Work has been central to a Berea College education since 1855. After Berea’s Labor Program was formally established, it began setting aside a day each year – Labor Day – to “celebrate work well done.” Continue reading 95 Years Old and Still Working →
Tag: Commitment
Berea College Participates in Meeting with U.S. Department of Education Officials on Increasing Access and Supporting Strong Outcomes for Low-Income Students
Berea College President Lyle Roelofs
On March 24, 2016, Berea College President Lyle Roelofs attended a meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Education focused on highlighting institutions across the country that are making significant strides in increasing graduation rates among students eligible for Pell Grants. Continue reading Berea College Participates in Meeting with U.S. Department of Education Officials on Increasing Access and Supporting Strong Outcomes for Low-Income Students →
Berea College and the Day Law
“An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School” was introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1904 by Breathitt County Representative Carl Day. The intent of the legislation (which became known as the Day Law) was simple and sinister; it would prohibit interracial education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Continue reading Berea College and the Day Law →
Berea’s Fearless Female Founders
Women were equal partners in the founding of Berea College community. Shoulder to shoulder with their husbands, Matilda Fee and Elizabeth Rogers were integral players in the challenging drama of Berea’s earliest years.
Establishing any community in an untamed wilderness that had to be cleared of dense thickets was a notable accomplishment, one that required perseverance and lots of hard work. Yet, an even greater accomplishment was establishing a community here based on the equality of all people. In Kentucky during the pre-Civil War era, mainstream society considered it radical – almost unimaginable – to acknowledge blacks and whites, and women and men, as social equals. Continue reading Berea’s Fearless Female Founders →
Parts 1 – 4 of “Berea College Focuses on Civil Rights Through Tour”
All Four parts of Crystal Wylie’s Richmond Register article on last summer’s Civil Rights Tour are now available. Follow links below:
Read Part One here: http://www.richmondregister.com/news/berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_66ccaef0-ca99-11e5-a89c-476556c8169a.html
Read Part Two here: http://www.richmondregister.com/community/part-berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_b88bb538-d016-11e5-96cb-579d9180f413.html
Read Part Three here: http://www.richmondregister.com/community/berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_afdb978a-d59f-11e5-b966-7fa4d3f8acb4.html
Read Part Four here: http://www.richmondregister.com/news/part-berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_9d563e1e-db1f-11e5-a868-dbe3c96cd805.html
Crystal Wylie is a 2005 alumna of Berea College and is the administration and communication coordinator at Berea College Alumni Relations.
The Berea College Labor Program
Students gain valuable work experience serving the College and the community.
Labor is embedded in the history of Berea College. From its earliest days, Berea has enabled students to contribute to the cost of their education while gaining valuable work experience serving the college and surrounding communities. Historically, Berea’s Labor Program also allowed the College to operate in a self-sustaining manner, with students growing their own food and building their own living and learning facilities. As society has changed, the nature of the work has changed, but the underlying principles of the program have remained constant through the years. Continue reading The Berea College Labor Program →
Part Two of “Berea College Focuses on Civil Rights Through Tour”
Crystal Wylie’s four part article on last summer’s Civil Rights Tour continues today with Part Two appearing in the Richmond Register.
Read Part Two here: http://www.richmondregister.com/community/part-berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_b88bb538-d016-11e5-96cb-579d9180f413.html
Read Part One here: http://www.richmondregister.com/news/berea-college-focuses-on-civil-rights-through-tour/article_66ccaef0-ca99-11e5-a89c-476556c8169a.html
Crystal Wylie is a 2005 alumna of Berea College and is the administration and communication coordinator at Berea College Alumni Relations. Look for Part 3 and 4 in the Feb. 18 and 25 editions of the Richmond Register.
Students Attend Presidential Inauguration
Published originally in the Spring 2009 edition of the Berea College Magazine
“The inauguration of Barack Obama was a historical moment for our nation that Berea’s founders could not have imagine—but one they certainly wold have embraced. In some ways, it was a fulfillment of Berea’s interracial mission and history—and we are witnesses to that moment,” said President Shinn. Continue reading Students Attend Presidential Inauguration →
Inspired by Berea: An Honorary Trustee’s Passion for Higher Education
Published Originally in the Winter/Spring 2012 Issue of Berea College Magazine
Lindsay Roe, ’14
Elissa May Plattner is a teacher by profession, but a learner by nature. At an early age, she began learning about higher education, growing to appreciate the value of academics. As a result, Elissa May has dedicated her life to inspiring students. She first discovered her love of learning in Berea, when she was 10 years old. Continue reading Inspired by Berea: An Honorary Trustee’s Passion for Higher Education →
Shirley Fowler Offers a Legacy of Support
Published originally in the Spring 2009 issue of the Berea College Magazine
by Christopher Porter
As a private money manager, Shirley Fowler has always been impressed by how Berea handles its finances. “I have watched your balance sheets with interest,” she once wrote to president John Stephenson, “and I agree with your objectives. As you know, I have admired and supported Berea for years.” Tied to her understated admiration is a deep respect for the Berea mission born from personal experience. Continue reading Shirley Fowler Offers a Legacy of Support →
#LoveOverHate
About 600 Bereans from the College campus and from the City, and many from further away, including some members of the College’s Trustees, participated in a rally on November 23 to focus on Berea’s values, such as love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice. The rally was in response to recent reports of racism and harassment in the community as an example of a shared commitment to justice and equality. The rally generated broad attention in media outlets. A few representative examples can be seen at: Continue reading #LoveOverHate →
The Berea Community Stands Together Again on Monday, November 23rd
Dear Bereans,
I am writing with support from community and student groups committed to social justice to invite you to an important event to demonstrate the values of Berea College in the face of a growing number of incidents involving harassment to students of color and LGBTQ students. Continue reading The Berea Community Stands Together Again on Monday, November 23rd →
Berea College Welcomes Public to Opening Convocation
President Lyle Roelofs
Exploring the Commitments: Let’s Get to Work
Seabury Center – 3:00 p.m., September 3, 2015
The entire Berea College community will gather to celebrate the opening of the 2015-16 academic year at the College’s Opening Convocation on Thursday, September 3, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. in the Seabury Center. The program is free and open to the public. Continue reading Berea College Welcomes Public to Opening Convocation →
Berea College Joins the Nation in Recognizing the Passing This Weekend of Julian Bond
Throughout his career as a legislator and activist for civil rights, Julian Bond came to Berea several times—first in the 1970s—to speak to the campus community. Julian Bond’s ties to Berea College were deep, going back three generations. Continue reading Berea College Joins the Nation in Recognizing the Passing This Weekend of Julian Bond →
An Alumnus in the News
Beloved Bereans,
I have learned that Randy Johnson, a 1991 Berea alumnus, is one of the plaintiffs in the civil rights case concerning marriage equality argued earlier today before the U.S. Supreme Court. There are two links to Randy’s story below. I want to affirm Randy putting his convictions into action. After all, Berea’s motto applies to all peoples of the earth, encouraging all of us to live out our commitments through civic engagement.
With warm regards,
Pr. Roelofs Continue reading An Alumnus in the News →