Bonner Foundation
Robert Hackett
Rutgers University New Brunswick Hosts Summer ...

The 2026 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute brought together over 350 changemakers from more than 60 colleges to explore civic engagement, social innovation, and the future of democracy on the banks of the Raritan River. Highlighting Bonner’s commitment to community‑focused learning, the week featured plenary discussions, workshops, and networking events that equipped participants with practical tools and collaborative networks to advance equity and public service on their campuses.

Rutgers University New Brunswick Hosts Summer Leadership Institute 2026
Student Profile
Robert Hackett
Rider University Senior Completes More Than ...

Madilyn McGreevy’s college journey at Rider University is defined by her extensive service as a Bonner Community Leader, where she dedicated over 2,100 hours to supporting children and families in high‑need communities. Through Bonner, she led tutoring initiatives, mentored peers, and completed an Impact Internship, experiences that have prepared her to work as an educational specialist after graduation.

Rider University Senior Completes More Than 2,100 Hours of Service Through Bonner Program
Student Profile
Robert Hackett
From the Great Lakes to the East Coast: ...

Nyrobi Whitfield ’26 has found purpose through hands-on learning beyond the classroom with Oberlin’s Center for Engaged Liberal Arts (CELA). Through early research in aquatic science and later marine ecology work, Whitfield has turned coursework into tangible climate and environmental insights. Service as a lifeguard and swim instructor, along with sustainability leadership on campus, has deepened Whitfield’s commitment to community engagement. After graduation, Whitfield plans to pursue a PhD in marine ecology and continue building a career in climate change research.

From the Great Lakes to the East Coast: Connecting Research and Service
Campus Profile, Student Profile, Staff Profile
Robert Hackett
Sewanee Bonner/Canale Program Teaches Students ...

The Bonner/Canale Program at Sewanee cultivates a community of student leaders dedicated to service and relationship-building with local organizations. Through a structured four-year experience, students engage in significant community projects, gaining skills in leadership, cultural awareness, and civic engagement while fostering trust between the university and surrounding communities.

Alumni Profile
Robert Hackett
Berry College Bonner Alum, Dr. Emily Melchior ...

Berry College, Bonner Alum, Dr. Emily Melchior (16C), has established herself as a prominent figure in animal health research, serving as the Manager of Global Outcomes Research at Zoetis Animal Health. She is recognized for her contributions to ruminant microbiology and nutrition, and she actively supports young professionals through mentorship and her involvement in various organizations.

Berry College Bonner Alum, Dr. Emily Melchior Recognized as the 2025 Outstanding Young Alum

Campus Profile

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Faith Marable '21 at Carson-Newman Featured in 'The College Tour' TV Series

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Faith Marable '21 at Carson-Newman Featured in 'The College Tour' TV Series

Bonner Scholar Alum, Faith Marable, was recently featured in a segment of Carson-Newman University’s episode on The College Tour TV series. Faith graduated from Carson-Newman in 2021 with a Psychology major. Her hometown is Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In the segment, Faith shares about her experience as a Bonner Scholar at Carson-Newman University and how that’s translated to her career aspirations as a mental health counselor. Faith is currently working as an Admissions Representative while pursuing her a masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Carson-Newman.

Chancellor Celebrates Launch of University of Hawai'i at Hilo's Bonner Leader Program

Chancellor Celebrates Launch of University of Hawai'i at Hilo's Bonner Leader Program

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo has thrived by cultivating relationships with the local community. We serve our community through giving access to higher education, but also through the support we give community projects in our research, volunteerism, and service projects.

UH Hilo is a placed-based university, meaning the importance of place is foremost in our strategic planning efforts now underway. Equally important to us are the relationships we build, which are at the core of everything in education; the most effective teachers are those who can establish rapport and meaningful relationships with students.

One project that really brings place and people together in a powerful way is the Bonner Leadership Program.

Elizabethtown College Launching Bonner Program in Fall 2022

Elizabethtown College Launching Bonner Program in Fall 2022

Director of the Elizabethtown College Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) Javita Thompson is piloting a service leadership program for incoming first-year Etown students.

