This presentation summarizes the Bonner Program's model for a four-year academic journey that parallels the four-year co-curricular student development program.

1. The Bonner Program:
Civic Engagement Academic Journey
“Access to Education,
Opportunity to Serve”
A program of:
The Corella & Bertram Bonner Foundation
10 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-6663 • (609) 683-4626 fax
For more information, please visit our website at www.bonner.org

2. Curricular Connections:
Overview
• Overview
- Importance
- FIPSE Initiative History
- Pillars
- Types of Courses
- Strategies & Lessons Learned
- What You Can Do
• Resources
• Best Practices
• Self-Assessment & Evaluation
www.bonner.org

3. Curricular Connections:
Importance
To institutionalize civic engagement, we
must also make changes at the heart of the
institution’s work —its curriculum.
www.bonner.org

4. Curricular Connections:
History
• FIPSE grant focused on Civic Engagement
Certificate, Minor or academic program
• Five institutions started:
- Mars Hill College
- Portland State University
- The College of New Jersey
- UCLA
- Washington and Lee University
• More than 10 additional institutions have begun
• By next year, we hope that half of Bonner Program
campuses will have created or be working on
www.bonner.org

5. Curricular Connections:
Institutional Approaches
Colorado College Certificate or Thematic Minor in Civic Engagement
Concord University Minor in Civic Engagement
Lynchburg College Minor in Civic Engagement
Mars Hill College Certificate in Civic Engagement (Co-curricular Transcript)
Morehouse College Minor in Civic Engagement
Portland State University Minor in Civic Leadership
Rutgers University Certificate in Women’s Leadership
Saint Mary’s College of CA Justice and Community Minor
The College of New Jersey Concentration in Civic Engagement
University of Alaska Certificate in Civic Engagement
UCLA Minor in Civic Leadership
Wagner College Certificate in Civic Engagement
Washington & Lee Univ. Minor in the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty
West Chester University Honors Program (Civic Engagement focus)
www.bonner.org

6. Curricular Connections:
Outcomes — Knowledge
• Public Policy: structure and roles of government, ways to be
involved in shaping public policy, and analyzing the implications of
governmental policies
• Poverty: roots and conditions of poverty, implications, and possible
solutions
• International perspective and issues: distribution of wealth,
health care, environmental concern
• Issue-based knowledge: connected to direct service areas,
such as of homelessness or hunger or educatio
• Place-based knowledg: connected to the place where the
student is serving, such as knowledge of local context, history,
economics, politics, and issues
• Diversity: understanding of issues of race, class, gender, culture,
identity and belonging, and so on
www.bonner.org

7. Curricular Connections:
Pillars of Design
Courses
Examine poverty,
Incorporate global
Connect to politics economic inequity,
perspective and
and public policy and social
experiences
stratification
Structural
Intensive and long- Integrated
Sequence increasing
term learning co-curricular &
complexity:
experiences: curricular:
Multi-year
2-4 years of coursework Within specific courses
Developmental
2-4 years of service Across programs
www.bonner.org

8. Curricular Connections:
Types of Courses
Capstone or Integrative
Seminar
Courses (variety of disciplines)
with Full-time Internship or
Co-Curricular Linkage
Bridge Coursework: Methodology,
Service-Learning, CBR, or
Research
Policy/ Poverty/ Global/ This coursework may occur in
Political Economic International different orders.
Analysis Analysis Awareness
Lead-in or Gateway
Course
www.bonner.org

9. Curricular Connections:
Strategies & Lessons Learned
• Strong programs and structures for campus-
community partnerships and service
• Strong group of committed and engaged faculty
and administrators
• The vision or support of the President, Provost,
and senior-level faculty
• Interest and/or demand on the part of students
• Leverage outside support and guidance from an
entity like the Bonner Foundation
www.bonner.org

10. Curricular Connections:
Strategies & Lessons Learned
“Build a support base of key leaders in See resources for:
wide areas of the campus. Having • Ideas about
multiple perspectives (different governance
academic departments, student • Sequence of
services and academic affairs, students, activities
faculty, administrators, alumni) creates • Types of
synergy and gives greater advocacy meetings
voice.” • Timeline
• and more
“Use an organizing approach.”
“Be prepared for change and
compromise.”
www.bonner.org

11. Curricular Connections:
What You Can Do
• Inventory relevant courses
• Identify faculty champions
• Discuss the model across campus
• Help faculty pilot courses
• Support students to catalyze connections
(individualized, courses)
• Identify parallel academic efforts (centers,
programs)
• Push co-curricular connections
www.bonner.org

12. Curricular Connections:
Resources
• Curricular Implementation Guide, including pillars,
courses, campus profiles, essays, and sample syllabi
• FIPSE project monograph (forthcoming)
• “Making Academic Connections Guide” for student
leaders
• Best Practices from Recipes for Change
www.bonner.org

13. Curricular Connections:
Detailed information about models
www.bonner.org

14. Curricular Connections:
Self-Assessment and Evaluation
Academic Coursework: identified relevant academic coursework (e.g., poverty, public
policy, service-learning courses, CBR courses, and independent avenues for study-service
connections); cross-section of students, faculty, and staff informed
Students’ consistent academic connections: Many students enroll in relevant
coursework or participate in independently designed study or research projects
Faculty support and involvement: High level of support for faculty involvement in
civic engagement and academic-service connections; existing committees, interdisciplinary
collaboration, tenure and promotion guidelines
Community voice and involvement: Accessible channels by which community
individuals and/or agencies can be involved in contributing to, designing, carrying out, and/or
evaluating academic, research and service-learning activities; representation on institutional boards,
presenting to classes; shaping research agenda
Community-Based and Policy Research: institution engaged in CBR; community
partners identify their research needs
Faculty promotion, rewards, and tenure: Articulated rewards or incentives for
faculty involvement; tenure and promotion guidelines support
Academic journey (FIPSE), certificate, minor or major: Academic program—
such as a minor, certificate, concentration, or major—addressing civic engagement
www.bonner.org