Coordinator of the Espacio Cultural Latinx

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description

Reporting to the Director of Campus Life, the Coordinator of the Espacio Cultural Latinx (ECL) provides day-to-day leadership and oversight of the ECL and its programs, services, and student staff. The Coordinator provides resources, support services, community engagement, and educational experiences that foster student belonging, engagement, and success. The Coordinator serve as a primary resource for information, referrals, and advocacy to address the needs of Latinx students at Berea College. This position promotes and fosters a campus environment that is inclusive of people from all identities while directly supporting Latinx students. The ECL provides a venue for all students to learn about Latinx culture, heritage, and traditions.

Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program. This supports student learning, career readiness, and the program's learning goals and outcomes. The Work College Program provides a developmental framework that guides student learning while creating a structured mentorship opportunity, with role-specific training that equips faculty and staff mentors to support student development. Faculty and staff mentors play an essential part in helping students connect their work-learning-service experiences with broader academic, professional, and personal development. For faculty, this aligns with Berea's tenure and promotion criteria.

Your Key Responsibilities

Program Development, Coordination & Events – 30%

• Develops, coordinates, implements, and evaluates educational, cultural, heritage, and community-building programs that foster belonging, student success, and cross-cultural learning..
• Maintains regular communication and updates with students in regard to programming, events, conference opportunities, and community events.
• Provide support to the instructor of the Latino Male Initiative (LMI) course and lead programming initiatives.
  
  

ECL Operations & Student Staff Supervision – 25%

• Oversees the daily operation of the Espacio Cultural Latinx (ECL) and cultivates a welcoming, culturally affirming environment that fosters belonging, connection, learning, and community among students. Supports the mission of the college by creating an inclusive environment to support student success.
• Recruits, trains, supervises, schedules, and develops the ECL student staff labor team, providing ongoing coaching, feedback, leadership development, and career preparation. Develops and manages the ECL’s assigned budget.
  
  

Student Advising, Support & Advocacy – 20%

• Supports the mission of the college by creating an inclusive environment to support student success.
• Develops and maintains institutional and non-institutional student referral sources for Latinx students.
• Initiates referrals to services such as Academic Advising, Career & Internships, Counseling Services, Financial Aid, Student Labor, etc.
• Provides individualized support, advising, advocacy, and resource navigation for Latinx students, connecting students with appropriate campus and community resources as needed.
  
  

Campus & Community Partnerships/Student Organization Support – 10%

• Serves as a collaborative partner with other campus departments to create programs and services to address the intersectional nature of identities.
• Serves as a liaison to Latinx Studies, and works with academic partners to provide programs, resources, and services for students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.
• Serves as a proactive resource for Latinx Recognized Student Organizations, including but not limited to, the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), Brazilian Student Association (BRASA) and Sazon Latino.

Budget & Resource Management – 5%

• Develops and manages the ECL’s assigned budget.
  
  

Assessment, Reporting & Program Evaluation – 5%

• Assesses and reports to college administrators on effectiveness of programs, services and student academic progress and persistence.
  
  

Departmental/Divisional Responsibilities & Other Assigned Duties – 5%

• Serve on college, divisional, and departmental committees as assigned by the Director of Campus Life.
  
  

What You'll Bring

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree in Latinx or Latin American Studies, Education, Communication, Social Work, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Latinx/Latin American Studies, Public Administration, Communication, Social Work, or a related field is preferred.
  
  

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• 1-3 years of experience in community development, program management, and student advising.
• 1-3 years of experience in supporting, educating, training, and working with diverse college students.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and access to U.S. higher education.
  
  

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of issues significant to Latinx communities and student experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to create, plan, implement, and evaluate educational, cultural, and student retention programs for a diverse student population.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.
• Conversational proficiency in Spanish is required, with the ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish to effectively communicate with students and community members. Proficiency in Portuguese, French, or Indigenous languages of Latin America are welcomed..
  
  

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Driver’s License Required
• Ability to operate vehicle, including but not limited to a12-15-passenger van.
  
  

Physical requirements:

• Must have excellent visual acuity to read computer screen data.
• Must be physically able to sit for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to withstand the pressures of meeting strict deadlines.
• Must be capable of maintaining positive relationships with a diverse student, faculty staff, and community population.
  
  

Environmental conditions:

• Office Environment
  
  

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Standard office equipment
  
  

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Our Benefits

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of twenty-four hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page at https://www.berea.edu/human-resources/employee-benefits.

Our Unique Culture

Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of Berea's Great Commitments.

Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College’s inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea

Labor Supervision

In support of Berea College’s great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link Labor Program Office.