Berea College

Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011

This was posted in Universities in Kentucky

Berea College is distinctive among institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, Berea charges no tuition and admits only academically promising students, primarily from Appalachia, who have limited economic resources. Berea’s cost of educating a student exceeds $23,000 per year.

Berea offers rigorous undergraduate academic programs leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 28 fields. All students work at least 10 hours per week in campus and service jobs in more than 130 departments.

Berea continues to build upon a distinctive history of 150 years of learning, labor and service, and find new ways to apply our mission (the Great Commitments) to contemporary times by promoting kinship among all people, serving communities in Appalachia and beyond and living sustainably to conserve limited natural resources.

The startled railroad surveyor dropped his notebook as his surveying instrument focused on a brick structure extending above the forest canopy. Ladies Hall, Berea College’s first brick building, seemed totally out of place in the woodland setting. “Whoever put up that building in this wilderness must have had faith,” the surveyor observed.

The surveyor’s experience came some 20 years after the Rev. John G. Fee started a one-room school in 1855 that eventually would become Berea College. Fee, a native of Bracken County, Ky., was a scholar of strong moral character, dedication, determination and great faith. He believed in a school that would be an advocate of equality and excellence in education for men and women of all races.

Mission
Berea College, founded by ardent abolitionists and radical reformers, continues today as an educational institution still firmly rooted in its historic purpose “to promote the cause of Christ.” Adherence to the College’s scriptural foundation, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” shapes the College’s culture and programs so that students and staff alike can work toward both personal goals and a vision of a world shaped by Christian values, such as the power of love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice. This environment frees persons to be active learners, workers, and servers as members of the academic community and as citizens of the world. The Berea experience nurtures intellectual, physical, aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual potentials and with those the power to make meaningful commitments and translate them into action.

Library
The library supports the educational mission of the college by maintaining a rich collection of materials in a variety of formats (books, journals, newspapers, Internet resources, CDs, audio tapes, videos, laser discs, LPs, etc.), by providing Interlibrary Loan service, and by helping students develop their skills in locating and evaluating information. Further information on the library’s mission may be found on the Hutchins Library Mission and Goals web page.

Courses Offered