On Christmas Eve in 1859, sixty-five prominent armed white men rode into the small Kentucky town of Berea and forced the townspeople to close its integrated one-room schoolhouse. The mob perceived the school as a threat to white supremacy and the racial order. Abolitionist John Gregg Fee established the school for the expressed purpose of providing education to anyone eager to learn, regardless of their race—a notion that horrified those convinced of the sanctity of white supremacy. The mob succeeded in evicting thirty-six community members, including Fee's family, but Fee and the others returned to Berea in 1864 and reestablished the school as Berea College—an institution committed to providing education to Appalachia's most vulnerable populations. 

In Lessons from the Foothills, Gretchen Dykstra profiles modern Berea College, considered the moral compass of the commonwealth, and its rich and beloved history. This book is the first to focus solely on the principles and practices that guide the college: the eight Great Commitments, which individually and holistically provide clear aspirations for the college and its community. Like the institution itself, Dykstra's portrait is structured around these principles; each chapter functions as a deep dive into the history, practice, and significance of each Great Commitment, from providing opportunity for the most marginalized, to its high academic standards, to its commitment to the entire region. One of the Great Commitments states that the college will "provide an educational opportunity for students of all races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources." The college has fulfilled this commitment by eliminating tuition—one of the primary barriers between people living below the poverty line and a college education—and providing jobs for students to assist with living expenses. Including interviews with a range of members from the Berea community, alumni, students, faculty, and staff, Lessons from the Foothills is an engaging and illuminating profile of a unique and historic institution and its enduring commitment to nurture and support academic excellence and service among its students.