The Bonner Program Model states that “The founding mission for the Bonner Program is to provide diverse low-income, under-represented, and first-generation students with the opportunity to attend college, while engaging their talents and educations in building and supporting communities.”
The annual recruitment process begins in October with the opening of scholarships. High school students are encouraged to apply through the two recruitment cycles ending in late March. The Bonner Program partners with SRU’s Admissions and Financial Aid Office to ensure the Bonner Leader Program is discussed during the SRU recruitment process to find incoming first-year students committed to SRU who would be assets to the program. Interviews are conducted in late February and early April with a cohort completion goal by May 1st of each year.
The Bonner Program seeks students who show good citizenship, commitment to community service, and academic achievement, but who also demonstrate high financial need. The SRU Bonner Program is cohort-based, recruiting an average of 10 students per year with a maximum of 40 students across all cohorts. Within the program, at least 75% of the students qualify for Federal Work-Study, which supports the “access to education” portion of the Bonner Program motto. Bonner also aims to find a balance of gender, race, ethnicity, and first-generation status. Many students who are accepted into the program have previous service experience, which prepares them for the work component of the financial aid package where students work 10 hours per work at a site placement in the local Slippery Rock and Butler communities.
Bonner includes a diverse group of dedicated students who will lead across campus in building a culture of service and will build relationships within and strengthen our campus and local communities.