The Search for Berea College’s Tenth President
Following President Lyle Roelofs’ retirement announcement during the Fall 2021 semester, Berea College has begun the search for our 10th president.
Selecting a president is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, and attracting a highly qualified and talented pool of candidates for the position is of utmost importance. The Board of Trustees has appointed a search committee (see below) to conduct the search and engaged an executive search firm, Academic Search, to partner and assist in the process.
Updates regarding the search process will be shared with the campus community via email and posted on this website.
Search Communications
- Update to Campus on Presidential Search (10/14/22)
- Update to Campus on Presidential Search (9/16/2022)
- Summer Update re: Search (8/22/22)
- Co-Chairs Letter to Campus–Search Launch (6/10/22)
- Campus Community Confidential Feedback Survey (3/18/22)
- Update from Presidential Search Co-Chairs (3/3/22)
- Update from Presidential Search Co-Chairs (2/26/22)
- Retirement Announcement (10/25/21)
- Letter from Board Chair Stephanie Ziegler (10/25/21)
Search Committee Members
Berea College has appointed a search committee made up of trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and students led by Berea College trustees Charlotte Beason and David Shelton. The committee is dedicated to upholding Berea College’s mission by finding a president who embodies the characteristics and skills needed to uphold our community’s Great Commitments.
- Charlotte Beason ’70, Member of the Board of Trustees
Co-chair, Presidential Search Committee - David Shelton ’69, Member of the Board of Trustees
Co-chair, Presidential Search Committee - Vicki Allums ’79, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Kennaria Brown, Faculty Member
Associate Professor of Communication, Chair of the Communication Department - Ruramai Chivasa ’24, Student
- David Chow, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
- Samantha Earp ’86, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Megan Hoffman, Faculty Member
Professor of Biology, Biology Department - Cameron Holbrook ’24, Student
- Mario Nakazawa, Faculty Member
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Computer Science Department - Miriam (Mim) Pride, Fd ’66, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Joe Saleem ’08, Staff Member
Women’s Soccer Coach - Teri Thompson, Staff Member
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives - Emmanuel Tuffuor ’88, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Stephanie B. Zeigler, Chair, Board of Trustees
Anticipated Timeline
October 2021
February/
March 2022
June 2022
Fall 2022
Fall/Winter 2022
July 2023
About Berea College
Berea College offers a high-quality education to academically promising students with limited economic resources. It awards every student a Tuition Promise Scholarship so that no Berea student ever pays tuition. Founded in 1855, Berea is the first interracial and coeducational college in the South and consistently ranks among the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges.
The Tuition Promise Scholarship is funded principally by our endowment, which covers around 75% of the College’s operating expenses. An additional percentage comes through federal and state funding, but the remainder, nearly $5 million, must be raised annually through the Berea Fund.
Berea College is one of nine federally recognized work colleges and a member of the Work Colleges Consortium. Each student is given a job on campus and is required to work 10-15 hours per week. In addition to helping with living expenses associated with attending college, the Labor Program equips students with professional skillsets, helps develop initiative and work ethic, and provides valuable work experience before they enter the job market.
The multifaceted mission of Berea College is driven by an ethical framework known as the Great Commitments. First articulated in 1962 and periodically revised by the college community, the Great Commitments guide the College’s efforts toward promoting educational opportunity in a liberal arts setting, the dignity of labor, equal rights, environmental sustainability, and service to Appalachia, among others. Faculty, staff, and students work together toward a vision shaped by the power of love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice.
For nominations, inquiries or interest in the search, email bereapresident@academicsearch.org.
For questions about the search process, email presidentialsearch@berea.edu. For media inquiries, contact Jodi Whitaker.
Berea College’s Great Commitments
The eight Great Commitments of Berea College are more than a mission statement. Together, they make up the moral framework that informs every action we take toward serving our students, our community, and the world beyond.
To provide an educational opportunity for students of all races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources.
To offer a high-quality liberal arts education that engages students as they pursue their personal, academic, and professional goals.
To stimulate understanding of the Christian faith and its many expressions and to emphasize the Christian ethic and the motive of service to others.
To promote learning and serving in the community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done.
To assert the kinship of all people and to provide interracial education with a particular emphasis on understanding and equality among Blacks and whites as a foundation for building community among all peoples of the earth.
To create a democratic community dedicated to education and gender equality.
To maintain a residential campus and to encourage in all community members a way of life characterized by mindful and sustainable living, health and wellness, zest for learning, high personal standards, and a concern for the welfare of others.
To engage Appalachian communities, families, and students in partnership for mutual learning, growth, and service.