| II. The Bonner
Program: Goals & Strategies
A. Bonner Program History
In 1990, the Bonner Foundation established
the first Bonner Scholars Program at Berea
College. Designed to provide students with “access
to education and an opportunity to serve,” the program
has grown to become the largest privately-funded, service-based
college scholarship programs in the country, supporting 1600
active students on 27 campuses in 12 states in the Southeast
and Midwest.
The scholarship serves students who have
high financial need and a commitment to service. It is designed
to heighten students’ overall education by affording
these students an opportunity to engage in sustained community
service work during their four years of undergraduate education.
The program helps the students develop the skills and knowledge
necessary to make their service meaningful and lasting.
The pilot Bonner Scholars Program began
at Berea College in Kentucky during the 1990-91 academic year.
In each of the next two years, the Foundation added 11 campuses.
Two additional institutions were added in 1999, bringing us
to our current size of 27
institutions. Once the operational framework was put in
place at these schools, the Bonner Foundation then endowed
the Bonner Scholars Program at seven of these schools.
On each campus, there are full-time professional
staff who direct and coordinate the Bonner Scholar Program,
which is integrated into the campus-wide service program.
These staff work with students to provide training and reflection
opportunities, to ensure quality service placements, to serve
as a liaison between the community organizations and the campus
and, to prepare and support campus involvement in community
endeavors.
Scholars are asked to commit 10 hours each week to community
service activities and 240 hours during at least one summer.
It is this intensity of commitment — the four-year nature
of the Program and the large number of students involved on
each campus — that makes the Program both distinctive
and transformative.
In 1997, the Bonner Foundation began an
effort to expand the Bonner Scholars Program model of service-based
scholarships. Through several grants the Foundation partnered
with institutions who were interested in expanding the Bonner
Scholars Program or in creating a service-based scholarship
program on their campus. Together, we learned to use funds
from federal work-study, AmeriCorps education awards, AmeriCorps
stipends and individual institutions to create scholarship
stipends for students who complete community service each
week during their term of service.
Today, the Foundation currently works with
more than
40 institutions that have created what we call the Bonner
Leaders Program. Each of these campuses has a core group
of 5-30 student members who commit to completing the required
hours of community service during their term. The Bonner Foundation’s
seeks to expand the Bonner Leaders Program on individual campuses
and through local, state, or regional campus consortiums.
Having a large cadre of involved, informed
and energetic students on a campus allows for a large multiplier
effect to occur. Bonner Scholars/Leaders have had an enormous
impact on the culture of their institutions. For example,
they have initiated service days and support groups, assisted
in the founding of new soup kitchens, developed literacy programs,
organized large alternative break trips, and serve as board
members of local non-profits.
Bonner Scholars/Leaders emerge from their college experience
with a greater understanding of communities and the problems
that exist within them, as well as the skills and commitment
to be effective in community problem-solving efforts. Not
surprisingly, they remain involved in service no matter what
path they pursue professionally.
B. Bonner Program Goals
Since 1990, a diverse, multi-state consortium
of twenty-five participating campuses have been joined through
a common commitment to the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner
Foundation’s mission to “transform students,
communities, and campuses through service.” The Bonner
Program is designed to transform not only the students who
are directly supported by the program, but also the campus
and community in which they serve and learn. The goals of
the program are identified in four areas: student development,
community involvement, campus engagement, and higher education.
For the Student:
- To provide access to a college education for students
with high financial need.
- To afford students the opportunity to enhance and use
their abilities, talents, and leadership to serve others
while in college.
- To create a supportive community of students on campus
whose common focus on community service gives them a sense
of purpose and meaning.
For the Community:
- To channel the energies of college students, faculty,
and staff to continue to improve and expand upon the quality
and nature of services offered to the community.
- To break down the barriers between town and gown leading
to improved communication and greater collaboration between
the two.
For the Campus:
- To help recruit and retain a diverse group of students
who might not otherwise be able to attend college.
- To challenge and support the college to create a culture
of service where the stated mission of service is translated
in such a way that every student, faculty, and staff is
encouraged to serve.
- To support a core group of student leaders eager to
build and strengthen the organizations on campus that
promote a culture of service.
For Higher Education:
- To serve as a successful model to other colleges and
universities which are interested in starting their own
community service scholarship program.
- To form a consortium of diverse higher educadtion institutions
which share a common commitment to service.
- To provide leadership to a nation searching for ways
to value and include young people in meaningful acts of
citizenship.
Resource Documents
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