To ensure the continuance of the Bonner Scholars Program at Oberlin College, the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation has invited the College to participate in the Bonner Endowment with an award of $4.5 million, announced Kenneth F. Kunzman, chair of the Bonner Foundation Board of Trustees. The award requires the College to provide an additional $2 million.

“The Bonner Scholars and I are ecstatic about the endowment,” says Director of Bonner Scholars Donna Russell. “The award guarantees longevity and greater visibility for the program both on campus and within the national Bonner network.”

As Bonner Foundation President Wayne Meisel says, “Oberlin was one of the original schools identified by the Bonner Foundation to help define and launch the Bonner Scholars Program. Oberlin is one of the defining institutions in America that has championed the causes of liberal education, access, and diversity. We at the Bonner Foundation were inspired by that vision and are equally committed to preserving and advancing it.”

To celebrate the award, the College’s Center for Service and Learning—which coordinates the Bonner Scholars and other programs, such as a community service work-study program, community-based learning courses, America Reads, and the Community Service Resource Center—has been renamed the Bonner Center for Service and Learning.

The Bonner Scholars Program was begun by philanthropists Corella and Bertram F. Bonner in 1990 and established at Oberlin in October 1992. The Bonner’s aim was to heighten students’ overall education by engaging undergraduates in ongoing service work and helping them develop the tools and knowledge necessary to make the work meaningful and lasting.

“I could not imagine the Bonner Scholars Program without Oberlin leading the way in what we do,” says Meisel. “The students, administrators, faculty, and community leaders have established a standard of excellence in terms of community engagement. At the same time, their passion for innovation and energy for exploring new vistas offer all of us a constant challenge and enduring hope for humanity.”

Each year 60 students—15 from each class—are supported with a four-year community service scholarship and the Bonner Scholar designation. All of the students must have a commitment to service and a high financial need; many are first-generation college students, from low-income backgrounds, or from groups underrepresented in academia. Bonner Scholars may receive up to $15,500 over four years.

Andria Ryall ’05 was chosen as a Bonner Scholar in spring 2001. During her four years at Oberlin, she mentored a local youth, conducted pregnancy tests at a family planning agency, tutored fourth-grade girls in math, and undertook archival work at a local historical organization. Bonner Scholar summer stipends broadened her education by enabling her to learn the ins-and-outs of growing fruits and vegetables for hunger charities in Santa Fe, N.M., and raising funds for an HIV/Advocacy group in San Francisco.

Since 2000, 105 Oberlin Bonner Scholars like Andria have contributed more than 160,000 hours of community service, advocacy, grassroots organizing, and educational research to area nonprofits. Many also continue serving after graduation. Andria says her Bonner experience led directly to her current work—teaching second grade in a low-income community in Las Vegas with Teach For America.

“I have faith there will be a more just world one day thanks to the Bonner Endowment,” she says. “The amazing community of Bonner Scholars will continue to flourish at Oberlin.  The Scholars truly embody the Oberlin belief that we can change the world!”