The social and emotional development of children who are gifted and talented is just as important as their cognitive development, but oftentimes the parents and educators of gifted children lack the resources to address the issues these young people face. The Center for Gifted Studies offers the Berta Seminar to empower parents and educators with tools needed to better meet the social and emotional needs of these students. 

In late 2001, Bowling Green residents Vince and Kathleen Berta made a generous donation to The Center for Gifted Studies to establish The Berta Fund for Excellence (see sidebar). From this gift, in 2004 The Center established the Berta Seminars, where nationally- and internationally-known experts provide evening sessions to parents of gifted children and daylong professional learning to educators and other interested parties to learn how to better address the social and emotional needs of gifted young people in and out of the classroom.

All events are free to participants. Although sessions are designated as being targeted toward either parents or educators, all are welcome at both sessions. EILA credit is typically available for those needing it.

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Nurturing Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children, a position statement published by The National Association for Gifted Children 

Hoagies' Gifted Education Page: The all-things-gifted page.

SENG: SENG’s mission is to empower families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their goals: intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Davidson Institute: Our mission is to recognize, nurture and support profoundly intelligent young people and to provide opportunities for them to develop their talents to make a positive difference.

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): CASEL defined social and emotional learning more than two decades ago. Today, it collaborates with leading experts and support districts, schools, and states nationwide to drive research, guide practice, and inform policy.

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Ideas and Info from Past Berta Seminars

Visit the Archive

Access the full list of past presentations, resources, and recommendations at the Berta Seminar Archive. 

Donor Spotlight

Vince and Kathleen Berta

In 2001, Bowling Green residents Vince and Kathleen Berta made a generous donation to The Center for Gifted Studies to establish The Berta Fund for Excellence. They explain their gift in this way: “It is often said but easily forgotten that the future is our youth. The Center for Gifted Studies provides the gifted youth the training, education, and environment with which to maximize their skills. By establishing the Berta Fund for Excellence in Gifted Studies, we are doing our small part of investing in the future of our youth, Western Kentucky University, and our community.”

The Bertas understand that the social and emotional needs of gifted children often go unaddressed and that meeting those needs requires both parents and teachers. Through the Berta Seminar, The Berta Fund for Excellence brings in experts in the field of education to conduct seminars and presentations designed specifically for parents, counselors, and classroom teachers, as well as teachers in special areas, to learn how to better meet the needs of gifted young people. It is thanks to the generosity of Vince and Kathleen Berta that these events are free and open to the public.