Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College
Roelofs is the featured author of an article published by Inside Higher Ed today. He describes Berea College’s distinctive Labor Program and cites how other colleges and universities might want to consider establishing a work program to increase student access and affordability.
Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College only admits academically promising students with limited financial resources—primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia—but welcomes students from 41 states and 76 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of nine federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly to earn money for books, housing and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.