Berea College, founded by ardent abolitionists and radical reformers, continues today as an educational institution firmly rooted in its historic purpose, “to promote the cause of Christ.” Adherence to the College’s scriptural foundation, ”God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” shapes the College’s culture and programs. Because of this, students and staff alike can work toward both personal goals and a vision of the world shaped by Christian values, such as:
- The power of love over hate,
- human dignity and equality
- and peace with justice.
This environment frees persons to be active learners, workers and servers as members of an academic community and citizens of the world. The Berea experience nurtures intellectual, physical, aesthetic, emotional and spiritual potentials. Along with those, the power to make meaningful commitments and translate them into action.
To achieve this purpose, Berea College commits itself
- To provide an educational opportunity primarily for students from Appalachia, black and white, who have great promise and limited economic resources.
- To provide an education of high quality with a liberal arts foundation and outlook.
- To stimulate understanding of the Christian faith and its many expressions.
- To emphasize the Christian ethic and the motive of service to others.
- To provide for all students through the labor program experiences for learning and serving in community.
- To demonstrate that labor, mental and manual, has dignity as well as utility.
- To assert the kinship of all people and provide interracial education with a particular emphasis on understanding and equality among blacks and whites.
- To create a democratic community dedicated to education and equality for women and men.
- To maintain a residential campus and encourage in all members of the community a way of life characterized by:
- plain living,
- pride in labor well done,
- zest for learning,
- high personal standards
- and concern for the welfare of others.
- To serve the Appalachian region primarily through education but also by other appropriate services.
First articulated in 1967 and updated in 1972 and 1993 respectively, the Great Commitments voice the historic principles upon which Berea College rests. As stated in Shannon Wilson’s Berea College: An Illustrated History, the Commitments have been “affirmed as the summary of Berea’s remarkable story.”