A Berea College student and a supervising employee have been recognized by the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MASEA). Kelly Grenier, a graduating senior (May 2015), has been selected as the recipient of the “MASEA Student Employee of the Year for the State of Kentucky.” Larky Crawford, of the Berea College art department, is the recipient of the first ever “MASEA Student Employment Supervisor of the Year for the State of Kentucky.”
Each spring, the MASEA coordinates a Student Employee of the Year program to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college. The process, which begins at the institutional level, starts when supervisors nominate an outstanding employee for their institution’s student employee of the year. Then, any institution who is a member of MASEA may submit their student employee of the year for State, Regional and National consideration.
Kelly Grenier
Kelly Grenier, a political science major from Cynthiana, Kentucky, works in the Berea College Labor Program as a faculty assistant in the Political Science Department. She has a secondary labor assignment as a music performer at Boone Tavern Hotel. The selection criteria for her award included the following characteristics: Reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism, and uniqueness of contribution. As a state MASEA winner Kelly’s name will be submitted for the national Student Employee of the Year Program.
Larky Crawford, selected by MASEA as the Student Employment Supervisor of the Year, is the building and student supervisor in the art department. She has been employed by Berea College since 1987. This is the first year that MASEA has presented an award for supervisors. Student employees and colleagues were asked to nominate an outstanding student employment supervisor for their institution. The award recognizes student employment supervisors for outstanding leadership, professionalism and mentoring.
Larky Crawford
“What an honor to have two individuals from within our own campus community recognized at the state level,” says Darlene Stocker, Coordinator of the Berea College Labor Program. “Last year, our student won the national student of the year award. This year, MASEA will be hosting their annual conference in Berea in June which also is a great honor for us.”
As part of the educational experience, Berea College requires all students to work 10-15 hours per week in approved jobs on campus or in the community while carrying a full academic course load. These work experiences provide tremendous opportunities for students to work in major related areas and to develop soft skills—work ethic, responsibility, teamwork, timeliness, meeting deadlines—that future employers are looking for. Berea students and alumni share an overwhelming positive view of the Labor Program. The work experience, they note, “teaches [one] how to work”, “provides practical experience” and “genuine job perspective.”
Berea College is distinctive among institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1855, Berea was the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. Guided by eight “Great Commitments,” Berea provides a high-quality education to students of great promise but limited financial resources.
Repeatedly ranked as the top college in the South for academics and for service learning, Berea offers rigorous undergraduate academic programs leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees with majors in 33 fields. Initiatives in technology, international education, and sustainability and environmental studies are contemporary ways Berea meets its mission, preparing students for 21st century citizenship in a complex, global society.
Berea College charges no tuition, rather, providing every admitted student with the equivalent of a four-year, full tuition scholarship. Berea’s liberal arts academic program is enhanced with a full-participation work-study program. All 1,600 students are required to work at least 10 hours per week in campus and service jobs in more than 130 departments. Berea’s Labor Program creates an atmosphere of democratic living that emphasizes the dignity of all work and provides opportunities for students to earn money for their room, board, and books. Equal opportunity and diversity have been at the heart of Berea’s mission for 150 years. The College has an inclusive Christian character, expressed in its motto “God has made of one blood all peoples of the Earth.” (Acts 17:26). Berea’s primary service region is the Southern Appalachian region, but students come from all states in the U.S. and in a typical year, from more than 60 other countries representing a rich diversity of colors, cultures, and faiths. About one in three students represents an ethnic minority. (For more information, visit the Berea College web site at: legacy.berea.edu).