Kentucky’s Berea College to Eliminate 39 Jobs

Berea College in Berea, Kentucky is eliminating 39 jobs. The college will cut 30 full-time and nine part-time positions.

Twenty-seven of the positions are vacant, so only 12 employees will be laid off. No programs or departments will be eliminated at this time.

The college’s endowment has lost $300 million since 2007.

Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky, founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,500 students.

Berea College is distinct among post-secondary institutions for providing low-cost education to students from low-income families, and for having been the first college in the South to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every admitted student is provided the equivalent of a four-year, full-tuition scholarship (currently worth $98,000 – $24,500 per year).