The Bonner Leader Program was started by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation in 1990. The overarching goal is to improve relations between students and communities by bridging the gap between the basic needs of nutrition and educational opportunity.

The Bonner Leader program will become a multifaceted program that allows Etown students to gain leadership skills while performing service initiatives to improve relationships with community organizations. The program is one of many initiatives to help with the College’s strategic plan, specifically the theme of “inclusive excellence.”

Albion College Community Collaborative Featured as Model for Post-Covid Engagement

Albion College Community Collaborative Featured as Model for Post-Covid Engagement

Albion College’s Community Collaborative (AC3) is featured in this Inside Higher Ed column by Vicki L. Baker titled “Reimagining Community Engagement for a Post-COVID World.” The article “offers four lessons that colleges should consider in developing these partnerships and programs.”

University of Mississippi's First Bonner Program Cohort Gets to Work

University of Mississippi's First Bonner Program Cohort Gets to Work

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has its first-ever cohort of Bonner Program students who have started their four-year campaigns to transform their campus and community through service projects.

The university’s Bonner Program, housed at the new UM Center for Community Engagement, is part of a diverse, multistate network of colleges and universities with their own Bonner programs. The program is part of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, which works to “transform students, communities and campuses through service.”

$5.5 Million Grant Helps Fund New Center for Community Engagement at High Point University

$5.5 Million Grant Helps Fund New Center for Community Engagement at High Point University

HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 16, 2021 – High Point University dedicates thousands of hours annually giving back to the community in many ways. The university will now be able to grow its community outreach programs thanks to a generous grant.

Oak Foundation is helping fund the creation of the HPU Center for Community Engagement which is expected to begin operating in the fall. The $5.5-million grant is one of the largest in HPU’s history. The international organization has funded more than 5,400 grants worldwide since it was founded in 1983.

Waynesburg Launches Center for Corporate Social Responsibility

Waynesburg Launches Center for Corporate Social Responsibility

Chevron and Waynesburg University announced today the launch of the Chevron Center for Corporate Social Responsibility at Waynesburg University, a first-of-its-kind center in the region. The center was made possible through a $250,000 commitment from Chevron.

During a press event hosted by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Chevron and Waynesburg University shared their excitement about the partnership and provided an overview of the center’s programming.

Our partnership with Waynesburg University underscores our belief that the best way to support the region, now and for decades to come, is to work with community partners to achieve shared goals.”

-Trip Oliver, manager of policy, government and public affairs for Chevron Appalachia

The center will seek to build a network of professionals in the region, encompassing all of southwestern Pennsylvania, and will be dedicated to sharing best practices in corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. As a membership organization, valuable resources will be shared with members to build strong and more valuable CSR programs.

For Bonners at Brown, a deep dive into community engagement

For Bonners at Brown, a deep dive into community engagement

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Rainbow Chen, a second-year student at Brown, leads a group of high school students up and down Broad Street in Providence's South Side, a low-income, majority Hispanic neighborhood. They’re in search of local residents willing to be interviewed about living here for a project called “Humans of Providence,” which strives to unearth stories of people who traditionally have not been represented in narratives about living in the city.

So far, no takers — yet Chen and her fellow students are undaunted. They continue their search, sharing an easy camaraderie as they wander down the street. It’s obvious they’ve spent a lot of time together.

“This is not just a job for me,” Chen said. “I am so lucky that I get to spend time with these youth who are going to make such a big difference in the world.”

Bonner Scholars’ Summer Means Service

Bonner Scholars’ Summer Means Service

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- From Tanzania to Mississippi and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the South Carolina coast, Wofford College’s Bonner Scholars celebrated their summer “vacations” in service to others.

The program’s “Summer of Service” placed 31 Bonner Scholars in a variety of service positions this past summer. Many worked with children; some assisted special-needs adults; others returned to their hometowns to work in YMCA or summer camp programs.

