All symposium activities will take place in the 2nd floor conference room of the Bruce Building from 1 - 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and includes a complimentary buffet lunch served from noon-1 p.m., and buffet dinner from 5:30-7 p.m.

The first session, from 1 -3 p.m., will look at the beginnings of Appalachian Studies and the part played by Berea's Appalachian Center. Presenters are all scholars who contributed to the field's early development, including Loyal Jones, founder and Center director from 1970-93; author Wilma Dykeman of Newport, Tenn., and Richard Drake, professor of history emeritus of Berea College, and author of "A History of Appalachia," published last year. A taped presentation by the late Cratis D. Williams, former professor at Appalachian State University, will conclude the session.

The second session, scheduled from 3-5 p.m., focuses on a significant question asked during the mid-point in the field's development, "'who are the people of Appalachia?" Presenters for this session on "Ethnically Diverse Appalachia," include Jacqueline Burnside, professor of sociology at Berea College, who will discuss interracial education at Berea and Maryville Colleges; Charlotte Neely of Northern Kentucky University and author of "The Snowbird Cherokee: People of Persistence," and Tyler Blethen of Western North Carolina University, and co-author of "Ulster and North America." The evening session, from 7-9 p.m., focuses on "New Directions in Appalachian Scholarship." Donald Davis, Dalton State University, will discuss environmental history and Appalachia, and Robert Weise, a member of the Eastern Kentucky University faculty, will speak on the role of women in mineral rights transfers in eastern Kentucky.

Dr. Gordon McKinney, director of Berea's Appalachian Center, is the organizer of the symposium. For additional information, contact the Appalachian Center at (859) 985-3140.