Program Description

Campus Engagement

Building a Campus-Wide “Culture of Service”

Many colleges and universities include in their mission statements an expressed commitment to serve society. The Bonner Program is designed to support these mission statements and to help a school develop an infrastructure that augments this culture. A slogan in the Bonner Program is “Everybody, Every Day.” While every individual on campus may not be involved in service on a daily basis, the goal is to present a challenge and to develop an infrastructure that consistently encourages and supports every member of a campus community to become involved in community service.

• Campus-wide Community Service

As a means of strengthening the campus-wide culture of service, the Bonner Program is intentionally designed to be a part of a school’s campus-wide community service operations. The Bonner Program is not meant to identify and then isolate a small group of individuals; rather, it is designed to support a group of students who will then disperse throughout the campus to help create and maintain campus-based service activities.
The Bonner Foundation encourages participating schools to consider developing a community service center that coordinates other campus service initiatives such as service-learning, community-based research, and student service groups. The Bonner Program can play an integral role in uniting these diverse service initiatives into a broad-based, comprehensive service program.

Related links:
- Links to web pages for campus-wide centers on Bonner campuses
- Guide for Developing a Campus-Wide Community Service Center
- Reflections by Bonner Scholars on Leadership Roles Campus-Wide
- Excerpts from Bonner Student Impact Survey

• Higher Education Service Consortium

Schools that participate in the Bonner Program become part of a multi-campus service consortium. One of the strengths of the Bonner community is the diversity of schools that participate in the program. Schools collaborate on joint service projects, funding proposals, and academic and service exchanges. Students, administrators, faculty, and community leaders convene on a regular basis for training, information exchanges, and professional and personal development. As part of this consortium effort, the Foundation has created and supports a student Congress made up of Bonner students from each participating school. This group receives intensive training and convenes three times a year to both plan activities and provide feedback concerning current and proposed policies within the program.

Related links:
- Bonner Scholar Program campuses
- Bonner Leader Program campuses
- Bonner Cluster Meeting
- Bonner Scholar Director & Coordinators Meeting
- Bonner Leader Directors Meeting
- Bonner Summer Leadership Institute
- Reflections by Bonner Scholars on the Bonner Community
- Excerpts from Bonner Student Impact Survey

• Student Impact Survey

The Bonner Foundation has developed a survey instrument designed to determine the impact of the Bonner Program on its participants. These surveys are administered at the beginning, mid-point, and end of the program. A survey is also administered to individuals five years after they graduate from the Bonner Program. (A summary of survey reports can be accessed through the link below.)

Related links:
- Student Impact Survey home page
- Student Impact Survey reports
- “Not Merely a Duty: Reflections by Bonner Scholars”