Gretchen Dykstra, author of newly released book exploring the contemporary mission of Berea College, to speak at College convocation

August 14, 2024

By Brooke Donley

Berea College

BEREA, Ky. – Author Gretchen Dykstra will speak at Berea College Thursday, Oct. 17 as part of the College’s weekly convocation series. 

Dykstra’s recently released book, Lessons from the Foothills: Berea College and its Unique Role in America, looks at the contemporary mission of the College through the lens of its eight Great Commitments. The book is published by the University Press of Kentucky.

The event will be at 3 p.m. in the Phelps Stokes Chapel and is free and open to the public. 

Dykstra was born in New York and raised outside of Philadelphia. She attended a Quaker elementary school that would teach her how to care about the world and other people, and an all-girls high school that taught her how to write. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she attended Bank Street College of Education, where she learned that teaching is a great preparation for a variety of other jobs. 

After spending time freelance writing and teaching, Dykstra founded the Times Square Business Improvement District (now the Alliance) and served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs under Mayor Bloomberg. 

She also served as the founding president and CEO of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum Foundation until 2006.

To learn more information about Dykstra’s book and her other public events, visit https://www.kentuckypress.com/9781985900691/lessons-from-the-foothills/.

Berea College Convocations are designed as a supplement to each student’s class curriculum by contemporary issues and personalities into their curriculum. The breadth of convocations offered during a student’s academic career at Berea College provides a sampling of thoughts and personalities from a wide spectrum of academic fields and the performing arts.  

Since its inception, Berea College Convocations has made lectures and the performing arts available without charge both to Berea College students and to the public. Those wishing to contribute to the endowment fund for Convocations are invited to contact the Development Office at (800) 457-9846.

The Phelps Stokes Auditorium is accessible to those with disabilities, ensuring a pleasurable experience for all. Wheelchair access is available through the west entrance facing the art building. We kindly ask anyone with special needs who plans to attend an event to email us at convo@berea.edu or by phone at (859) 985-3965 in advance of the event, so we can make necessary accommodations to meet those needs.