hosted by MCLA.
MCLA graduates excel in their careers, many advancing rapidly to earn competitive salaries in exciting fields, stemming in part from the professional opportunities available to them, such as internships in major cities, leadership programs that span the globe, and undergraduate research projects. Nearly 93% of our graduates land jobs or get accepted into some of the finest grad schools in the country.
Here for all — and focused on each — of our students, MCLA makes a lasting impression on people’s lives.
Plane: MCLA is located approximately 1 hour from the Albany International Airport, 1.5 hours from Bradley International Airport, and 3.5 hours from Boston’s Logan International Airport.
For those driving, parking will be available for both day and overnight.
Train: Amtrak service is available to the Albany/Rensselaer, NY Station, which is about one hour from campus. (Rental cars are not available on site.)
Bus: The following bus lines service from Boston, Springfield, New York City (and others) to the Williams Inn in Williamstown, MA, which is located about six miles from MCLA.
Local bus or taxi service is available from Williamstown to North Adams.
Berkshire Regional Transit Authority
American Cab Company - 413-663-3000
Norm's Limousine/Taxi Service - 413-663-8300
Uber and Lyft are not widely available in our area.
On Campus Housing
MCLA has a limited number of on- campus housing options available to COPLAC attendees at the Flagg Townhouse Apartment Complex. The Townhouses are comprised of 4-5-person unit. Each townhouse is equipped with 1.5 bathrooms and a galley kitchen. (Please note the galley kitchen is not equipped with pots and pans, attendees are welcome to bring their own if they’d like).
The townhouses are not air conditioned and do not allow persons under the age of 18.
All rooms will be assigned single, there will be other conference attendees in the townhouse. We will do our best to group schools together. The cost of your stay includes linens; bath towel, hand towel, wash towel, pillow, light blanket, 2 flat sheets, and a pillow case.
The cost to stay in the townhouse is $75 per night, or a total of $150 for the weekend.
Off Campus Housing
A hotel block has been reserved at The Hotel Downstreet in North Adams. The Hotel Downstreet is located 5 minutes from campus. Please call the front desk to book your stay and mention COPLAC to book within the block. The hotel block will be released Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
The Hotel Downstreet
(413) 663-6500
40 Main Street, North Adams, MA 01247
When you come visit our campus, make sure to experience the other things that make the Berkshires special. The Berkshire Visitors Bureau, Explore North Adams, and Destination Williamstown will help you find out what’s going on while you’re here.
