Service at Berea College
Berea College has a long history of service. This is reflected in the College motto: “Learning, Labor and Service.” Service was embedded in the dream of the founders: to create a community where blacks and whites, men and women, could learn together as equals. Since its beginnings, Berea has dedicated itself to serving:
- African Americans
- People from southern and central Appalachia who could not otherwise afford a college education.
The Great Commitments recognize the importance of service to our identity. Specific commitments include:
- “….to emphasize the Christian ethic and motive of service to others”
- “to engage Appalachian communities, families, and students in partnership for mutual learning, growth, and service.”
In a broader sense, the preamble to the Great Commitments calls us to strive toward a world beyond suffering and inequality. These are the challenges that service should address. At Berea College, “…students and staff alike can work toward both personal goals and a vision of the world shaped by Christian values, such as the power of love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice.”
About the Center
Most of the current service and outreach programs have been in existence for decades, including:
- Students for Appalachia,
- the Bonner Scholars Program,
- Habitat for Humanity, and
- People Who Care.
In 2000, a new department, the Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS) emerged. The purpose of CELTS is to:
- house all student-led service programs and community outreach offices and
- to lead an initiative to integrate service into the academic curriculum.
CELTS provides a network of support and resources. It also serves as a common meeting place for those involved with Berea’s service-related activities. Opportunities for service, outreach and service-learning facilitated by CELTS take place in:
- the immediate Berea/Madison County community,
- the larger Appalachian region and
- at sites throughout the United States and the world.
Our Vision
We envision an educational system that successfully combines community service with academic learning to create an environment which challenges and prepares students to be critical thinkers, reflective learners and active members of just communities, near and far.
Our Mission
The Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service educates students for leadership in service and social justice through promotion and coordination of academic service-learning and student-led community service.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who participate in CELTS programs will demonstrate skills, knowledge and behaviors reflecting service-oriented leadership by being able to:
- Work and communicate effectively across differences
- Engage constructively in conflict situations
- Plan and implement community-based service activities or programs
- Demonstrate ability to think critically about social issues
- Work effectively in teams
- Integrate the values of service and social justice into career and life goals
- Use reflection as a means for learning and personal growth
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of institutional and regional context to service at Berea College
- Act as ambassadors for service at Berea College and beyond