very difficult to change directions. The liberal arts tradition assumes something different. It assumes that students are going to develop a set of capacities— a way of thinking, writing, communicating, analyzing— that opens many different doors. The path may be winding. But ultimately, those writing skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, analytical skills. Those are the things that sustain people throughout their lives.
Charlier: I would just add one thing. When we talk with employers— and we spend a lot of time talking with employers because that’ s an important part of what we do— we almost never hear them say,“ We need this particular technical skill.” What we hear is,“ I need people who can think” or“ I need people who take initiative” or“ I need people who solve problems.” So, whether we’ re talking about a liberal arts curriculum, the humanities, or technical education, those liberal arts skills become the thread that runs through everything. They’ re what connects students not only to
really good jobs, but to becoming the kinds of citizens and colleagues that employers actually want. So again, it’ s both.
I grew up in a family of strong women. My college’ s president was female, as was the president of Stony Brook University when I was in medical school. My medical school class was femaledominant with a ratio of 67 women to 35 men, and the first hospitalist group I joined was predominantly female. So, strong, female leadership is not new or unique to me. That said, 2026 marks the first time in history that three simultaneous Berkshire college presidents are all female. How significant is it to you that this is the first time there are three female presidents of our Berkshire colleges? Do you feel we should still be asking that question in 2026? Does your gender matter? Or, as a society, should we simply recognize you for your intelligence, accomplishments, and skills— regardless of gender?
Rogers-Adkinson: Both. One-third of college presidencies today are held by women. Community colleges actually led the way. They began hiring women into leadership much earlier. When I was in Pennsylvania, though, in the state system, eight of the ten presidents were men. The chancellor was a man. The second-incommand positions were finally becoming more balanced. There are still barriers. Massachusetts is somewhat unique politically, because we have women in so many leadership roles. But, I’ ll give you an example of why I think this still matters. When I was a dean, our president wanted to remove the deans from sitting on the commencement dais. I remember saying to him,“ If you do that, 60 percent of your graduates are women, and they won’ t see a single woman leader sitting on that stage. Is that really the message you want to send? That there are no women they can aspire to become?” We got to stay on the dais. The majority of students attending college today are women. Representation matters.
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54 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2026