Sherry Chandler » Berea College makes the NYTimes
Berea College makes the NYTimes
From yesterday’s New York Times:
BEREA, Ky. — Berea College, founded 150 years ago to educate freed slaves and “poor white mountaineers,” accepts only applicants from low-income families, and it charges no tuition.
“You can literally come to Berea with nothing but what you can carry, and graduate debt free,” said Joseph P. Bagnoli Jr., the associate provost for enrollment management. “We call it the best education money can’t buy.”
Actually, what buys that education is Berea’s $1.1 billion endowment, which puts the college among the nation’s wealthiest. But unlike most well-endowed colleges, Berea has no football team, coed dorms, hot tubs or climbing walls. Instead, it has a no-frills budget, with food from the college farm, handmade furniture from the college crafts workshops, and 10-hour-a-week campus jobs for every student.
Berea’s approach provides an unusual perspective on the growing debate over whether the wealthiest universities are doing enough for the public good to warrant their tax exemption, or simply hoarding money to serve an elite few. As many elite universities scramble to recruit more low-income students, Berea’s no-tuition model has attracted increasing attention.
The article, with its focus on higher education in general, does not mention that the town of Berea, perhaps because of the College, is a powerhouse of art and politics in the state. Home to many fine craft shops (production as well as retail), including but certainly not limited to the Kentucky Artisan Center and the Appalachian Fireside Gallery. The world-class artisans who live in Berea include my friend Gin Petty, Teresa Cole, and Warren May. Berea is also world headquarters of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.
Some of the best writers in the state live in Berea, including Jim Tomlinson, Normandi Ellis, Steve Rhodes (who has a book coming out soon from Wind), and my old friend Margaret Ricketts.
The town is also home to political activists, such as Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, which works to stop mountaintop removal mining, and the Mountain Association for Economic Development.
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2 Comments
1. mike lovell replies at 23rd July 2008, 11:33 am :
This is a rather insightful article, for I have heard of Berea College, but beyond that no details. Very interesting. Thank you for the post. It does pose some very interesting questions in regards to the hearty and revered institutions such as Harvard and Yale which hold billions in endowments, and yet hold such high financial standards of acceptance.
2. Jessie Carty replies at 23rd July 2008, 1:01 pm :
It really seems there should be a way for this to happen at more institutions. I would have loved to have come out of college with no debt! (and considering I was getting free lunch for part of my schooling I don’t think I was well off!)
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