September 17, 2025
MCLA’s Fall 2025 Elizabeth and Lawrence Vadnais Environmental Issues Lecture will be held at 7 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 11, in MCLA’s Murdock Hall, Room 218. This year’s event will celebrate the creation of The Center for Resourceful Living (CRL), started 50 years ago by MCLA Professor Emeritus Lawrence H. Vadnais.
The evening will feature the debut screening of filmmaker Sharon Wyrrick’s documentary, “Did You Put Milk in the Bucket?: A Tribute to The Center for Resourceful Living.” The filmmaker will be in attendance at the screening.
This event coincides with “Scenes from The Center for Resourceful Living,” an exhibition of photographs of the Center curated by Wyrrick and on view at MCLA’s MOSAIC EventSpace (49 Main St.) from October 3 to November 2, 2025. The exhibit features photographs from the Randy Trabold Collection, donated to MCLA by Ida Trabold; images from MCLA’s Freel Library archives; and additional photographs from Center participants during its existence, from 1975-1980. The exhibit opens with a reception on Friday, Oct. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“The Environmental Studies Department is excited to celebrate The Center for Resourceful Living and its legacy,” said Dr. Elena Traister, MCLA professor of environmental studies. “This forward-thinking sustainability program remains important, not only to the alumni who participated in it, but also to the hands-on approach MCLA’s Environmental Studies program continues to take in preparing students to address the environmental challenges of our time. We are pleased to be able to share the story of this impactful program with the broader community."
These events are free and open to the public. Please call MCLA’s Office of Institutional Advancement at 413-662-5224 or email advancement@mcla.edu for more information. This annual lecture series is named for Professor Lawrence H. Vadnais and is sponsored by the Vadnais Endowment.
To directly support the Vadnais Lecture Series through Pathways, The Campaign for MCLA, please visit lnk.mcla.edu/pathways.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we are 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. In every way possible, the MCLA experience is designed to elevate students
as individuals, leaders and communicators, fully empowered to make their mark on the
world. In addition to its 130-year commitment to public education, MCLA has strengthened
its dedication to equitable academic excellence. The college has appeared on U.S.
News & World Report’s list of Top Ten Public Colleges for 10 consecutive years, earning
the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for 2025,
after holding the No. 7 spot for the prior three years. MCLA’s focus on affordable
education and economic prosperity is reflected in additional 2025 U.S. News rankings:
No. 5 among Top Performers on Social Mobility for liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts
and No. 2 among Top Performers on Social Mobility for public liberal arts colleges
in the nation. These rankings measure how well schools graduate students who receive
federal Pell Grants.
