Hidden Gem: Berea College

While "elite" schools like Harvard and Princeton struggle to figure out how to attract - and retain - low income and minority students, a small college in Kentucky has been successfully doing so for over 150 years. In fact, serving low income students is Berea College's mission. Founded in 1855 by "ardent abolitionists and radical reformers," Berea College is dedicated to providing educational opportunity, primarily to students from the Appalachian area, "who have great promise and limited economic resources."

All students at Berea receive full tuition scholarships. Berea is also one of a handful of colleges who are members of the Work College Consortium, and all students also hold on campus jobs that help support the college's operations.

I recently asked Joe Bagnoli, Berea's Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, who himself graduated from Berea,some questions about Berea's unique mission and educational experience. This is the first of a series of interviews with admissions people at various "hidden gem" colleges I will be publishing here over the coming months.

Joe, as a graduate of Berea yourself, can you describe your experience as a Berea student and how your Berea experience shaped your life?

My brother, who was the oldest of six boys, found Berea when he was visiting a nearby college as a senior in high school. When the admissions representative of the other institution learned of our families limited financial resources, she graciously encouraged my mother and brother to visit Berea before returning home to Ashland, Kentucky. By the time my brother and mother returned home, the decision for him to attend Berea had already been reached. I followed him one year later and our third brother enrolled the following year. We all left Berea debt free and immediately enrolled in graduate or professional school programs.

My older brother went to medical school and eventually became chief resident for physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. I earned a Master of Arts in Student Personnel Services for Higher Education and currently serve as Associate Provost for Enrollment Management at Berea, following a five-year term as Director of Admissions. My younger brother was admitted to every physical therapy school at which he applied and chose to attend the University of Louisville, where he was the only Berea alumnus in the program. Competing against students from "big name" schools, he graduated as the valedictorian. He credits Berea for his academic success at the University of Louisville. I have just scratched the surface. The previous facts may be impressive to some of your readers, but as for how Berea has shaped my life, a much deeper story must be told. I'll do that as briefly as possible.

I attended 12 years at parochial schools before coming to Berea. Almost everyone I knew looked and talked a lot like me and came from a similar religious, racial and cultural background. It wasn't until I arrived at Berea that I realized there were such differences in perspectives, values, priorities and people. During those four years on campus, encounters with the wide variety of individuals here changed me forever. It was like part of a peninsula breaking off and floating into the ocean without any possibility of a return to its original state. Many more than I can recall were responsible: my roommate who challenged my Catholic heritage; my professor who encouraged me to redefine gender roles; my African American friend (the first I had ever encountered more closely than in passing on a sidewalk) who helped me learn my notes in choir; the remarkably intelligent physics major with a long beard and thick southern drawl; the Mexican girl who was both grateful to study in the US and committed to giving as much to those around her as she received; the guys on the tennis team who broke patterns of conventional wisdom that suggested the strongest players were always the most popular, had the bravest hearts and were the most likely to attract women.

I discovered that so many things I had always believed to be true were simply figmants of my imagination. Catholics are not the only religious people in the world. Men are not the only people capable of balancing work and family life. Caucasians are not the only people who are willing to be of service to humanity. Clean-cut people with mid-western accents do not monopolize intelligence. Unselfish love for the United States is not exclusively American. Talented male athletes are not necessarily insensitive, egotistical people who take advantage of their popular status. Yes, I learned a great deal in the classroom at Berea but in the end, my education is what remains when I have forgotten all the details I memorized.

Berea didn't just train my brothers and me for the job market; it redefined who we are and how we understand the world in which we live. For an Italian Catholic who was so tightly bound to his family of origin, I have come to see all people as my brothers and sisters; to see myself reflected in their faces, hearts and minds. I am capable of the same virtues and vices possesed by those whose environments have shaped decisions that uplift or diminish those around them. But like every Berea graduate, I am assigned a responsibility to lead others to such an awareness. Many Bereans heroically accept that responsibility where they live and work.

Many "top" universities talk a great deal about access for low income, underserved students, but yet seem to have had relatively small successes in terms of really opening their doors to this population. What lessons could these universities learn from Berea, both about attracting these students, and insuring that they are successful in college?

While exceptions certainly exist, I believe some generalities can be observed in this population. Those of modest means tend to place a great deal of value on personal relationships. Building relationships with the entire family is often necessary to communicate an interest in the well-being of the prospective student. They are a package deal - even when the family has the proclivity to hold the student back from reaching her fullest potential. Once enrolled, a partnership with the parent(s) is a helpful source of support to the student. Success in the transition or the period immediately following matriculation is important to the retention of underserved students. Early feedback, peer mentorship, good advising, and lots of affirmation are helpful to students who have not inherited the family roadmap to a degree.

I know that Berea's underlining mission is to focus on students from the Apalachian area. What percentage of your students currently are from the Apalachian area? From outside of it? Has Berea broadened its focus to serve a more geographically diverse student body?

