Originally published on June 5, 2023 (Episode 319)
Introduction
In 1951, the Southern Association of Colleges sent a committee to assess Caney Creek College, a small two-year institution in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Their report was unlike any other accreditation document, perhaps in recorded history. For one thing it remains a pleasure to read. And its befuddlement hits the reader like a sledgehammer to the eyebrows:
“This institution charges no tuition. The understanding is that students will offer to work in the mountain area, and 90% have done so. There are amazing examples of outstanding service…The President is aged and crippled but otherwise alert, diligent, and confident. She works seven days a week…The fact is, this committee has never seen an institution like this. One must visit to understand and to be able to interpret.”
That president was Alice Lloyd, who had founded the college and an associated network of charitable organizations. After her death, the institution was renamed Alice Lloyd College in her honor.
My guest, Allison Holbrook Southard, is Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Alice Lloyd College. She joins me to talk about the legacy of Alice Lloyd, the unique mission of work colleges, and the challenges of fundraising and advancement in higher education.
About the Guest
Allison Holbrook Southard is Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Alice Lloyd College, a federally recognized work college in Kentucky. She oversees fundraising and alumni relations, helping sustain the tuition-free model envisioned by Alice Lloyd.
