There is a college in the US unlike any other.
- A college that offers full tuition scholarships to all admitted students and admits only students who lack the means to contribute at all to tuition.
- A college that offers a high-quality liberal arts program as well as majors with vocational/professional character including nursing, education, business, agriculture, sustainability and agriculture.
- A residential college with an attractive campus, well-equipped facilities, a faculty active in research and scholarship, a staff that contributes to the educational enterprise through supervision of students in the work program, international programs, and vibrant extra-curriculars including inter-collegiate athletics, lectures by distinguished visitors, many events in the performing arts and community celebrations of our distinctive character.
- A college that not only admits students, but hires each and every one into work positions that help support efficient campus operations and provide valuable work experience.
- A college that was founded before the Civil War and was the first interracial and coeducational school in the South; still with a diverse and interesting student body, faculty and staff, including substantial numbers of international students and a broad mixture of domestic students.
- A college that accentuates the celebration of its regional association. It is located in the city of Berea in the state of Kentucky, near Lexington, and does its utmost to provide an educational opportunity to students living in Appalachia as well as other services to distressed communities in that part of the country.
- A college that through that commitment offers opportunities to all its students to learn through the offering of service to those in need.
- A college that has put a high emphasis on sustainability of its operations—we operate the first LEED certified hotel in Kentucky, have built one of the only platinum-level LEED certified residence halls in the country, and are renovating all of our buildings to reduce substantially reduce our carbon footprint—and also offers living and learning experiences in Sustainability and Environmental Studies.
- A college, that because of its compelling mission and model, is supported by an array of friends, foundations and alumni so that its unique financial model remains robust and sustainable, and so that it enjoys a triple-A bond rating.
- A college that leads the way in many areas of national recognition including Kiplingers, the Washington Monthly, and other rating services. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center’s report that shows Berea has the lowest tuition and fees in the nation. The national average for private, four-year not-for-profit colleges for tuition and fees is $22,786. Berea’s is $910.
This college has many successful graduates in nearly every profession and career imaginable, including entrepreneurs in business, public servants in politics, professors and academic leaders, preachers, teachers, nurses, farmers and foresters. A short list of distinguished graduates might include:
- James Bond – educator, grandfather of Civil Rights Movement activist Julian Bond.
- John B. Fenn – winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in chemistry
- Sam Hurst – inventor of touch screen technology
- Julia Britton Hooks – second African-American woman in the United States to graduate from college and paternal grandmother of Benjamin Hooks
- Juanita M. Kreps – U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Jimmy Carter
- C.E. Morgan – author of “All the Living”
- Harold “Hal” Moses, M.D. – Director Emeritus, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; Professor of Cancer Biology
- Tharon Musser – Tony Award-winning lighting designer known especially for her work on A Chorus Line
- Jeffrey Reddick – American screenwriter, best known for creating the Final Destination series.
- Jack Roush – founder, CEO, and owner of Roush Fenway Racing, a very successful NASCAR team
- Naomi Tutu (Nontombi Naomi Tutu) – daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and activist
- Djuan Trent – Miss Kentucky 2010
- Muse Watson – American actor
- Billy Edd Wheeler – songwriter, performer and writer
- Carter G. Woodson – African-American historian, author, and journalist. Often considered the father of African-American history. Co-founder of Black History Month
In conclusion, one might rightly ask why there is not a Berea College in every region of the country? That seems to us a very good question.
This post was provided by Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College, who was a guest on College Smart Radio “Tackling the Runaway Costs of College” on May 10th, 2014. Listen to this broadcast on YouTube here.
