Berea College

Berea College junior Nathaniel Fish has been selected to participate in Campus Compact’s 2022 Newman Civic Fellowship. The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are change makers and public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their college’s president because of their potential for public leadership. Campus Compact is a non-profit organization advancing the public purposes of higher education. A Bonner Scholar majoring in Economics, with a concentration in International Politics and Policy, as well as a minor in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Fish holds a labor position with Grow Appalachia, an outreach program of Berea College. “(Fish) believes that the pursuit of agricultural justice provides opportunities for spanning borders, building connections and developing communities,” President Lyle Roelofs shared in his nomination letter. “(Fish’s) focus on community economic development, sustainable agriculture and international perspectives demonstrates that by supporting individual and community development, we can also support our environment and quality of life.” Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. The yearlong program, named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, includes virtual learning opportunities and an optional in-person convening. The Newman Civic Fellowship is designed to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can support one another in building transformational partnerships between campuses and communities. “Growing up on farms across the United States and beyond, I saw firsthand the importance of agricultural sustainability, food sovereignty and being close with one’s food systems,” Fish said of his community-related work. “I became passionate about finding ways to improve nutrition systems alongside building local economies. I try to approach every problem with the empathy to understand the situation, the diligence to lend a hand as a brother and the respect of mutual partnership. When we look beyond borders, we can truly understand the transformative nature of returning to the soil and our neighbors.” As a Newman Civic Fellow, Fish will participate in a year-long program for students who are leaders on their campuses and demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities locally, nationally and internationally. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides Fellows with a variety of learning and networking opportunities that emphasize personal, professional and civic growth, designed to provide them with the training and connections they need to create large-scale positive change. Fish joins 173 students from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico to form the 2022 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. For more information about the 2022 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows, visit <a href="https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship/the-2022-2023-newman-civic-fellows/">https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship/the-2022-2023-newman-civic-fellows/</a>.

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Berea College Junior Nathaniel Fish Selected as 2022 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow

A gallery show featuring 40 individual pieces by 14 Berea College Student Craft Program staff and apprentice contributors will be featured throughout July at The Parachute Factory in Lexington. The Student Craft Program, now in its second century, is an important intersection of learning, work, creativity and Berea’s Great Commitments. Student Craft staff perform many tasks including juggling the demands of a production studio, however the education of students in the design and creation of high-quality objects is primary. Nearly 100 Berea College students work and learn in five different areas—weaving, woodcraft, broomcraft, ceramics, and craft education and outreach. Student Craft also supports a Craft Apprenticeship Program, where visiting artists live and work in Craft for a period of three to five months. Apprentices are provided the opportunity and support to develop and expand their craft while working with students in their chosen studio. “A year ago, Berea College made a commitment to provide an opportunity for staff and visiting apprentices to explore their individual artistic interests during the year to nurture their own creativity as skilled artisans,” said Aaron Beale, associate vice president of Student Craft.  "This show presents the results of that commitment as well as the photography of Justin Skeens, Berea’s director of digital storytelling (and long-time Student Craft photographer), and two of our early apprentices, Chris True and Stella Welsh, who completed their submissions after their time in the Apprenticeship Program." Participants include:

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Sales of these pieces will contribute to supporting the wonderful work of the Parachute Factory and the educational mission of Berea College. Located in the heart of Lexington’s Northside, The Parachute Factory exists as a non-profit, multi-use space to promote artistic endeavors and community engagement. The Parachute Factory is located at 720 Bryan Ave. in Lexington. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.parachutefactorylex.com">www.parachutefactorylex.com</a>.

Lexington Gallery to Feature Works by Berea College Student Craft Program Staff, Apprentices

The U.S. Department of State’s <a href="https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/">Benjamin A.&nbsp;Gilman&nbsp;International Scholarship Program</a>&nbsp; named 21 Berea College students as 2022 award winners. This record-setting number of students received more than $92,000 in funding to study abroad through the Gilman program. Nearly 3,000 U.S. undergraduate students received Gilman Program awards from the March 2022 application deadline. Berea College recipients, along with their study abroad location and semester, are:

The recipients of this prestigious scholarship are American undergraduate students attending 536 U.S. colleges and representing 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. These Gilman Scholars will study or intern in 91 countries through April 2023. This group includes 20 recipients of the John McCain International Scholarship for the Children of Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship), as well as Gilman Scholars supported by the governments of France, Israel, New Zealand, Wales, the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) in Portugal, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The complete list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships this cycle, including the students’ home states, colleges or universities and host countries, is available at <a href="http://www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/program-statistics">www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/program-statistics</a>.

21 Berea College Students Named Gilman Program Award Winners

Berea College has ranked (tied for) No. 4 on the PraxisExam.org list of colleges with the Best Praxis Elementary Education Pass Rates in Kentucky.

PraxisExam.org offers tools to help both aspiring and seasoned educators prepare for, gain confidence with and pass Praxis exams. The Praxis measures the knowledge and skills students need to teach in their own classrooms.

Berea College’s initial pass rate for Elementary Education certification is 55 percent, which puts the College well above the state average of 46 percent. The initial pass rate of 55 percent refers to students within Berea College’s Education Studies Department (EDS) who take and pass the Elementary Education Praxis Exam the first time.

Over the past two years, the remaining 45 percent of Berea College’s EDS students passed their certification on subsequent attempts.

“We are tremendously proud of the fact that, over the past two years, every one of our EDS students have eventually passed their Praxis exams required for certification,” said Education Studies Department Chair Nicholas D. Hartlep. “Berea College and our department are committed to producing high-quality, effective teachers for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College only admits academically promising students with limited financial resources—primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia—but welcomes students from 41 states and 76 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of nine federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly to earn money for books, housing and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.

For more information on Berea College, visit <a href="https://legacy.berea.edu/">https://legacy.berea.edu/</a>.