Berea College

101 Chestnut St, Berea, KY 40403

https://www.berea.edu 

CAMPUS AT A GLANCE & KEY FACTS

A highly selective, small liberal-arts school with about 1600 students, Berea is known for a few unique characteristics: the no-tuition promise for its students, its status as a Work College (meaning every student is required to have a labor - or work-study - position), a commitment to interracial education, and a focus on serving the Appalachian region.

Motto: "God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth."

 Fast Facts:

 - Berea Students come from 40 states and 60 countries.

 - The college has a longstanding history of interracial education: it was the first co-educational, interracial college in the south. 
 - The Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS) houses Bonner Scholars alongside the co-curricular and curricular service work on campus. 

 - CELTS uses a model of cascading leadership development that allows most student staff to increase their skills and responsibilities each year.

 Berea College, founded by ardent abolitionists and radical reformers, continues today as an educational institution still firmly rooted in its historic purpose “to promote the cause of Christ.” Adherence to the College’s spiritual foundation, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” shapes the College’s culture and programs so that students and staff alike can work toward both personal goals and a vision of a world shaped by Christian values, such as the power of love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice. This environment frees persons to be active learners, workers, and servers as members of the academic community and as citizens of the world. The Berea experience nurtures intellectual, physical, aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual potentials and with those the power to make meaningful commitments and translate them into action.

To achieve this purpose, Berea College commits itself:

• To provide an educational opportunity for students of all races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources.
• To offer a high-quality liberal arts education that engages students as they pursue their personal, academic, and professional goals.
• To stimulate understanding of the Christian faith and its many expressions and to emphasize the Christian ethic and the motive of service to others. 
• To promote learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done.
• To assert the kinship of all people and to provide interracial education with a particular emphasis on understanding and equality among blacks and whites as a foundation for building community among all peoples of the earth.
• To create a democratic community dedicated to education and gender equality.
• To maintain a residential campus and to encourage in all community members a way of life characterized by mindful and sustainable living, health and wellness, zest for learning, high personal standards, and a concern for the welfare of others.
• To engage Appalachian communities, families, and students in partnership for mutual learning, growth, and service.

The Great Commitments were formed around the goals of Berea. We acknowledge their challenge and we accept these commitments as our responsibility for generations of Bereans.

BONNER PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Type of Program: Bonner Scholar     

Year Began: 1990 

Bonner Program Website: www.berea.edu/celts/bonner-scholars-program

Where is the Bonner Program located: Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS) 

Number of Bonner Students: 60

Highlighted Bonner Specific Programs:

• Bonner orientation begins before school starts and continues over the second weekend of classes in the Fall. This includes orientation to the local community, to the Bonner community, team building, and personal reflection.
• The first year Spring Break experience is designed to explore styles of service and issues not readily available for on-going service in the local central Kentucky community. Generally this involves an urban environment and a variety of community partners throughout the week.
• Generally it is difficult to distinguish Bonner Scholars from other CELTS students - all of them work together to organize, plan, and implement at least 7 on-going service programs to meet local community needs. This includes recruiting, training, and supporting student volunteers for each program.
• This includes more than 40 hours a week of on-going, free programming that directly serves more than 100 individuals.

CAMPUS-WIDE ENGAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

• The Better Together Fall event replaces our Hunger Hurts Food Drive and occurs every fall and incorporates the entire campus as well as the greater community with a community 5k run/walk and fundraiser. This campus wide event serves as a great introduction to Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week on campus.

• The Empty Bowls event each spring allows Berea to showcase the amazing work of local and student potters while raising money for local food banks. This past year we were able to create even more collaborations, truly bringing together artists, restaurants, students and community members to work towards a common goal.