Berea successfully enrolls 75-80% of its students from the south central Appalachian region. We are not focused on increasing the number of students from beyound the region but deeply value the 15-20% of students who come from other parts of the US and the 5-10% of international students who enroll each year.

The "work college" concept is difficult for some students to understand. How does it translate into practice.

Nearly 80% of U.S. college students work while attending college. At Berea 100% of students have a job in one of over 140 departments. The first year, students are placed in a position which oftentimes reflects previous skills or work experience. First year students work approximately 10 hours per week, considerably less than the average college student. Limiting the number of hours of required work leaves ample time for the conscientious student to study and participate in extra-curricular activities. There is both a learning and a service dimension to our work program. At alumni gatherings, favorite topics of conversation are the wages earned and departments where they worked. After the first year, students are able to apply for any job they wish.

Could you please tell me about Berea's religious affiliation. Is Berea open to students of all faiths? Are there mandatory religious services? Would students of all faiths feel comfortable with convocation?

Berea is a non-sectarian institution. Berea's motto is "God has made of one blood all people of the earth." We practice an inclusive Christian tradition and invite people of all faiths or no faith at all to be members of our community of learners. We simply ask that all be respectful of others while seeking to deepen their own faith perspectives. We do not require participation in religious services. While our convocation series includes the opportunity for students to hear from religious speakers, it offers a wide diversity of expression including religious, political and artistic individuals whose presentations are considered an important feature of the College's general education program.

Academically, what are Berea's particular distinguishing strengths?

What distinguishes Berea's academic programs from others is the combination of a rigourous disciplinary approach to majors with a broad general education program combined with a good deal of opportunity to pursue electives of interest. Additionally, the Berea Term Abroad program provides a significant financial incentive for approximately 1/2 of Berea students. We provide a laptop for every entering student and offer a number of service-learning courses that make connections between the traditional classroom and a community agency.

In conjunction with the opportunity students have to work throughout their years of study in a job that can be closely related to their major, Berea students are well prepared for life beyond graduation. As compared to graduates from the dozens of other colleges throughout the Appalachian region, Berea graduates consistently report higher degrees of satisfaction and preparation for work and graduate or professional study. We underwrite application fees for graduate and professional programs to both encourage our seniors to explore their options and to remove the financial barrier that might otherwise deter them from continuing their education at prestigious programs with high application fees.

In a longitudinal study beginning in 1920, Berea was found to have produced a higher number of Ph.D. candidates than any other institution in the Appalachian region and among the highest in the country when compared to nationally renowned, top-tier liberal arts colleges. Some of our students have elected to attend Berea over more prestigious, "name brand" schools for these reasons and also because at Berea they are among other students whose families face a similar financial challenge.

Admissions to Berea is very selective. Can you please describe what the admissions committee looks for in successful applicants?

Ultimately, we are looking for rising service-oriented leaders who are most likely to benefit from the broad range of educational offerings Berea offers and who have the capacity to graduate. Test scores are but one of many criteria we evaluate. All students must demonstrate financial need that places them in the bottom one-third of all college bound students nationally. Most of our students rank in the top 20% of their high school class and have an average GPA of 3.5. All are required to submit essays and recommendations as part of our Application for Admission and Scholarship. Many are interviewed in order to assess their motivation to succeed, institutional fit with Berea and capacity to engage our program.

Upon admission, all our students receive a four-year tuition scholarship that assures the family will never be asked to contribute toward the cost of tuition. Families pay what the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) suggests they can afford for the costs of room, board and fees. The average freshman pays about $1,500 while a number of students from the neediest families are asked to pay $0. Approximately 85% of Berea students are Pell eligible and receive additional financial aid to assist with costs related to enrollment beyond tuition.

How racially diverse is Berea? How well do different racial groups interact with each other at Berea?

With an historical commitment to interracial education, Berea is among the most diverse colleges in the US. Approximately one third of our students are members of minority groups. Among the many impressive outcomes revealed through an ACT Graduating Senior survey in which we participate, Berea students report a statistically significant higher aptitude for relating to people different from themselves. Black Enterprise magazine has rated Berea in the top 15 schools in the U.S. for African Americans.

What advice would you give to low income students searching for a college? What should they be focusing on in their college search?

First, you can afford college! Don't believe what you hear in the press about unscrupulous financial aid representatives. Of the thousands of financial aid officers working on behalf of needy students nationally, less than 10 have been found to place their own interests ahead of student needs by making deals with banks and lendors. Many people in higher education want to help low income students and this is a particularly exciting time as more and more schools are announcing financial commitments to low income students.

Focus on choosing a school that offers the programs you hope to pursue and then explore options for financial aid. Visit campus to determine if you would feel comfortable and ask currently enrolled students what it is like to be a student there. Finally, make sure you take a college entrance exam early enough to meet application deadlines but preferably more than once and take the application for admission and scholarship seriously -- your future is riding on it.