Guide for Directors and Coordinators

Suggestions from Coordinators
Regarding the Bonner Senior Intern

Whom to Select

Many directors and coordinators argue that the Bonner selected as the Senior Intern should be someone who has already demonstrated a high level of leadership. They argue that the position is best suited for a student who will be able to take suggestions and run with them on his or her own, and who will not need to be nurtured for a semester before s/he can take on such responsibility.

However, if you do not find an interested senior with such qualities, do not eliminate the possibility of having a Senior Intern. Even if you select an intern who needs to be encouraged to take the reins, it will be worth it. You will push the student to live up to his/her full potential and become a strong leader. As directors and coordinators suggest, it is paramount that you select an intern you can trust and who has a strong ability to get things done.

How to Select

In the past, most schools have simply appointed their Senior Interns. The director or coordinator usually thinks of an outstanding member of the rising senior class and asks the Bonner if there is interest. Sometimes, the director/coordinator will decide whom to ask with the help of the current senior intern or another Bonner.

At least one campus has created an application to use in the selection process. This ensures that the opportunity is open to all members of the senior class.

Establishing the Position

It is best to begin the Senior Internship with a job description, ensuring that both the intern and the coordinator have the same expectations. Directors and coordinators generally agree that in planning the job description, it is of the utmost importance that a coordinator be flexible and mold the position to a student’s strengths and interests.

The role of the Senior Intern will thus change every year depending on who is filling it. Because the position must match the intern’s strengths and interests, it may be best for the coordinator and intern to design the job description together.

Some campuses have fit their interns into pre-existing leadership structures. For example, at Carson-Newman, the position of Bonner President, traditionally filled by a senior, existed prior to the creation of the Senior Intern. The two positions are currently combined, so that the President also serves as the Senior Intern.

How to work with a Senior Intern

Coordinators recommend giving the Senior Intern a fair amount of autonomy, especially if s/he has demonstrated the ability to take ideas and projects and run with them. Keep in mind that one year you may have a senior intern who is a complete self-starter, who can brainstorm with you and then take off with an idea on his or her own.

Another year, you may have a senior intern who is a hard worker, who is ready to take on a fair amount of responsibility, but who needs a significant amount of guidance. Figure out which type your intern is from the start. In either case, remember that as a senior, this Bonner Scholar is a year away from the work world.

Do not underestimate what s/he is capable of accomplishing. Not infrequently, a recent Bonner graduate will serve as a new coordinator on a Bonner campus. You can think of this senior intern as an assistant coordinator or a coordinator-in-training.

At the same time, even if your intern is very independent, it will still be necessary to establish a method by which to check in with him/her regularly to offer feedback, assistance, and encouragement--as well as double check that s/he is making the internship a priority and getting the job done.

Ultimately, the internship should give the Bonner a chance to manage him or herself and receive guidance so that it fulfills its purpose of serving as an educational experience.

What a Senior Intern should do

Think of all the projects that you as a director or coordinator would like to work on but do not have the time to do. Think of the many responsibilities you have that you could delegate to a senior intern.

Tie the internship into real life. Find out what your intern plans to do after graduation and let the internship be a chance for him/her to develop professional skills.

Below are some specific suggestions from directors and coordinators on responsibilities and projects for the Senior Intern:

• Facilitating meetings (such as weekly First or Second year meetings)
• Event planning (service projects, retreats, etc.)
• Leading new or existing committee
• Helping plan the First Year Service Project
• Producing and/or updating Bonner publications (such as a volunteer directory book or a program manual)
• Organizing campus-initiated projects or events in the community
• Spearheading campus program policy changes
• Coordinating student transportation schedules
• Creating and/or editing your campus’s own Bonner video
• Writing a Bonner campus newsletter
• Conducting research
• Updating and/or developing your campus’s Bonner website
• Serving as a student liaison between the director/coordinator and Bonners
• Mentoring other Bonners
• Maintaining contact with alumni
• Helping with work/study or other student workers
• Assisting coordinator/director with the implementation of Bonner 2.0

Issues to Address

Sparking Interest

If you have had problems this year sparking interest in the Senior Internship, immediately begin making the position interesting for juniors. If you present it as an honor to be selected as the Senior Intern, it could quickly turn to into a coveted position.

Consider putting each year’s Senior Intern’s picture on the wall of the Bonner or Service Learning office. This will give the interns recognition for their hard work and will communicate to underclass Bonners the importance of the position, increasing the likelihood that they will be interested in serving as the intern their senior year.

Emphasize the importance of the professional experience an intern will gain.

If you are having problems getting seniors interested because they are so committed to their off-campus service sites, make it clear, if necessary, that one does not have to dedicate all ten hours to the internship and can keep going to his/her other site.

One can also incorporate leading campus initiated projects in the community into their internship.

Time for Training

If no one senior Bonner stands out as someone who could take on projects and work on them independently and you do not think you have time to train someone, think again.

Even if your intern starts out as someone who requires a fair amount of assistance figuring out how to get from point A to point B, you must trust that s/he will gradually grow to become independent.

The hours you spend training your intern at the beginning of the semester will be paid back at the end when you are left with a confident, competent student leader.

Physical Space

Ideally, you should provide the Senior Intern with his/her own desk and computer space to work on projects. Remember that s/he will likely be working ten hours a week at most, so perhaps the space can be shared with other students in the Bonner or Community Service office.

If such a daytime space cannot be found, perhaps your intern can do the bulk of his/her work in the evening when office space is freed up. Some interns have even used their coordinators’ office as their workspace after 5 p.m.

If all else fails, an intern can work out of the residence hall, the library, or computer lab. Do not let lack of easily available office space prevent you from providing the experience of the Senior Internship!