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

Student Recognition

Bonners Selected for the 2017-18 Newman's Own Foundation Fellowship

Bonners Selected for the 2017-18 Newman's Own Foundation Fellowship

We were happy to announce that four Bonners were selected as Newman Own's Foundation Fellows. This is the second year The Bonner Foundation has partnered with Newman's Own to identify strong candidates. These Bonners will be joining eight other fellows from across the nation as part of the Class of 2018 Fellows.

We have featured a brief profile for each Bonner with information on where they will be working and their personal reflection on how their Bonner experience has prepared them for this new venture.

Bonners Honored as Campus Compact 2017 Newman Civic Fellows

Bonners Honored as Campus Compact 2017 Newman Civic Fellows

Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 273 students who will make up the organization’s 2017 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for community-committed college students from Campus Compact member institutions.

Of the 273 students, the following twelve Bonner Scholar/Leaders received this honor.

Earlham and Rhodes Bonners both awarded a 2017-18 Watson Fellowship

Earlham and Rhodes Bonners both awarded a 2017-18 Watson Fellowship

On March 15, 2017,  the Watson Foundation announced the 49th class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows. The Watson provides a year of unparalleled international exploration for select graduating college seniors in any field. Two of the 40 fellows are Bonner Scholars; Imani Lewis-Norelle, Earlham College, and Tyler Harvey, Rhodes College. 

W&L Bonner Awarded Davis Projects for Peace Grant

W&L Bonner Awarded Davis Projects for Peace Grant

Angel Vela de la Garza Evia ’18, a student at Washington and Lee University, has won a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant that will allow him to conduct a three-phased STEM-related project — STEMito — for primary school students in his home city of Monterrey, Mexico. 

“If, through this program, we can motivate the students to continue their academic trajectory and make them realize that they can study STEM, then I am willing to put in all my effort to start making the difference.” - Angel Vela de la Garza Evia

,

Graduate is Honored with Alumni Recognition Award

,
Graduate is Honored with Alumni Recognition Award

Acceptance, diversity and inclusion are more than just nice words for Jonathan Zur, ’03. They are the ideas around which he orients his life.

As president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC), a nonprofit organization that works with schools, business and communities to promote inclusion, he works throughout the state to help people and groups “value and respect diversity.”

,

Davidson Bonner Receives Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award

,
Davidson Bonner Receives Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award

Our student  recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award goes to a young woman from Davidson, North Carolina.  She is an English major and ethnic studies concentrator. She has spent four years as a Bonner Scholar, and according to one, is the leader within the group, organizing the ideas and initiatives of her peers to bring to action. Her primary focus is on youth advocacy, whether tutoring at a local elementary school, The LEARNWORKS afterschool program at Ada Jenkins, or as a Servant Leader for the Freedom Schools in the summer.

,

Centre Bonner Student Recognized for Outstanding Community Service

,
Centre Bonner Student Recognized for Outstanding Community Service

As a member of Centre College’s Bonner program, Megan Radenhausen ’14 is no stranger to community service; however, she took the College’s culture of service to a new level this past fall semester, logging 1,300 hours at Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center (BRCC), a feat which earned her BRCC’s volunteerism commitment award.

BRCC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide refuge for victims of sexual assault, to advocate for victims and to educate the community about sexual assault and human trafficking. BRCC provides crisis intervention, therapy, advocacy and education services to 17 counties in the Bluegrass Region. All services offered are free of charge, including a 24-hour hotline.

,

Bonner Student was Finalist for 2012 Global Citizenship Student Award

,
Bonner Student was Finalist for 2012 Global Citizenship Student Award

Macalester has long been known for its internationalism. One of the ways it recognizes that value is to annually bestow a Global Citizenship Student Award on the graduating senior who best demonstrates a commitment to the ideals and practice of high academic performance, internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement.

,

Bonner Student Receives Campus Awards

,
Bonner Student Receives Campus Awards

     Steven Hollingshead, a senior from Memphis, has been named “Student of the Block” for the eighth block at Tusculum College and is also the recipient of the inaugural “Mr. TC Award.”
     Hollingshead, a double major in political science and business with concentrations in economics and international business, was presented both honors prior to the beginning of the May 2 Pioneer baseball game.
     The “Student of the Block Award” is presented by the Tusculum Office of Student Affairs and was established to recognize individuals who excel in their academic endeavors, campus involvement and/or athletic performance. The award is selected from nominations made by faculty and staff members. Plaques telling about the honorees are displayed in the Niswonger Commons and other campus buildings. The new “Mr. TC Award” recognizes a student for overall contributions to the campus community and dedication to the betterment of the college as well as outstanding involvement, service and leadership inside and outside the classroom.

,

Stetson's Duguay Named a 2016 Newman Civic Fellow

,
Stetson's Duguay Named a 2016 Newman Civic Fellow

Taylor Duguay, a junior political science and communications studies double-major at Stetson University, is the recipient of the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award. As a Newman Civic Fellow, Duguay is one of 218 students recognized as the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. Through service, research, and advocacy, Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.

,

Tusculum Student Named Newman Civic Fellow

,
Tusculum Student Named Newman Civic Fellow

Denise Coffey, a student at Tusculum College, has been named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2015. Coffey has provided almost 500 community service hours to ASafeHarborHome, a local agency that serves victims of domestic violence and supplies them with safe homes.
The Newman Civic Fellows Award honors inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. Coffey is one of 201 people to be named a 2015 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact.

,

Ben Randazzo Honored for Community Service

,
Ben Randazzo Honored for Community Service

North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities committed to community engagement, has recognized Ben Randazzo ’16 for his outstanding leadership and service.

Ben has received the 2015 Community Impact Award, an honor given to one student leader at each school in the network.

As a Bonner Scholar, Ben has been a leader and an advocate for service. In 2014 he served as lead coordinator for the National Bonner Congress held at Guilford College, a role that led to a summer position at the Bonner Foundation in Princeton, N.J. In the absence of a staff coordinator, he has recently taken on even more responsibility for the Guilford Bonner program.

 

,

Bennett '16 Wins Prestigious Truman Scholarship, Public Policy Fellowship

,
Bennett '16 Wins Prestigious Truman Scholarship, Public Policy Fellowship

Rashaun Bennett '16 has received two nationally competitive fellowships that will further support his aspirations for a career in public policy. Selected from more than 600 applicants, he is among 58 winners of a Harry S. Truman Scholarship and is the fifth Davidson student to receive the award in the past eight years. He joins Richmond Blake (2008), Darrell Lamont Scott (2009), Alexandra Francis (2011) and Haley Hardie (2014).

 

,

Lindsey Wilson Bonners Awarded Appalachian Leaders in Education (AppLE Award)

,
Lindsey Wilson Bonners Awarded Appalachian Leaders in Education (AppLE Award)

Forward in the Fifth has awarded the 2013 Appalachian Leaders in Education (AppLE Awards) to eight individuals and one student organization on a leading South Central Kentucky college campus for their work to advance education in the region.

 

,

Biology Major receives Max Cleland Award for Excellence in Public Service

,
Biology Major receives Max Cleland Award for Excellence in Public Service

‘Hero’ is a Greek word meaning “to protect and serve.” Stetson University has had her share of heroes and that service is at the core of the spirit that connects Max Cleland ‘64, Stetson’s Bonner Program and senior biology major John Massey, the second recipient of the Max Cleland Award for Excellence in Public Service.