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The 5 E's Leadership Model

1. Expectation--Prospective Bonner Scholars

We identify students who have assumed a leadership role within their community or at home that could maintain a four-year commitment to the Bonner program and the Service-Learning Crew. We expect students in the Bonner Program to be self-motivated and responsible. We seek students with proven initiative, creativity, and a commitment to serving their community.

2. Exploration--Freshman Year

We orient the freshmen to the local and greater community as well as the program's administrative and service issues, while also supporting their growth and personal discovery. First-year Bonners engage in tutoring and mentoring relationships with children in the community, facilitate crew meetings, participate in reflection, begin exploring community agencies and the services they provide, and get involved in an ongoing bi-weekly "work group" with other Service-Learning crew members that focuses on a particular function of the Service-Learning program.

3. Experience--Sophomore Year

Bonners continue a commitment to tutoring and mentoring while also understanding how to participate effectively in the community by taking on specific roles in the Service-Learning Office that integrate the college campus with the larger community. Bonners promote the service opportunities to the campus, initiate and lead weekly service trips, act as a service advisor to a Freshman Seminar, and engage in group mentoring, motivating, and project planning. Students may also gain 280 hours (7 weeks) of work experience through a summer internship with a non-profit agency.

4. Example--Junior Year

Students assume project organizer and coordinator responsibilities that provide direct service opportunities for students on campus. They lead the projects and set examples for the freshmen and sophomore crew members. During their junior year, Bonner Scholars continue to tutor and mentor, plan and lead weekly and Saturday service trips, plan and co-lead break trips, plan on-campus events, and serve as contacts for community partners. During the summer after their junior year, Bonner Scholars may participate in another 280-hour internship with a non-profit agency.

5. Expertise--Senior Year

Students serve a community agency as an "apprentice" who can assist in different capacities such as strategic planning and implementation, financial management, special projects, grant research and writing, partnership coordination, program design and development, etc. This "apprenticeship", a two-semester, 300 to 350-hour Capstone Project, brings together a student’s past 3 years of experience and training in a way that can serve one particular local community agency and also further the student's passion and interest. Senior Bonners gain expertise and prepare for meeting the challenges of life after college and support the transition of entering the working world or graduate school.