<p>I found this information about Berea on a very informational blog that I frequently read (I also know the blogger). Since CC doesn’t allow links to blog, use Google to get to the blog. Based on the below, it seems that probably no college in the country would better meet your needs than Berea, which even has experiences with students whose families are reacting negatively to their going to college. Also e-mail the blogger, Carolyn, for more info. Although not around CC much now, she has been a great help to many here, particularly first gen college students.</p>
<p>"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… Berea College is dedicated to providing educational opportunity, primarily to students from the Appalachian area, “who have great promise and limited economic resources.”… </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Joe, as a graduate of Berea yourself, can you describe your experience as a Berea student and how your Berea experience shaped your life? </p>
<p>My brother, who was the oldest of six boys, found Berea when he was visiting a nearby college as a senior in high school. …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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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… …</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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? </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. …</p>
<p>Academically, what are Berea’s particular distinguishing strengths?</p>
<p>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. "</p>
