Mission and History
The
Berry College Bonner Scholars Program exits to transform the lives of
high financial need students, their campuses, local communities, and
the nation by providing access to education and an opportunities to
serve.
Begun in 1990 by The Corella and Bertram F.
Bonner Foundation, the Bonner Scholars Program is one of the largest
privately funded service scholarship programs in the nation. The
program's mission is to make college available to individuals who are
unable to afford an education due to financial restraints, to provide
for those students academic support, and to give scholarship recipients
opportunities to serve their college communities in lasting and
meaningful ways. Currently at 24 institutions of higher learning in
the Southeast and Midwest, more than 1,500 students are Bonner Scholars
and are "changing the world through service."
In 1991, Berry College became one of the
first institutions to participate in the Bonner Scholars Program. Over
the last seventeen years, over 300 students have served the Rome-Floyd
County community in over 80 local agencies. During the 2007-2008
academic term, Bonner Scholars gave no less than 21,000 hours to
at-risk children and teenagers, the physically and mentally disabled,
the elderly, the hungry and homeless, and the environment. Allowing
scholars to choose projects that accommodate their varying interests
and skills, a variety of service opportunities are available to Berry
students. Through the Bonner Scholars Program, Berry College students
are becoming leaders in the service movement by raising awareness
levels on campus, encouraging peers to give their time, and visioning
and implementing solutions to issues facing our nation.
As
stated earlier, Bonner Scholars Program candidates must demonstrate
financial need. They must also exhibit good citizenship and a
commitment to serving others as well as maintain a strong academic
record. Bonner Scholars are required to serve an average of 10 hours a
week in the community. Students also participate in summer community
service internships across the Southeast, the nation, and the world. At Berry, Bonner Scholars are supported for four years of their
undergraduate education through Foundation funds, institutional funds,
and subsidized governmental loans. Moreover, Berry Bonner Scholars are
eligible to earn additional education awards through their
participation in the Bonner AmeriCorps Program. The future of the
Bonner Scholars Program was guaranteed when, in 1995, Berry along with
six other institutions was awarded a $4.92 million endowment.
Additionally, as a stipulation of the endowment, Berry College
solicited another $1 million for support of the Bonner Scholars Program.
Berry
College has a rich tradition of service to others. In 1902, college
founder Martha Berry established the institution to help children and
young adults from the rural mountains of Georgia and Alabama better
themselves through education. Just as Martha Berry became an activist
in her era, so too, the Berry College Bonner Scholars are "changing the
world through service." Perhaps no other program at Berry better
illustrates the college motto, "Not to be ministered unto, but to
minister."