An important announcement from President Lyle Roelofs regarding the Fall 2020 semester

We’re excited to invite all Berea College students to return to campus this fall. Adhering to our Great Commitments, we aim to create a democratic community, allowing students to make the best decision for themselves about whether to return to campus during this challenging time. Hear more from President Lyle Roelofs and see some key takeaways below.

  • The Fall 2020 semester will begin on August 12 and will conclude prior to Thanksgiving.
  • Students will have three choices: to return to campus, continue distance learning or defer their semester (we will share more details as further decisions are finalized).
  • We will be operating with heightened sensitivity to healthy behaviors that everyone on campus must strictly follow.

Education is Key to the Future of Eastern Kentucky

Dreama Gentry

Dreama Gentry, executive director of Partners for Education at Berea College

Dreama Gentry, executive director of Partners for Education at Berea College, recently spoke with WEKU’s Tom Martin about prominent educational challenges facing rural Appalachia and the Rural College Access and Success Summit planned for April 28-30 in Lexington, Ky. Gentry and Martin also discussed the work Partners for Education does in the region to provide college readiness programming for young students.

“We get paralyzed as a community into inaction because it often seems insurmountable to think about how we revitalize this region, but we have to do something and continue to do something,” said Gentry, when talking about the work Partners for Education does in addressing educational access in its service area.

Gentry also discussed the upcoming Rural College Access and Success Summit, hosted by Partners for Education. The Summit provides an opportunity for practitioners and people who believe in college access to highlight best practices and the unique challenges of increasing opportunities in rural America. Among the keynote speakers highlighted for this year’s Summit is John King, who served as Secretary of Education under the Obama administration.

Find out more information about the Rural College Access and Success Summit, including the full conference schedule and registration details.

Listen to the full interview with Dreama Gentry on Eastern Standard here.

bell hooks Honored in New York Times Column

bell hooks speaking at a podium

bell hooks speaking during the formal presentation of her papers to Berea College on April 10, 2017.
(Photo: Bethany Posey ’18)

bell hooks, Distinguished Professor in Residence in Appalachian Studies, was recently highlighted in a New York Times column by award-winning novelist and former student, Min Jin Lee. In the article, Lee looks back on her time as a student at Yale University in hooks’ “Introduction to African-American Literature” class. The writer reflects on how hooks’ writing helped shape the perception Lee initially had of her place in the feminist movement as a Korean woman. Continue reading bell hooks Honored in New York Times Column

Berea College Employees Hit the Road for 2017 Civil Rights Seminar and Tour

Civil Rights Tour group gather for a photo in front of historical sign "Memorable Quotes from Letter from Birmingham Jail"
Last week, 40 Berea College faculty and staff members embarked on the biennial Civil Rights Seminar and Tour sponsored by the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education. The tour visited many locations significant to the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.  It also presented opportunities for faculty and staff to discuss a variety of topics related to race in America that are still relevant today. The idea of viewing race relations through the lens of a reparations paradigm versus a reconciliation paradigm was a consistent theme in these discussions throughout the trip. Continue reading Berea College Employees Hit the Road for 2017 Civil Rights Seminar and Tour

Berea College to Move Forward with “Qualified Historic Site License” for Boone Tavern

The Berea College Board of Trustees has authorized the college administration to move forward with an application for a “Qualified Historic Site License” that would permit the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink at historic Boone Tavern Hotel & Restaurant. After the Board of Trustees carefully considered the action for more than a year, the final decision took place during the board meeting on February 21 and 22, and followed an extensive process in which the college’s administration received input and opinions from faculty, staff, students, local officials, community leaders and citizens on the subject. We did not choose to survey our complete alumni community, because we do not have a means of doing that systematically, but we do have quite a number of alumni who are faculty and staff at the College.  Those alumni who are employed by the College responded to the survey with the same level of support for moving forward with alcohol sales at Boone Tavern, as non-alumni who work at the College. The survey showed strong overall support for moving forward, but of course not unanimity, because this is an issue on which reasonable people do not find ready agreement. Continue reading Berea College to Move Forward with “Qualified Historic Site License” for Boone Tavern

