Berea College selects next president, first woman to hold the position

Berea College has selected its next president of the school, the first woman to serve in the role, the university announced Saturday.

Cheryl L. Nixon will be the 10th president of Berea College, beginning on July 1, 2023. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment at a meeting Saturday.

Nixon is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Prior to that, she was the associate provost, English department chair and graduate program director at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“I am honored and humbled to be chosen as the next president of Berea College,” Nixon said in a news release. “Berea is an inspirational model of what higher education can and should be. I share Berea’s focus on inclusive excellence, having dedicated my career to serving underserved students.”

Citing her work in both rural and urban settings, Nixon said she hopes to create “new ways to welcome these talented students into college.”

“We must help students with wide-ranging interests and abilities feel inspired and empowered by the world of ideas,” Nixon said. “We must also help our communities — from Boston to the Navajo Nation to Appalachia — see and feel the benefits of higher education.”

Last year, president Lyle Roelofs announced his intent to retire in June 2023. He has been the president since 2012. The board began a presidential search process, looking at a field of 125 applicants, according to a release from the college.

Board chair Stephanie Zeigler said Nixon stood out among applicants and impressed the board with her experience.

“Her experience with and dedication to the liberal arts as a means of changing lives, and her hands-on work with students, faculty and staff alike was unparalleled,” Zeigler said. “She naturally and effortlessly embodies every superlative the community had requested in our next president.”

Nixon has a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Tufts University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from Harvard University. She is married to Tim Monroe, and the couple has an adult son.

Roelofs, whose time as president will end next summer, said he was “pleased with the outcome” of the presidential search.

“Dr. Nixon’s experience at Fort Lewis College and the University of Massachusetts Boston have provided her a great foundation for her new position, and her understanding of the needs of underserved students will serve Berea College well,” Roelofs said. “(My wife) Laurie and I stand ready to help her and Tim with their transition into the community in any way we can.”

Search committee members also praised Nixon for her experience, and said they see her as a great fit for the role.

“The search process for Berea’s 10th president was extensive and detailed,” said Charlotte Beason, member of the Board of Trustees who served as co-chair of the search committee. “As the selection process advanced, it was increasingly apparent that Dr. Nixon not only possesses excellent academic and experiential credentials but, just as important, she has both the heart and values of a Berean.”

Berea College is a private institution with over 1,600 undergraduate students, most from Appalachia and around Kentucky, according to the school’s website. No student at Berea pays tuition through the Tuition Promise Scholarship program.