On February 25, 2022, representatives from seven colleges and universities in the Bonner Network met for the launch of the Bonner Pathways Project. These institutions share an aspiration to make civic learning and democratic engagement embedded in their institutional fabrics, such that 25% of graduates will have deep, multiyear experiences culminating in community-engaged capstone level work. These experiences have a proven link with student retention, success, learning, well-being, and post-graduate outcomes. This Community of Practice will work over the next several years to reach its goal, developing models for higher education. This project is led by the Bonner Foundation team, including Bobby Hackett, Ariane Hoy, Rachayita Shah, Liz Brandt, Arthur Tartee, and Kristi Cordier.

1. Welcome to the Soft Launch Meeting!
Friday, February 25, 2022
Bonner Network
Pathways Project
An Initiative of the Bonner Foundation and Network
to Scale Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement

2. Welcome!
• Averett University (VA)
• College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University (MN)
• Maryville College (TN)
• Montclair State University (NJ)
• Oberlin College (OH)
• Siena College (NY)
• Widener University (PA)

3. Today’s Agenda
1. Introductions (15)
2. The Big Aspiration and Project Overview (25)
3. Team Introductions (40)
4. Communities of Practice and Looking Ahead (10)

4. Introductions
Each person can introduce themselves
(in institution order), just name, title/
role, and how long you’ve been there.

5. Aspirational Vision
25% of graduates complete signi
fi
cant
scaffolded community engagement pathway
culminating in capstone-level project

6. Why this goal?
Evidence points to key high impact practices...
Cohort programs
with a common
purpose
Social justice must
be at the center
Programs involve
signi
fi
cant,
sustained
community
engagement
Should include a
mentored
capstone-level
community
engaged project

7. Proven Experiences

8. Characterization % (7
campuses)
Charity 51.7
Social change 9.1
Empowering others 15.7
Participatory
democracy
1.6
Social justice 3.8
• SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE TAKING
• Acknowledge personal differences
• Appreciate the world from someone else’s perspective
• Interact with someone with views different from their own
• REFLECTION ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• Discuss and navigate controversial issues
• Define an issue or challenge and identify possible solutions
• Reflect upon the solution of an issue or challenge
• Reflect on community or social issues as a shared responsibility
• Reflect on their personal responsibility for community or social issues
• ENGAGEMENT IN SOCIAL ACTION
• Implement a solution to an issue or challenge
• Act on community or social issues
Center Social Justice

9. •Signi
fi
cant investment of time
and effort
•Substantive interaction with
faculty and peers
•Experiences with diversity and in
unfamiliar situations
•Making a difference for others
•Agency and accomplishment
High-Impact Experiences

10. Why Us?
Commitment to
diverse
low-income
students
Proven model for
access and
completion
centered on social
justice
70+ institutions in a
national network
Track record of
innovation

11. What Got Us Here
1994 - FIPSE funding
piloted four-year
service based
scholarship model
1997 - Learn &
Serve funded
work on CBR
2004 - FIPSE
funded work on
minors &
certi
fi
cates
2005 - AAC&U
LEAP Initiative and
emergence of evidence for
engaged learning
1990 2010
1995 2000
2000 - Ten Year
Study of Student
Impact
2005
Community Based Research
(Summer 2003)
Volume published by
Jossey-Bass (2003)
Post-Graduation Service and Civic
Outcomes for High Financial
Need Students (2008)
Longitudinal Student Outcomes of
Co-Curricular Service-Learning
Programs (2009)
Diversity Digest curated by AAC&U
and Bonner (2006)
Bonner Model of Minors
published by AAC&U(2008)

12. 2010 on - Growth of
Certi
fi
cates, Minors,
Concentrations, and
Majors
2011-2014 -
Bonner High-
Impact Initiative
2016 - Know
Your Issue &
Social Action
Course Model
2018 - Expanded
Student Impact Survey
including Academic,
Social Justice, Post-
Graduate, and
Wellbeing Outcomes
2010 2025
2015 2020
2015 - Ten Year Mark
of LEAP Initiative and
Call for Signature
Work / Capstones
“Disciplining” Community
Engagement (2011)
Volume published by
Palgrave 2013
Link with LEAP Call for Signature
Work 2015
25 Year Findings (2017)
Focus on Policy Research (Know Your
Issue) and Social Action
Racial and Social Justice:
Linking DEI and CEL
2019 - Community-
Engaged Learning
and Racial Justice
Initiatives

13. Challenge
Scale!
• Pathways
• Community
Partnerships
• Policies
• Infrastructure

14. Team Introductions
How does the Pathways Project
fi
t with
your institution’s strategic priorities and
initiatives?

15. Avere
tt
University
Danville, Virginia (900 undergraduates)
• Billy Wooten; Dean of the Center for Community Engagement and
Career Competitiveness
• April Love-Loveless; Director of Bonner Leaders Program
• Dana Mehalko; Director of Of
fi
ce of Institutional Research and
Effectiveness
• Emma Olsson; Athletic Program Coordinator
• David Hanbury; Associate Professor of Psychology; Chair of General
Education Task Force
• Melanie Lewis; Associate Professor of Health and Sports Science;
Department Chair
• Stephanie Patton; Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
• Faith Bowlin, Bonner Leader
• Shane’ya Snipes, Bonner Leader

