Berea College

At Berea College, we seek to create an environment characterized by openness, fairness and equal access for all students, staff and faculty. A welcoming and inclusive campus climate is grounded in mutual respect, nurtured by dialogue, evidenced by civil interaction and is one of the foundations of our educational model. Creating and maintaining a community environment that respects individual needs, abilities and potential is critically important. It reflects the aims of our Great Commitments.

Beginning in the Fall 2022 semester and continuing through the Spring 2023 term, the College will undertake a vital campus climate assessment. This is our chance to make a difference in the future of our Beloved Berea, our opportunity to make positive, lasting changes and to help create a more inclusive campus for all students, faculty and staff. To ensure full transparency and to provide a more complete perspective, we have partnered with Rankin Climate, LLC. to help lead this effort. Rankin Climate, a leader in this work with higher education institutions, has conducted more than 250 campus climate assessment projects over the last 22 years.

A team from Rankin Climate will facilitate 16 small focus groups comprised of faculty, staff and students. Each focus group will include up to 20 participants who will engage in small group conversations about how they experience the environment for living, learning and working at Berea College. In addition, the team from Rankin Climate will work collaboratively with a committee comprised of students, staff and faculty to develop and implement the assessment survey. We will use the feedback provided by the focus groups and the results of the assessment to guide us in developing programs and policies that will increase inclusivity where needed, and to enhance and replicate programs and policies that are successfully meeting the needs of the Berea community.

Your support is essential to helping us shape a better Berea College for all.