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Dialogue Across Difference

Page history last edited by Ariane Hoy 6 years ago

Front Page / Campus-Wide Integration / Dialogue Across Difference / Overview

 

 

Dialogue Across Difference


Overview  |  Guides  |  Campus Examples  |  Documents to Download


 

Each Bonner Program builds a cohort of diverse students that are engaging over multiple years both off and on campus. As noted elsewhere, the degree of diversity of the Bonner Program and broader campus climate was found to be a positive contributing factor in the impact of the four-year program on students' learning and post-graduate outcomes. You can learn more about that assessment under Bonner Student Impact Survey

 

The recruitment and selection process for a Bonner Program takes into account a wide array of factors of diversity, enriched by the context of the campus and surrounding community.

 

Additionally, the program itself is designed to encouraged this kind of dialogue and reflection. The Bonner Common Commitments – which represent values that students explore during their involvement - include Community Building, Civic Engagement (political dimensions), Diversity, International Perspective, Social Justice, and Spiritual Exploration. Activities, including "dialogue across difference" - provide students with safe spaces and an opportunity to explore, clarify, and refine their own values and beliefs. 

 

Diversity in the Bonner Program and Network


 

Elements of individual diversity include:

 

  • Sex and gender: Bonner Programs are guided to achieve gender balance, with a principle of not being more than 60/40 percent toward any direction. While most programs have more women, each program makes intentional efforts to recruit and engage men. Additionally, programs in the network involve students whose identities are not described by the gender binary or whom are transitioning..

 

  • Race and ethnicity: Bonner Programs at institutions with a majority white population (also known as Predominantly White Institutions, or PWIs) have often recruited greater proportions of students of color, in terms of the racial and ethnic profile, than that of the institution as a whole. According to data collected from the network for the 20th anniversary in 2015, the racial and ethnic profile of the network as a whole included:

 

    • 21% African-American students (compared to 12% nationally in higher education)
    • 8% Asians-American students (compared to 5% nationally in higher education)
    • 3% Multiracial students (compared to 1.8% nationally in higher education)
    • 10% Latino/Hispanic (compared to 17% nationally in higher education)
    • 54% White (compared to 63% nationally in higher education)
    • 4% International (representing a variety of ethnic backgrounds)

Sources: "The Bonner Foundation Celebrates 25 Years" (Bonner Foundation, 2015) and "Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups" (NCES, U.S. Department of Education, 2015)

 

  • Economic diversity: The Bonner Scholars Program and most Bonner Leader Programs (with their reliance on Federal/Community Work Study) target Pell eligible students and students from low-income backgrounds, who comprise 85% of Scholar programs and a majority of Leader programs. At the same time, individual programs also involve middle- and high-income students. The racial, ethnic, and economic diversity of each program varies in part because of the institutional context and connection to place.

 

    • It is important to note that low-income White students are also intentionally part of the Bonner Program (i.e., the program does not target low-income students of color and high-income whites). Many campuses located in the Appalachian region, especially draw student bodies from local surrounds. This commitment is augmented by the story and legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Bonner and their commitment to Appalachia. Mrs. Bonner was born in Egan, Tennessee. 

 

  • Religious and spiritual: Students have a wide array of religious and/or spiritual beliefs and communities. A number of institutions in the Bonner network have historically been and may remain today affiliated with various Christian traditions, including Protestant and Presbyterian. A few institutions are affiliated with the Quaker tradition. Some institutions have a reputation of having student bodies who are largely agnostic or atheist. The 2003 survey of students through the Student Impact Survey found 62 percent of Bonner Scholars identified themselves as "religiously affiliated"; 23 percent identified themselves as "spiritual but not religious" and 7 percent of students said they were not religious. (Source: Keen & Keen, 2003; Meisel, 2013).

 

  • Political affiliations: The Bonner Foundation has not collected information about the political or party connections of students in the network. Historically, national gatherings have been planned to be inclusive of individuals with a wide array of belief systems. Informal polls have often found that students represent Democratic, Republican, and Independent viewpoints. (More recent polls and data conducted by CIRCLE and the Pew Foundation have pointed to a growing affiliation by Millennials to socially progressive views). The curriculum for training and reflection has been intentionally designed to promote deeper inquiry, reflection and dialogue across this and other dimensions of diversity and inclusion.

 

  • Service partners: Each Bonner Program builds and sustains its own partnerships with a variety of schools, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Such entities are large and small, grassroots and part of national networks. Some are founded and run by local parents, alumni, and other concerned citizens. As such, these organizations are very diverse. Their work spans issues including arts, community development, education, environment, family services, homelessness, homeland security, refugee resettlement, 

 

Dialogue Across Difference


 

In light of the importance and impact of diversity (of people, perspectives, and experiences) within the Bonner Program, we have learned that "dialogue across difference" is a key to its success. This phrase came out of a seven-year longitudinal study of the impact of the Bonner Program involving 23 colleges and more than 1,500 students. We learned that intentional dialogue, reflection, and sensemaking - in preparation for the work, during the work, and in an ongoing way over four years - has a big impact on students' efficacy, knowledge, and skills. 

 

In this section of the wiki, you will find some resources related to planning and carrying out dialogue. These resources and principles may be helpful, also, for campus-wide engagement (especially around current events and in conjunction with other issues occurring on campus). See the Campus Examples  and  Documents to Download, especially. The Foundation has often sought to identify the best resources from a variety of groups and organizations that specialize in training individuals to have dialogue across issues of difference and diversity.