Location: About 20 minutes South West of Philadelphia

Enrollment: In 2007, total 6,500 students

BONNER PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Type of Program: Bonner Leaders          

Year Began: 2007

Bonner Program website  

Widener Office of Civic Engagement website

Number of Bonner Leaders: 63

KEY CONTACTS

President: James T. Harris III, D.Ed.

Bonner Director: Elizabeth Housholder

Bonner Coordinators: Anna Miller

Bonner Senior Intern(s): Nicole Nardone, Karly Simon, and Anastasia Mazza

Bonner Congress Representatives: Rachel Yenko-Martinka and Eryn Quinn

MORE ABOUT US - Programmatic Highlights from 2011-2012 (our partners, trips, structure, best or unique practices)

~ ~ This past November, Widener University was proud to introduce the Office of Civic Engagement at Widener University. Elizabeth Housholder was named the Assistant Dean of the Office of Civic Engagement and the director of the Presidential Service Corps/Bonner Leader Program. The Office of Civic Engagement plans to not only improve upon and encourage growth for current service and civic engagement opportunities such as the PSC/Bonner program, Freshman Day of Service, Community Partnerships, and Political Engagement opportunities, but also to promote new programs. New initiatives run through the Office of Civic Engagement include a Leadership and Civic Engagement Learning Living Community, a website for current Widener students with a community partner search engine, and collaborations with the newly developed Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener University. The PSC/Bonner program at Widener University is so excited to have ‘Dean Liz’ as their director.  This upcoming year is going to be filled with a lot of growth and development.  The Office of Civic Engagement and the PSC/Bonner program will work concurrently with one another to promote Civic Engagement at Widener University and throughout the City of Chester .  Together, they will work to live out the office’s missions statement.

~Mission Statement~

The Office of Civic Engagement fosters co-curricular opportunities to educate, empower, and equip Widener students to become personally and socially responsible leaders and continually build collaborative campus and community partnerships to further the university’s civic mission.

~ ~ After surveying Widener University PSC/Bonner students at the end of the academic year it was concluded that many students feel as they don’t really know the community in which they are serving.  They know their service site and the people who they serve, but outside of that they feel blindsided as to the issues surrounding the community.  Therefore, this summer a video project is being conducted that will introduce the City of Chester to the Widener community as a whole.  This 20 minute video will discuss the issues of Chester, but will also include a call to action that will encourage all Widener students to take a stand and be a part of the difference.

~ ~ Another exciting addition to the PSC/Bonner program at Widener University was our first annual sophomore exchange.  This  year Rider University Bonners came to Widener University for an overnight stay.  During the sophomore exchange, sophomores from both programs were able to learn about different Bonner practices and community partners other than their own.  In addition, one group of students served alongside their new Bonner friends at Mother’s Home where they helped to sort donations and re-organize store space for single mothers while another group of students handed out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the homeless in Philadelphia!