Service
at Berea College
Berea College has a long history of service, reflected
in the College motto: “Learning, Labor and Service.” Service
was embedded in the dream of the founders, to create a community
where blacks and whites, men and women, could learn together as
equals. Since its beginnings, Berea has dedicated itself to serving
African Americans and people from southern and central Appalachia
who could not otherwise afford a college education. The Great Commitments
recognize the importance of service to our identity, including
specific commitments “....to emphasize the Christian ethic
and motive of service to others” and “to serve the
Appalachian region primarily through education but also by other
appropriate services.” In a broader sense, the preamble to
the Great Commitments calls us to strive toward a world beyond
suffering and inequality, the challenges that service is meant
to address. At Berea College, “...students and staff alike
can work toward both personal goals and a vision of the world
shaped by Christian values, such as the power of love over hate,
human
dignity and equality, and peace with justice.”
The
Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service
 Most
of the current service and outreach programs have been in existence
for decades, including Students for Appalachia, the Bonner
Scholars Program, Habitat for Humanity, and People Who
Care. In 2000, a new department, the Center for Excellence in Learning
Through Service (CELTS) was created to house all of the student-led
service programs and community outreach offices, and to lead
an
initiative to integrate service into the academic curriculum.
CELTS provides a network of support and resources as well as a
common
meeting place for students, faculty, staff and community partners
involved with Berea’s service-related activities. The opportunities
for service, outreach, and service-learning facilitated by CELTS
take place in the immediate Berea/Madison County community, in
the larger Appalachian region, and at sites throughout the United
States and the world.
Our Mission
CELTS educates students for leadership
in service and social justice through promotion and coordination
of service-learning, community service, and outreach.
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