Berea College Accepted as NCAA Division III Provisional Member

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has granted Berea College (Ky.) provisional membership in Division III, beginning September 1.  This move will allow the college to better align its athletics program to compete with other institutions that share a similar philosophy of intercollegiate athletics. The NCAA Division III philosophy is founded on the student-athlete’s overall educational experience. Institutions within the division are not permitted to award financial aid on the basis of a student’s athletic ability. Continue reading Berea College Accepted as NCAA Division III Provisional Member

Berea College Earns “Fair Trade” Status

Berea College has been named as Kentucky’s second Fair Trade University by Fair Trade USA. Fair Trade is a movement that works to reduce poverty, support the ethical treatment of workers and farmers and promote environmentally sustainable practices while helping producers in developing countries obtain fair prices for their products. Fair Trade USA recognizes towns, schools and congregations across the country for embedding Fair Trade practices and principles into policy and into the social and intellectual foundations of their communities. Continue reading Berea College Earns “Fair Trade” Status

Partners for education program awarded Americorps Grant

Partners for Education at Berea College has been selected by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as a recipient of an AmeriCorps grant. Partners for Education’s program, PartnerCorps: STEM, will increase student competency in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or “STEM” fields. Partners for Education will place 20 AmeriCorps members in three Madison County high schools: Berea Independent, Madison Central, and Madison Southern.  PartnerCorps: STEM members will mentor high school students, provide in-school and out-of-school tutoring to students taking algebra courses while connecting the math to STEM careers. Continue reading Partners for education program awarded Americorps Grant

Two Renowned Authors Offer ‘Advice from Appalachian Intellectuals’ to Berea College Graduates, May 4

Watch the live video stream on the day of commencement.

bell hooks, a celebrated author and social activist, and Silas House, a best-selling novelist and environmental activist, will address 271 members of Berea College’s 142nd graduating class during a special commencement service titled “Advice from Appalachian Intellectuals.” Both commencement speakers are faculty members in Berea College’s Loyal Jones Appalachian Center. Continue reading Two Renowned Authors Offer ‘Advice from Appalachian Intellectuals’ to Berea College Graduates, May 4

A Record 13 Berea College Students Awarded Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad

Thirteen Berea College students join more than 1,100 American undergraduate students from 358 colleges and universities across the country as recipients of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Continue reading A Record 13 Berea College Students Awarded Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad

Aspen Institute Names Partners for Education at Berea College to National Network to Disrupt Poverty for Children and Parents

Partners for Education at Berea College was announced today as a member of the Aspen Institute Ascend Network, a new network of leading organizations using two-generation approaches to disrupt poverty and create economic mobility for families. Partners for Education at Berea College is one of the initial 58 organizations, selected from 24 states and the District of Columbia, that represent the leading edge of a national movement around two-generation approaches. Two-generation approaches look at the whole family’s needs and provide opportunities for children and their parents together. Continue reading Aspen Institute Names Partners for Education at Berea College to National Network to Disrupt Poverty for Children and Parents

Berea College’s “Deep Green” Residence Hall Earns World’s Highest LEED Score

Berea College’s Deep Green Residence Hall has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v2009 Platinum Certification and a score of 90 points, making the facility the highest-scoring, LEED-certified residence hall in the world. The LEED certification denotes independent verification from the U.S. Green Building Council that a building is designed and constructed “using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health.” Continue reading Berea College’s “Deep Green” Residence Hall Earns World’s Highest LEED Score

Debate Team Ends Season on High Note

The Berea College Speech and Debate Team completed a highly successful 2013-14 season at the Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics Championship this past weekend. The team had already achieved a number of significant milestones, including a top 10 national ranking by the National Parliamentary Debate Association and tripling the number of awards won in the past 13 years.   Continue reading Debate Team Ends Season on High Note

