Berea College Founder’s Day Oct 2 will honor three Berea alumni who were early presidents of Kentucky State University; KSU president Mary Evans Sias will be presented John G. Fee Award

The three Berea alumni – John Henry Jackson, James S. Hathaway, and Green P. Russell – headed the institution for 41 of KSU’s first 43 years, beginning in 1886 through 1929.  The three will be honored with the John G. Fee Award.   Established in 2000, the award has primarily honored Berea alumni of 1866-1904 who gave distinguished service to their community, especially in the field of education, and whose lives reflect the ideals of Berea founder Rev. John G. Fee and as expressed in the College’s motto “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.”

The Fee Award will be presented to President Mary Evans Sias on behalf of KSU in recognition of the shared heritage and values that link Berea and Kentucky State – values such as justice, equality and educational opportunity regardless of circumstances -  as well as the legacy of these three Berea alumni through their service as KSU presidents.

The Founders’ Day program will include remarks by College President Larry D. Shinn and KSU President Sias.  The Berea College Black Music Ensemble and KSU Concert Choir also will perform as part of the program.

Kentucky State University was chartered in May 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons, only the second state-supported institution of higher learning in Kentucky.  It was founded to train black teachers for the black schools of Kentucky.  The new school opened on October 11, 1887 with three teachers, 55 students, and John H. Jackson as president.

In 1890, KSU became a land grant college, and the departments of home economics, agriculture and mechanics were added to the school’s curriculum.  The school produced its first graduating class of five students in the spring of that year.  Over the next 40 years, the institution’s name changed several times to reflect its expanded educational mission.

During these early years, some of the school’s presidents served more than one term.  Jackson, who graduated from Berea in 1874, remained KSU’s first president through 1898, then served a later term from 1907-1910.  James S. Hathaway, an 1884 Berea graduate, also served two terms – from 1900 to 1907 and from 1910 to 1912.  Hathaway has previously been a teacher at Berea from his graduation until a leave of absence in 1892 and also taught at Kentucky State before becoming its president.  Green P. Russell was president of KSU from 1912 to 1923 and from 1924-1929.  While a student at Berea from 1880 – 1897, he has taught school in Fayette County during the summers.  In 1894 he was the first African American to take the State Examination in Frankfort for a State diploma and passed with a 91 average.

From its modest beginnings, Kentucky State became a college in 1952 and has been a university since 1972.  In the past 30 years, more than 30 new structures or major building expansions have enhanced KSU’s 511-acre campus, which includes a 203-acre agricultural research farm.  The smallest of Kentucky’s public universities, Kentucky State today has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students and 155 full-time instructional faculty members.

Dr. Mary Evans Sias has been president of KSU since 2004 and is the institution’s 13th president.  Prior to coming to Kentucky, Dr. Sias served nine years as senior vice president for student affairs and external relations at The University of Texas Dallas, where she was also an associate professor of sociology.  A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Sias earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tougaloo College, where she graduated summa cum laude. She was awarded a Ford Foundation doctoral fellowship and pursued her master’s and doctorate in sociology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She also holds a master’s in business administration from Abilene Christian College.

Berea College is distinctive among institutions of higher learning as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South.  Berea charges no tuition, providing a high quality education to students of great promise but with limited financial resources.  All students must work 10 hours weekly, earning money for books, room and board.  Equal opportunity and diversity have been at the heart of Berea’s mission for 150 years, expressed in its motto “God has made of one blood all peoples of the Earth.”  Berea College’s primary service region is southern Appalachia, but students come from all states in the U.S. and in a typical year, from more than 60 other countries representing a rich diversity of colors, cultures and faiths.  For more information, visit Berea’s website at www.berea.edu

Founders’ Day is sponsored by the Berea College President’s Office.  All are welcome to attend.