Berry College Good Neighbor Culture

Belonging with Responsibility at Berry College

Berry College’s Good Neighbor Culture is rooted in the legacy of our founder, Martha Berry, who believed that education should serve the whole person – head, heart and hands – and be lived out in service to others. She built this institution alongside her neighbors, not above them.

Years later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement that called our nation to center dignity, love and shared responsibility. His dream asked, not only what we could achieve together, but also how we could live in right relationships with one another.

At Berry, we carry both legacies forward by preparing students to live lives of purpose, empathy and responsibility on campus and in the world beyond.

The Good Neighbor Culture isn’t a trendy slogan; it is a practice – day in, day out rhythm of learning and living life together.

Our Pillars of Good Neighbor Culture

Berry’s Good Neighbor Culture pillars align directly with the institution’s values and virtues, which help guide how we live, lead, and learn in community. To cultivate thriving communities, we must be good neighbors.

Dignity & Respect

Values and Virtues: Love Your Neighbor, Embrace Difference.
Good Neighbors value one another and respect differences.

Understanding & Transformation

Values and Virtues: Lean into Difficulty, Nurture Faith.
Good Neighbors listen to understand, lead with empathy, and exercise thoughtful discernment to propel communities forward.

Solidarity & Collaboration

Values and Virtues: Lead Through Service, Build Community.
Good Neighbors serve humbly and engage meaningfully to strengthen their community.

Responsibility & Reflection

Values and Virtues: Assume Responsibility, Learn Firsthand.
Good Neighbors leave the world better through purposeful calling in service to others.

These pillars shape how we show up in classrooms, residence halls, community partnerships and everyday life.

Our Commitment

Berry College is committed to creating a campus culture where all individuals are treated with dignity, where differences are approached with humility and where belonging is shaped through relationships, not assumptions.

We value open dialogue, shared responsibility and inclusive access to learning and leadership opportunities. Our programs and partnerships reflect these commitments, always within the bounds of our mission and federal non-discrimination requirements.

Additional information about how we put these principles into practice can be found at the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement. As we’re becoming one of The King Center’s designated Beloved Community Campuses, we are honored to carry this work forward in partnership with a national leader in nonviolence and community building.