2026 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute

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The Bonner Foundation is excited to partner with Rutgers University–New Brunswick for the 2026 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute. Please mark your calendars and plan accordingly.

Dates: Sunday, June 7 – Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Host: Rutgers University–New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ)

About the Summer Leadership Institute

  • Largest annual Bonner Network gathering, with approximately 350 attendees from 65–70 colleges and universities

  • Participants include teams of students, staff and administrators, faculty, community partners, alumni, national nonprofits, and graduate school partners

  • A four-day convening featuring plenaries, workshops, discussions, networking, and social activities

  • Opportunity to showcase and exchange best practices across the Bonner Network and Rutgers’ Bonner Program, campus-wide civic engagement, community partnerships, and student leadership

  • Format includes all-group sessions, role-based tracks, workshops, and place-based immersion experiences with community partners

About Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Revolutionary for more than 250 years, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is the nation’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning. As one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution, Rutgers has a centuries-old tradition of rising to the challenges of each new generation. Today, Rutgers University New Brunswick is the flagship campus of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of three major campuses in New Jersey. Rutgers New Brunswick serves 37,985 undergraduates (with an in-state tuition of under $20K). Rutgers is ranked #16 as a public university and #42 as a comprehensive university nationally (one of the highest in the network). 

About The Collaborative Center for Community Engagement

The Collaborative Center for Community Engagement (home of the Rutgers-New Brunswick Bonner Leader Program) is dedicated to engaging students, faculty, and staff within the communities where Rutgers University - New Brunswick has a presence.

Its core mission is to support campus-community partnerships to advance the public good in New Brunswick and Piscataway, throughout New Jersey, and beyond. The Collaborative runs several service programs including the Rutgers Bonner Leader Program, Advancing Community Development, Community Tours, and other programs.

Collaborative Center programs connect more than 3,000 students, faculty, and staff each year to community partners in New Brunswick and beyond through in-depth placements and projects involving policy research, access to education, health, language, and the arts, to name a few.

What to Expect with Rutgers University-New Brunswick as our Host

Rutgers University–New Brunswick offers a powerful setting for the Bonner Network to connect learning, service, and civic leadership in a region shaped by deep history, rich cultural assets, and active community partnership.

Highlights we are planning for 2026 include:

  • Community immersions and place-based learning connected to Rutgers’ community partners and the New Brunswick area.

  • Opportunities to engage with RU-NB resources and spaces that support student success and community impact.

  • Time and space for Bonner Programs to share practices, build relationships, and strengthen shared commitments across the network.

  • Support meaningful connection between Bonner students, campus staff, and partners in ways that participants can adapt back home.

More details (theme, registration timeline, housing, and session information) will be shared as planning continues.