Bonner VIP Visits Campus
Jennifer Tramel
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News
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"He came to strategize with the leadership team about the long-term direction of the program and to offer us any help we might need from the foundation staff as we work towards a permanent endowment that will enable the program to continue here at CN," said Dr. Beth Vanlandingham, Associate Coordinator of the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement.
Hackett met with C-N's Bonner faculty team of Dr. Larry Osborne, Dr. Beth Vanlandingham, Amanda Ford, and Karina Fox and the student-led council, consisting of Matt Cheney, Lauren Parham, Noah Case, and Chris Wooden. Hackett then held an open forum for all Bonner Scholars to voice any concerns they may have in regards to transition of the road to endowment and the new regulations that the Bonner Foundation is undergoing.
"He was enthusiastic about where the program is going and urged us to continue to develop greater connections between the Bonner Scholars Program and the wider campus community," said Vanlandingham. "He was also very impressed with the maturity and thoughtfulness of the Bonners that he met."
New Bonner regulations have identified some student's volunteer sites as unacceptable requiring students to find replacements. Hackett's main goal for the forum was to address any frustrations of those students.
Bonner President Matt Cheney said, "Some concerns voiced dealt with the religious nature of service sites and whether or not C-N was following foundational guidelines about these sites. Bobby (Hackett) affirmed the stance of the C-N Bonners and helped us work out a compromise with students affected negatively by the transition."
According to Dr. Larry Osborne, the Interim Bonner Director, Hackett sympathized with the degree of information overload in terms of keeping up with and understanding the full Bonner program.
"He was very open to answer all questions and willing to meet with students, both individually and as a group which was incredibly helpful," said Amanda Ford, Bonner Coordinator.
On Wednesday, Hackett met with the two Bonner Service classes and ate lunch that was prepared by a group of first-year Bonners, who had been studying the issue of local food and how food choices affect a community. Most of the food came from within 50 miles of C-N.
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