Save the Date! Bonner’s 2026 Summer Leadership Institute is heading to Rutgers University–New Brunswick! Join us from June 7-10 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to engage with over 300 students, staff and administrators, faculty, community partners, alumni, national nonprofits, and graduate school partners across the Bonner Network.
Common Ground USA has open applications for their student journalism cohort as well as open registration for their Administrator Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is free program designed for Bonner staff and faculty to help higher education leaders navigate campus conflicts effectively. Participants will engage in six online sessions to develop skills in crisis de-escalation, collaborative conversation, and trust-building, with the goal of enhancing campus cohesion and resilience. The Student Journalism Cohort is a paid national fellowship for student journalists to humanize differences and highlight solutions to shared problems.
The Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) invites diverse higher education institutions to apply for the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN), which aims to enhance civil discourse and deliberative learning. Supported by a nearly $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the initiative offers funding, training, and resources to institutions like Bonner, enabling them to launch or expand campus programs focused on these critical areas.
The Bonner Foundation is reaching out to our 22,000 Bonner alumni invite them to participate in the 2026 Bonner Alumni Survey. We are conducting this important national research study to learn about what you are doing currently and how your college experiences (academic and community involvement) may have played a role in shaping your professional goals as well as your civic and community engagement.
Stem To The Polls is a new initiative that empowers young voters with clear, non-partisan information on critical STEM policy issues—from climate change to healthcare and research funding. Through state-specific voter guides and educational resources, the organization makes complex science policy accessible and supports informed civic engagement that aligns with the Bonner Network's commitment to democratic participation and social change.
Common Ground USA has open applications for their student journalism cohort as well as open registration for their Administrator Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is free program designed for Bonner staff and faculty to help higher education leaders navigate campus conflicts effectively. Participants will engage in six online sessions to develop skills in crisis de-escalation, collaborative conversation, and trust-building, with the goal of enhancing campus cohesion and resilience. The Student Journalism Cohort is a paid national fellowship for student journalists to humanize differences and highlight solutions to shared problems.
To promote the Foundation’s Communications strategy, which brings visibility to Bonner Programs and opportunities to get involved, our team focused on enhancing processes to connect current students with the extensive network of alumni, partners, and stakeholders. This work centered on transitioning the alumni network to LinkedIn, as a familiar and readily used social platform. To support this process, National Bonner Interns worked on aggregating and creating a comprehensive database.
Every summer, the Bonner Foundation welcomes full-time undergraduate interns who expand the capacity of our team and contribute to key national initiatives. This article highlights one of the projects completed this summer that focused on leveraging the talents and capacities of the national Bonner Alumni Network to support students’ career connections and professional growth. Building on the existing infrastructure of the Career Connections initiative, National Summer Interns, J.P. Liddy ‘26 (Oberlin College) and Kayla Rogers ‘25 (Centre College), working closely with Liz Brandt, Director of Community Engagement, launched the National Bonner Alumni Advisor (NBAA) program.
Common Ground USA is offering a free national Administrators' Boot Camp for higher education leaders focused on managing conflict and polarization on campus. The program consists of six online sessions teaching practical skills for effective communication, de-escalation, trust-building, and developing action plans to strengthen campus resilience. Register today!
As a new national partner, Common Ground USA empowers student journalists to navigate polarization and tell impactful campus stories through a paid fellowship program. The Fall 2025 cohort brings together 15-25 student journalists to learn from veteran reporters, with an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC included. Applications are now open for this unique opportunity that helps students center complexity and human dignity in their reporting.
The Bonner Foundation is announcing a new partnership with CareerSpring, providing Bonner students with free access to CareerSpring's Career Platform. This platform is designed to support FGLI (First-Generation, Low-Income) students and graduates, offering: career resources and information, access to over 1,400 volunteer Advisors for 1:1 virtual sessions, a job board featuring hundreds of jobs and internships. Students are encouraged to explore these resources and connect with Eliane Abou-Assi for a platform demo or to arrange a virtual session during fall orientation.