Bonner Scholars are required to work with a nonprofit organization of their choice during two summers of their college years. Wofford scholars have worked in local, national and international communities, returning to campus with broader understanding and new perspectives on life’s challenges.

Bonners also serve during the academic year, but the summer service is full-time and gives students a more complete experience in a field of their choice.

Alumni Magazine Celebrates Berea's Spirit of Service

Alumni Magazine Celebrates Berea's Spirit of Service

The letter of the editor, Abbie Tanyhill Darst ‘03, opens as follows: “Since Berea’s founding, service to the region upon whose foothills Berea is located, has been fundamental to the function of the College and a product of the education with which our students leave. John G. Fee’s vision to educate the impoverished of all races and genders could only be met after meeting the needs of the communities Berea intended to serve. is idea of service and community involvement became the foundation for Berea to grow into the service-minded institution it is today.”

Read the full magazine here.

Bonner Campus, Edgewood College, Receives Best in Class Award for "All In Challenge"

Bonner Campus, Edgewood College, Receives Best in Class Award for "All In Challenge"

At the first-ever ALL IN Challenge Awards ceremony to recognize colleges and universities committed to increasing college student voting rates, Edgewood College received two Best in Class Awards.

The College is recognized for having the highest student voting rate among four-year, private institutions category, as well as within the four-year, small, private institution category. Edgewood College also earned a Silver Seal for achieving a student voting rate between 60 and 69 percent.

More than 30 awards were announced at the event that took place at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. 

New Bonner Program at University of Nevada - Reno

New Bonner Program at University of Nevada - Reno

The University of Nevada, Reno Honors Program has implemented a Bonner Leader Program, developed by the Bonner Foundation, to provide students with financial support and opportunities to engage with their community. The program aims to allow first-generation, underrepresented, and/or low-income students the option of going to college and giving back to their community through service initiatives. 

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Guilford Attends N.C. Heritage Awards Ceremony

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Guilford Attends N.C. Heritage Awards Ceremony

The 2016 North Carolina Heritage Awards recognized traditional backstrap weavers H Ju Nie and H Ngach Rahlan, who are Bonner Center community partners.

Since both Greensboro weavers are elderly, Bonner Center Volunteer Training Coordinator Andrew Young and his wife, Betsy Renfrew, herself a weaving expert, accompanied the artists to the North Carolina Executive Mansion for dinner May 24 with Gov. Pat McCrory, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz, and N.C. Arts Council Executive Director Wayne Martin.

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A Hunger to Help

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A Hunger to Help

Not long after Helen Mandalinic ’14 arrived at Guilford in 2010, she began volunteering with the Community Kitchens Project, a program that packages cafeteria leftovers into meals and delivers those meals to the area’s needy.

She quickly realized her passion for service didn’t need to be put on hold for her studies, and her education at Guilford would extend beyond the classroom and the campus.

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Public Policy Site Debuts as Resource for Community

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Public Policy Site Debuts as Resource for Community

     People in the Davidson area and beyond who are interested in public policy now have a great new resource, thanks to the college's Bonner Scholars. The Bonner Scholars recently unveiled their latest project–a comprehensive website called PolicyOptions.org focused on bringing together in one place information regarding public policy, policy changes and social services.
     Naomi Coffman '16 and Rashaun Bennett '16 are the Bonners primarily responsible for keeping the website up to date.
     The project began at Davidson in the fall of 2013. Kristin Booher of the Center for Civic Engagement office encouraged Coffman, along with Zoe Williams '14 and Philip Yu '16, to get involved, and Coffman immediately saw the potential.

Bonner Scholar Develops Saturday Reading Program

Bonner Scholar Develops Saturday Reading Program

Kindergarten student Quentin Larkey rarely missed an opportunity to read books each Saturday morning this semester with Emory & Henry students who volunteered at a children’s reading program at the Glade Spring Library.

His mother, Rachel Larkey, said her son was very excited to attend the reading program each week. “Toward the end of the semester, he was already reading easy readers. It helped him tremendously with his skills.”