Student
Encoding Opportunity for Women in Technology
At some point in our education, many of us find that we don’t truly understand an idea until we have to teach it to others.
Building a technology future
like no other
An invitation to invest in technology leaders at Berea and beyond
Technology is embedded in nearly every aspect of our lives—in our homes, at work, how we communicate, even in the vehicles we drive—and our reliance on technology will only deepen. Danforth Technology Building, constructed in 1958 as the hub for the College’s technology and design offerings, has more than outlived its usefulness.
Berea College envisioned two future-focused buildings to harness the power of computer science, digital media and information technology, and applied engineering and design to prepare the next generation of technology thinkers, makers, and innovators.
Financial investment of alumni and friends in this important project is ensuring that Berea’s students are equipped to be technology leaders of tomorrow—in Appalachia and beyond.
"No great project is accomplished by one person. Together, as a community of donors and supporters, we can make much more progress, and we can do it more quickly. So we invite anyone who has a heart for Berea, for education, for disadvantaged students—who have such promise—to support bringing opportunities to this world."
Serving Students
Like No Other
Berea College offers hope for students who seek out its distinctive opportunity and for the tech future society deserves, bringing much-needed diversity to technology fields. Here, students from underrepresented backgrounds—98% Pell recipients, 59% first-generation, 45% of color, and 73% Kentuckian and/or Appalachian—receive an opportunity found nowhere else, based on the premise that while talent is often universal, opportunity is not.
"I hired my first Berea intern, and she went from intern to senior software engineer in less than three years. That has never happened in my experience. I hired my second Berea intern, and he is on the same track. I want to know what you are doing differently at Berea."
Tech Stories
Faculty
Catalyzing Potential to Create Cutting-Edge Leaders
Watching former students’ career paths unfold as they excel beyond college is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an educator.
Donor
Breaking New Ground for Women in Tech
“I give to Berea College because Berea offers women opportunities that many schools do not.”
Keeping Berea's Facilities
Focused on the Future
Constructed in 1958, Danforth Technology Building has been outpaced by rapid innovation and no longer meets the needs of a modern technology curriculum. The new home to Computer Science, Digital Media, and Information Technology, is the first of two planned buildings focused on technology.
Opening in summer 2024, CMIT brings Computer Science, Digital Media, and Information Systems and Services (IS&S) together in a new home on the campus quad. The building features cutting-edge computing laboratories, an innovative maker space, flexible classrooms, and new spaces for digital-media endeavors such as a sound stage and on-air studio. The new IS&S center boasts tiered help desks, an equipment lending library, and dedicated workspaces for campus networking and the multimedia event team.
Phase 2 will bring Engineering Technologies and Applied Design (ETAD), Ceramics and Sculpture under one roof. Such synergies can augment the design of both creative and functional three-dimensional projects students are eager to develop, test, and refine.
Together, these new buildings make room for collaboration through flexible classrooms, areas for interdisciplinary exploration, and community-oriented gathering spaces, all while maintaining a commitment to sustainability.
"We want to see a space that's really welcoming. A space that invites collaboration and innovation that we need right now. And certainly, the relationship with computer science, the relationship with broadcast journalism, with digital humanities—these are all things that are crucially important academically, but also in terms of where our students can go."
Envision the Future
Innovative learning spaces enable/equip new generations of students to advance the future of robotics, artificial intelligence, digital communication, production, and information technology. Your investment has created an inviting high-tech environment that will attract greater numbers of students to these evolving fields.
Interior view from the atrium of Phase 1 building: Help Desk on Level 1, Commons on Level 2, and Design Space and Meeting Room on Level 3.
Exterior view from Fee Glade
Exterior view from the Quad
Invest in an Opportunity
like no other
Integrating Learning and Labor
Participating in the Labor Program gives every Berea student a competitive edge, and that is no more apparent than in technology careers, where Berea graduates advance quickly. These buildings will enhance the opportunities for applied work experience, with roles ranging from information technology specialists and student programmers to radio and film producers, skilled ceramicists, and applied design experts. The result is active-learning environments that energize faculty and staff and model for the students the technology careers that await them.
Elevating the Heart of Technology
Hands-on technology education rooted in Berea College’s liberal arts curriculum equips students to be leaders in a digital future that is informed by the inclusive values of the dignity of all work, the kinship of all people, and economic justice through higher educational access.
Enabling Social Mobility
At nearly $60,000, starting salaries for graduates in tech sectors are twice the household income of Berea students. These facilities will prepare traditionally underserved students to become in-demand, workforce-ready graduates. Once equipped, these graduates will help improve the economic prosperity of each community they enter as well as enhance the quality of life for themselves, their families, and those who benefit from their meaningful innovations.
With your support, the next great Berea mind will have the opportunity to impact our changing world. By making these buildings possible, you are ensuring that Berea and its graduates continue to be like no other.