16. CSB / SJU
St. Cloud, Minnesota (4,000 undergraduates)
• Barb May, Academic Dean
• Angie Schmidt Whitney, Executive Director of XPD
• Adia Zeman Theis, Associate Director XPD
• Mary Beth Thompson, Student Success System Administrator
• Kevin Clancy, Director of the Center for Global Education
• Lindsey Gutsch, Director of Undergraduate Research
• Sabrina Gilchrist, Outreach and Ambassador Manager for the
Experience Hub
• Beth Wengler, History Professor, Co-Director of the Honors Program
• Emily Esch, Philosophy Professor, Co-Director of the Honors Program
• Ted Gordon, General Education Faculty Member and Faculty Fellow
• Sydney Walker and Tom Hobday, Student Leaders

17. Maryville College
Maryville, Tennessee (1,000 undergraduates)
• Dan Klingensmith, Vice President and Dean of the College
• Ariane Schratter, Professor of Psychology and Faculty Fellow
• Amy Gilliland, Director of Community Engagement
• Anne McKee, Chaplain and Director of the Bonner Scholars Program
• Adrienne Schwarte, Professor of Design and Sustainability
• Kathie Shiba, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Kirsten Shepperd, Director of Global Engagement
• Phil Sherman, Associate Professor of Religion, working on certi
fi
cates in
Global Engagement and Sense of Place
• Kris Seiber, Bonner Scholar (Education Major)

18. Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey (16,400 undergraduates)
• Bryan Murdock, Director of the Center for Community Engagement
• Todd Kelshaw, Associate Director in the School of Communication and
Media, School of Communication and Media and Faculty Fellow
• Krystal Woolston, Assistant Director of the Center for Community
Engagement and Bonner Program Director
• Megan Matesic, Lead Institutional Research Analyst in Institutional
Research and Effectiveness
• Christopher Matthews, Professor of Anthropology
• Ashwin Vaidya, Professor and Chair of Mathematics
• Daniela
Chica, Assistant Project Coordinator for the Center for
Community Engagement
• Jayde Worthen, Bonner Leader

19. Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio (3,000 undergraduates)
• David Kamitsuka, Dean of Arts & Sciences
• Tania Boster, Executive Director of the Bonner Center and Director of
Experiential Learning, Assistant Professor of History
• Pam Snyder, Executive Director, Foundation, Government & Corporate
Grants
• Brittnei Sherrod, Director of the Bonner Scholars Program
• Jody Kerchner, Professor of Music Education; Director, Division of
Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement
• Caroline Jackson Smith, Professor of Theater and Africana Studies;
Chair of Theater
• Grace An, Associate Professor of French and Cinema Studies
• Other Faculty and Student Leaders

20. Siena College
Loudonvile, New York (3,000 undergraduates)
• Glenn Braddock, Associate Vice President for Student Academic
Success and Engagement
• Allison Schultz, Director of Academic Community Engagement
• Ruth Kassel, Associate Director of Academic Community Engagement
• Vera Eccarius-Kelly, Professor of Comparative Politics & ACE Scholar-in-
Residence
• Tamara McCallum, Bonner Program Director
• Sarah Toledano, NExT Program Director
• Tito Serrano, Associate Campus Minister
• Paul Thurston, Associate Professor of Management
• Samantha Lunt, Bonner Leader (Psychology)
• Cody Romani, Bonner Leader (Education)

21. Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania (3,000 undergraduates)
• Andrew Workman, Provost
• Lombuso Khoza, Executive Director of the Of
fi
ce of Civic and Global Engagement
• Marina Barnett, Co-Director of Academic Service-Learning Faculty Development
Program, Associate Professor, and Faculty Fellow
• Stephen Thorpe, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
• Lashanda Patton, Assistant Director of Civic Engagement
• Michelle Meekins-Davis, Chief Diversity Of
fi
cer
• Kimberly O’Halloran, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Strategy
• Annalisa Castaldo, Associate Professor; Director, Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies
• Loyd Bastin, Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor
• Zora Wolfe, Director of K-12 Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology
Programs & Associate Professor
• Ijjae Hill, Bonner Scholar and Student Trustee

22. Communities of Practice
A Brief Overview of the Concept

23. Our Community of Practice
• Engage in joint activities and
discussions, help each other, and share
information
• Build relationships that enable us to learn
from each other
• Work together on a common goal and
problem solving

24. You’re Shaping the Field
• Piloting projects
• Linking
community
engagement with
strategic priorities
• Creating
replicable models
• Leveraging the
f
ield to drive
change on campus
• Making the case
with supporting
evidence

25. What We’ll Do Together
• Webinars
• Special topics for individual team members
• All group webinars for team sharing
• Consult with teams
• Link teams with Field Leaders & resources
• Seek opportunities to share lessons learned

26. Field Leaders
Lina Dostilio, University
of Pittsburgh & CUMU
Timothy Eatman,
Rutgers University
Newark and HERE
Nick Longo,
Providence College
Caryn McTighe
Musil, AAC&U and
CLDE Action
Network
Dawn Whitehead,
AAC&U
David Scobey,
Bringing Theory to
Practice
Paul Schadewald,
Macalester College
& Imagining
America
John Saltmarsh,
Carnegie CE
Classi
fi
cation and
HERE
• Spring
Meetings
with Field
Leaders on
Zoom
• Additional
Webinars

27. Upcoming Webinars

28. Save the Dates
• Special Topics Webinars -> 1-2 monthly starting in
April based on survey to determine best day and time
• Meetings with Field Leaders -> Mid-April
• Summer Leadership Institute at The College of New
Jersey -> June 16-19
• All Group Webinar -> Summer Pathways Institute TBD

29. Looking Ahead
All Group Webinar
Thursday, March 3 at 2:00 pm
We’ll focus on teams sharing and discussing their
approaches and the roles people are taking!
• Longer overviews of your work
• MURAL Board activities to share programs and infrastructure
• Facilitative actions of Change Agents for all team members
(senior leadership, faculty, staff, students, partners)