The Bonner Foundation and Network celebrated the 20th Anniversary at Berea College, home to the first Bonner Scholar Program, in 2010. Since that time, the network has grown to include more than 65 colleges and universities.
The Bonner Foundation is pleased to announce our 35th Anniversary and 2025 Summer Leadership Institute next summer from Sunday, June 15 to Wednesday, June 18 in partnership with the University of Richmond Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). We anticipate approximately 300-400 student leaders, alumni, faculty, administrators, faculty, and leaders in the fields of higher education and civic engagement to attend.
The 35th Anniversary Celebration portion of the event is scheduled for June 15-16, culminating in an awards ceremony and luncheon reception. The event will include Presidents and/or other senior leaders in highlighting the achievements and growth of the Bonner Scholar and Leader Program over the past three decades.
The entire 35th Anniversary and 2025 Summer Leadership Institute agenda will feature all group plenaries and signature sessions addressing key themes in the field, such as the link of civic engagement with post-graduate outcomes, renewed focus on career preparation, and strategies for funding and scaling effective program models.
“We’re also excited to showcase some of the research and scholarship that has been undertaken by staff and faculty in the network,” commented Liz Brandt, Director of Community Engagement at the Bonner Foundation and a 2015 Bonner alum from Centre College.
Conference programming will feature inspiring civic leaders, including students, alumni, public servants, and organizers of national initiatives.
“We hope to involve representatives from key organizations in the field with whom we collaborate. The field has blossomed since 1990, and working with friends at Bringing Theory to Practice, the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement, Campus Compact, Imagining America, and other networks has enriched the impact of our work.” noted Ariane Hoy, Vice President for Program and Resource Development. “
Background on the Bonner Program
Launched in 1990 at Berea College, an institution with a unique commitment to providing college access to students with financial need, the Bonner Network now involves 65 institutions from 24 states who are building or run established four-year programs engaging 2,750 undergraduates each year.
During the 25th Anniversary event at Davidson College, plenary speakers shared insights on the history and future of the civic engagement movement and hopes for its future. Adam Bush, founder and (now) President of College Unbound, shared its model for transforming higher education so that working adults could earn degrees doing problem-based learning. John Saltmarsh, noted scholar of the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and the Democratic Engagement White Paper, shared tools for engaging the whole campus. Greg Ricks, pioneer in the field, reminded people of the power of youth leadership and activism.
To date, Bonner Programs have supported the access, engagement, and success of more than 20,000 alumni. “This is a chance to showcase the power of service-based scholarships,” suggested Bobby Hackett, President of the Bonner Foundation. “Our Board of Trustees, which includes University of Richmond graduate Shannon Maynard, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center will also meet.” The CHC, which is known for its innovative work on combating hunger, is one of more than 30 national partner organizations that regularly seeks out students and alumni from the Bonner Program for internships, jobs, and post-graduate opportunities.
While the service-based scholarship model has grown both within and beyond the Bonner Network, so too have the Bonner Network’s innovative strategies to infuse curriculum with the power of service and its benefits for institutional and post-graduate student success.
Conference Host — University of Richmond
The host campus, the University of Richmond, started its Bonner Scholar Program in 1992, amongst the first eleven institutions to receive an endowment from the Foundation to support its program and campus-wide engagement.
The Bonner Program at the University of Richmond engages 100 Bonner Scholars who serve and learn with community partners locally, nationally, and internationally. With community engagement as a strategic institutional priority, UR’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) oversees a range of place-based initiatives.
The CCE creates and sustains long-term, reciprocal partnerships that provide transformative learning experiences for students, deepen faculty engagement, respond to community-identified needs, and contribute to positive change in the region.
Students, faculty, and staff engage with organizations across our the region and beyond through volunteering, community-based learning and research, summer civic fellowships, voter and democracy engagement, and more.
Sylvia Gale, Executive Director of the CCE, is a leader in the field who was selected this summer for Campus Compact’s Democracy Inventory Design Team, which is focused on supporting and advancing democracy on college campuses. On the opportunity to lead the host team, Gale remarked,
“One of the most valuable aspects of being part of the Bonner community is the opportunity to connect with each other, share stories, and tap the collective wisdom of the network. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the country to Richmond for a rich time of conversation, reflection, and learning.”
For More Information
For updates of the conference please click here to visit our conference page. If you have any questions, please contact Ariane Hoy, Vice President, at ahoy@bonner.org, Jen Gonzalez Reyes, Program Manager, at jengr@bonner.org, or Liz Brandt, Director of Community Engagement at liz@bonner.org.