Center for Community-Based Learning

Program Requirements

Bonner Scholars in good standing with the program:

  • Work with an approved non-profit community partner organization meeting social, educational, or environmental needs for 8 – 10 hours/week during the school year, for a total of 140 hours/semester
  • Align their community engagement work with their academic and career goals so that they graduate with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for graduate school or a career in their area of interest
  • Engage in fun and enriching bi-weekly meetings with other Bonner Scholars and staff, designed to deepen Scholars’ learning, reflection, and sense of purpose and community. Hours spent in these meetings and in the cornerstones below count toward a students’ hourly total.
  • Engage in each “Bonner cornerstone,” tailored to students’ developmental needs.
    • First Year Bonner Orientation and the First Year Interim class and trip to Washington, DC
    • Sophomore Service Exchange - Wofford Bonner sophomores meet, serve, and learn with Bonner sophomores from other institutions
    • Junior Signature Work - an intensive research or program development project for a nonprofit partner that aligns with the students’ major and career interests and/or studying and serving abroad.
    • Senior Presentations of Service & Learning – seniors prepare a poster reflection on their growth and community impact over four years in the program, including connections with their academics and chosen career, which is displayed Commencement weekend as part of Wofford’s Senior Showcase.
  • Maintain at least a 2.5 GPA each semester
  • Work with an approved non-profit community partner organization meeting social, educational, or environmental needs for 280 hours/summer over at least two summers, the first of which is immediately following their first year at Wofford. (This requirement may be amended for students who enter the program later than the start of their first year.)

If this sounds like a lot to you, we want to remind you that Bonner began at Wofford in 1991 and the program requirements have changed very little since the beginning. With lots of support from Wofford and the national Bonner network, several hundred Wofford Bonner alumni before you have not only survived, but thrived, doing this. And you can too!