MCLA Blog

Associated Industries of Massachusetts

Pittsfield, Mass. — At its Berkshire Region Legacy of Leadership Session today, Associated Industries of Massachusetts (A.I.M.), presented the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) with a Regional Legacy of Leadership Award to recognize the College’s work to enhance the teaching of math, science and technology.

The Award, accepted by Dr. Mary Grant, the College’s president, was presented by A.I.M.’s General Counsel, Robert Ruddock at the session, held at Interprint’s new manufacturing facility in Pittsfield. More than fifty employers from the county were in attendance at the first of five regional sessions that A.I.M. will conduct in October.

During the past several years under the leadership of Dr. Grant, MCLA has worked to strengthen community and public collaboration throughout the Berkshires. The College has won over $500,000 in new grants to help sustain these partnerships, with many of these new resources being used to advance the teaching of math, science and technology. In addition, the College worked to establish the Berkshire Compact for Higher Education to assess the life long education needs of the regions’ residents.

A.I.M. established the Legacy of Leadership Awards last year as part of its yearlong 90th
Anniversary Celebration to recognize employers whose contributions to the economy fulfill A.I.M.’s mission, which is to make Massachusetts a good place to live and work. The intent of the awards is to promote public recognition of the contributions made by employers to the high quality of life enjoyed by all our residents – contributions that in A.I.M.’s view are too often not fully appreciated, or even acknowledged.

In addition to the award presentation, the agenda for the session provided A.I.M. members with an opportunity to interact with members of the staff to review and discuss legislative and regulatory actions that were considered by the Legislature and state agencies in 2006, and to identify issues that should be included in the association’s 2007-2008 public policy agenda. More than fifty employers from Berkshire County were in attendance at the first of five regional sessions.

Established in 1915, A.I.M. is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan association of more than 7,600 Bay State employers and institutions who collectively employ more than 680,000 people. A.I.M.’s mission is to promote the well-being of its members and their employees and the prosperity of the Commonwealth by improving the economic climate of the state, proactively advocating fair and equitable public policy; providing relevant, reliable information and excellent services.