Service and Learning on Spring Break 2014

While students on many campuses used spring break to enjoy the sun and beaches, a small number of Berea College students, faculty, and staff traveled to Montgomery and Selma, Alabama for a spring break of service. Continue reading Service and Learning on Spring Break 2014

Interview: Dr. Gordon Gray on Asia, Asian Studies and Berea

Dr. Gordon Gray is an Assistant Professor of Media and Culture in Berea College’s Asian Studies program. He got his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and his PhD in Film Studies from Napier University also in Scotland. He has been teaching at Berea since 2011. Continue reading Interview: Dr. Gordon Gray on Asia, Asian Studies and Berea

Berea College Annual Concert Choir Spring Concert, April 5 & 6

The annual Spring Concert by the Berea College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, conducted by Dr. Stephen Bolster, will be held on Saturday, April 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. in Gray Auditorium on the Berea College campus. The choral concert will be accompanied by Lindsay Clavere on the piano and organ. There is no admission charge. Continue reading Berea College Annual Concert Choir Spring Concert, April 5 & 6

Berea College Service Award Recipients to be Recognized at Annual Service Convocation

On Thursday, March 27 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel, during the annual Berea College Service Convocation, the 2014 Berea College Service Award will be presented to Henry Red Cloud and Carolyn Sundy. The Berea College Service Award honors persons who in their daily lives and their service to humanity have exemplified Berea’s Great Commitments. The award honors practical service by persons in all walks of life. Continue reading Berea College Service Award Recipients to be Recognized at Annual Service Convocation

Empty Bowls Fill Local Food Bank Coffers

On Wednesday March 19, members of the Berea community will have the opportunity to help address hunger by purchasing a simple meal of soup and a hand-made bowl from the Berea College Ceramic Apprenticeship Program or donated by local potters. Continue reading Empty Bowls Fill Local Food Bank Coffers

Concert Choir Fundraising Concert for International Tour

The Berea College Concert Choir will travel on a 15-day concert tour to Spain and Portugal from May 7-May 21, 2014. Music faculty members Dr. Stephen Bolster, conductor; Lindsay Clavere, pianist; Dr. Javier Clavere, organist, and math professor Sandra Bolster, chaperone, will lead choir members on a trip to several Spanish and Portuguese cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Faro and Lisbon. The concert tour will be a “dream come true” for the students. It will include extensive, professionally guided tours of each city and excursions to museums and World Heritage Sites to allow the students to see great treasures of Moorish, Christian and Muslim cultures. The choir will perform high-profile concerts in several of the cities. Continue reading Concert Choir Fundraising Concert for International Tour

Dr. Rocky S. Tuan, successful Life Science Researcher and Alumnus Visited Campus

At 9 a.m. on Thursday February 20, Room 106 of the Hall Science Building hosted Dr. Rocky Tuan’s presentation on integrating life sciences with engineering and medicine. Dr. Tuan began his presentation at by relating back to the time where he had to sit on the opposite side of the hall as a student and strive to stay awake, and hoped he would not bore the audience to sleep this time around. The audience included President Lyle Roelofs, faculty members of the science programs and several students. Continue reading Dr. Rocky S. Tuan, successful Life Science Researcher and Alumnus Visited Campus

Vanderbilt University and Berea College Partner on Humanities Initiative

Berea College is partnering with Vanderbilt University to establish a new faculty development initiative to support specialized training for new Vanderbilt Ph.D.’s in preparing students for teaching at liberal arts colleges and historically black colleges and universities. Continue reading Vanderbilt University and Berea College Partner on Humanities Initiative

The Onyx Returns to Campus

The Black Student Union recently announced plans to reintroduce The Onyx to the Berea College campus community. The first publication is set to be released on February 28, 2014, and it will share information pertaining to the importance of the publication and the black community on campus, among other topics. Continue reading The Onyx Returns to Campus