|
A brief Bonner
Leader Program Start-Up Guide intended to jump-start the
planning process for campuses interested in participating
in the Bonner Program. There are a variety factors and models
to consider when designing and implementing a Bonner Leader
Program. We recommend that interested campuses review this
guide and then contact
Christen Foell.
The Bonner AmeriCorps Education
Award initiative is an exciting way for campuses to further
support Bonner Scholars and Bonner Leaders participating in
Bonner Programs around the country. The Bonner Network is
the recipient of a grant from the Corporation for National
Community Service that provides us with nearly 1,000 AmeriCorps
Education Awards annually.
The Co-Curricular
Area is in many ways the backbone of the Bonner Program,
alongside with service. It is the area where Bonner Program
staff may have the most power and immediate impact to shape
the intentional learning experiences of students in the program.
Through Co-Curricular structures such as Orientation, Retreats,
Class Meetings, All Bonner Meetings, structured reflection,
and enrichment sessions, the program takes on an identity
and purpose for students. In addition, many programs introduce
their own innovative approaches to supporting student development,
like the Bonner Buddies (Pfeiffer), intensive reflection sessions
(Emory & Henry and University of Richmond) and trips in
each year (West Virginia Wesleyan). In essence, the Co-Curricular
programming promotes students’ participation in activities
that supplements developmental goals through issue-oriented
and educational programs and skill-building opportunities.
In these settings, the student can learn a wide range of professional,
leadership, and life skills.
The Bonner Foundation has gathered resources
for the connection of service with faculty and the academic
curriculum.
The Bonner Foundation has gathered Community
Partnership resources on building and strengthening campus-community
partnerships. In addition, we have matertial on the Comprehensive
Placement Process.
Advising and coaching is
critical to the success of the Bonner Program implementation.
Through the process of advising, a student can gain a sense
of belonging in the program, which supports his or her retention
over two to four years. Through ongoing coaching, the student
gets a stronger sense of his or her values, talents, skills,
and personal leadership style. The advising process often
happens in the context of one-to-one relationships with a
staff member, but need not excludeother types of interaction.
Advising can also happen in small groups, such as class groups
or reflection sessions. Peers can also serve as advisors and
coaches to students, through both formalized and informastructures.
In the same way that Bonners begin their experience with
the Bonner Program through exploration, so too, do they begin
their college career. This is a time for them to explore the
world in which they live and to discover where their specific
talents may be leading, or “calling” them. By
the end of their second year of college, most Bonner Scholars
will have declared a major and are beginning to focus more
specifically on their career, or “vocation”. Juniors
and seniors begin to critically examine how all of the pieces
of their lives (academics, civic engagement activities, co-curricular
experiences, spiritual and religious beliefs, and values)
are interconnected. This prompts a quest to determine how
they can live a life than honors who they are as human beings.
This quest is the journey of vocational
discernment.
The online users
guide for the Bonner Web-Based Reporting System. This
guide can also be accessed from within BWBRS (link at top
right of every page).
Ideally, recruitment of Bonner Scholars is integrated into
the regular admission process at Bonner schools so that the
Bonner scholarship can be used as a recruitment and yield
tool. For a detailed discussion of how Bonner recruitment
and the college's admission process can be coordinated, consult
the Bonner Scholars Program Rules and the Bonner Director's
Handbook. Bonner Recruitment &
Selection
|
