For Release: 2008-12-22 11:47:00
Berea College President Larry Shinn discusses the remarkable history and mission of the 153-year-old institution on the next One to One with Bill Goodman. The program, taped at Berea's Baird Lounge, airs Sunday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m./noon CT on KET1 and Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT on KET2.Shinn recounts how abolitionist John Fee founded the college in 1855, basing the institution's goals on the biblical verse "God has made of one blood all peoples of the Earth." Therefore, everyone, regardless of race, gender or class, was welcome to study at Berea. Shinn also describes the period in which Berea was required by law to separate the races and how the college currently strives to continue its original mission.
The college president then shares his own history. A first-generation college student with a rural background, Shinn attended a city high school with a large African-American population. He also spent time as a Quaker minister in the Middle East. These experiences, he says, taught him to appreciate all kinds of people and laid the groundwork for his career at Berea.
Shinn also discusses Berea's commitment to Appalachia and Eastern Kentucky, including education and outreach programs; explains his belief that a liberal arts education is still valuable and globally relevant; and talks about the camaraderie of the diverse student population at Berea.
One to One with Bill Goodman is a KET production, produced by Goodman and Cindy Asher. Following the broadcast, One to One is available for on-demand videostream viewing at www.ket.org/onetoone and podcasting at www.ket.org/rss. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.
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