Annual Report – Programmatic Section

 

 

Implementation of Student Development: 

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Meetings, Reflections, and Presentations of Learning:

 

We are particularly pleased with the quality of reflection at the All Bonner Meetings this year.  Each month a different class is in charge of leading some kind of discussion or issue education, as well as facilitating community fund grant proposals votes and any other announcements and business.  Sometimes, we found individuals used this time to present on topics in front of their fellow Bonners before they would give the same presentation to larger groups on campus or in the community. It was good to see our Bonners not only learn and become passionate about issues, but also use each other as a resource to improve their presentation skills.  Presentations included reports from various conferences they had attended to what was going on within their local service sites. 

 

As always, the seniors presented their senior reflections at the February Bonner Retreat.  Again, the seniors not only gave the underclassmen Bonners a good sense of their projects over the last four years, but also were able to express life lessons and encouragement to their fellow Bonners.  We continue to see this time of senior reflections, combined with the rest of the February Retreat, to be a time of both reflection and recommitment

 

The freshmen continue to meet weekly, focusing mostly on their assigned issue area and preparing for their first year trip.  And, finally, the sophomore and junior classes meet monthly mostly to check in with one another or prepare for their sophomore exchange, work on their trip preparation for the Junior/Senior Leadership Fund and continue learning about their class’s assigned issue area.

 

 

 

First Year Trip:

 

The theme for this year’s First Year Bonners was Education.  The students spent the Spring Semester breaking down issues of the education system and teaching each other through individual and group presentations and discussions.  More than any issue before, the students seemed to open up and speak of personal experiences of the U.S. education system.  Whether our students came from low income schools in rural communities and the inner cities, went to private/parochial schools or were home schooled, every student was able to find a topic with which they were particularly passionate.  Examples of these topics ranged from school funding for the arts and alternative education models to the particular struggles of the GLBTQ students.  Students also wrestled with public policies and political issues which led to vigorous debate surrounding No Child Left Behind. 

 

Our First Year trip was to Washington, D.C. and a program organized by the Church of the Pilgrim.  Although many of the service projects had little to do directly with the issue of Education, many of our students found interesting connections between the issues surrounding both Education and Poverty, particularly in the areas of public funding, social services and housing.  The students also had the opportunity to visit a non-profit group called For the Love of Children, which provides young children and at-risk youth with educational services and guidance and support for post-secondary schooling.   

 

 

Junior/ Senior Leadership:

 

 

Thanks to the Junior/Senior Leadership Grant, our upperclassmen Bonners are off to Ecuador on July 26^th.  They will be working with the orphanage, Aldeas Infantiles S.O.S.,  an international non-profit organization.  The agency cares for orphaned children on the basis of four principles; Mother, Brother, House and Village.  The Mother is usually a full time volunteer who takes care of approximately eight children.  The Brother is an older child who helps the mother with basic day-today operations.  The  House is the place where each family lives with their own belongings and responsibilities.  Finally, the Village is a community of about twelve family houses.  This allows the children the chance to have a more traditional home and neighborhood experience, rather than a traditional orphanage setting

 

 

 

Implementation of Community Partnerships: 

 

Over all, our community partnerships are as strong as ever.  We still find that upper upper class Bonners naturally fall into leadership positions with their sites.   We are currently in the process of surveying or community partners in order to build stronger relationships.  The results of these surveys, and an action plan based on those results, should be ready by Fall Semester. 

 

The following are special projects completed this year by Maryville College students, Faculty, and Community Partners:

 

Project: Oral History from African Americans in Appalachia

Community Partner:  African-Americas of Appalachia in Blount County

Student Researcher: Grant McCarty

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Susan Ambler

 

Project: Prevention of Domestic Violence

Community Partner: Haven House

Student Researcher: Lauren  Jones

Faculty Supervisor:  Dr. Karen Beale

 

Project:  Access to Clean Water in Appalachia

Community Partner:  Living Waters for the World

Student Researcher:  Ally Ketron

Faculty Supervisor:  Dr. Mark O’Gorman

 

Project:  Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Service Dogs

Community Partner:  Wilderwood Service Dogs

Student Researchers:  Andrew Salpas, Joe Norskov, Rebekah Pipkins, Rachael Skerczcak,  Niki Gorsuch

Faculty Supervisors:  Dr. Ariane Schratter and Dr. Chad Schrock

 

 

 

Campus-wide Culture and Infrastructure: 

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The most significant change the the campus culture this year has been the Center for Strong Communities.  The following was reported by Dr. Billy Newton, the Director of the Center for strong commuities:

 

With the establishment of the Center for Strong Communities, the Bonner Scholars Program has a broader resource for developing community partnerships and connecting service with academic study at Maryville College. In its first year of operation, the CSC has focused on three major strategies:

 

• Engaging students and faculty in applied, community-based research. Our fist step

has been to coordinate new CBR practica and other opportunities for faculty, Bonner

Scholars, and other students. The CSC presented the Practicum Project at the ’08 Bonner

SLI.

• Developing leadership and training opportunities for nonprofit staff, volunteers and

board members, such as grant writing, strategic planning, evaluating outcomes,

marketing/communications, multicultural relations, financial management, running for public office, starting a nonprofit, and principles of collaboration.

• Hosting community forums and educational events on public issues, such as water

quality, K-12 public education, understanding poverty, environmental sustainability, rural preservation, and multicultural relations.

Specifically, Bonner Scholars partner with the CSC by serving as interns, by participating in community forums, assisting with event planning for the broader community, and developing community-based research projects.

 

Long-term, we expect the CSC-Bonner Scholars partnership to lead the way on engaging a majority of faculty and students in community-based research and courses that integrate academic study with civic engagement. As we continue to develop leadership and training opportunities for community professionals, Bonner Scholars will be included in workshops, sitting side by side with nonprofit professionals and other community leaders.