Mars Hill University
100 Athletic Street
Mars Hill, NC 28754
http://www.mhu.edu/
CAMPUS AT A GLANCE & KEY FACTS
Mars Hill University is a private, four-year liberal arts institution located in the mountains of western North Carolina. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in western North Carolina on its original site.
- Mars Hill’s small campus offers a warm and engaging environment, where students get to know each other, as well as professors and university staff. Mars Hill boasts an eclectic mix of students, and one of the highest percentages of minority students in the region. The university draws students from all over the United States, and the world.
- Students are challenged to excellence by a liberal arts curriculum which offers six undergraduate degrees (B.A., B.S., B.S.N., B.M., B.F.A., and B.S.W.) in 32 majors (with 63 concentrations) and 31 minors, and four graduate degrees, the Master of Education, Master of Management, Master of Arts in Teaching, and the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled in the traditional campus courses, while almost 100 working adults take classes in the evening through the Adult & Graduate Studies program, either on campus or at one of several satellite locations.
BONNER PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
Type of Program: Bonner Scholar
Year Began: 1991
Bonner Program Website: http://www.mhu.edu/engagement/bonner-scholars-program
Applications are accepted beginning in the fall of each year and selections are made on a rolling basis.
Where is the Bonner Program located: Center for Community Engagement
Number of Bonner Students: 60
Highlighted Bonner Specific Programs:
- First-Year Bonner Spring Break Trip: First year students spend a portion of their spring break engaging in service together. The location changes annually. In 2023 students served with Habitat for Humanity near the North Carolina coast. In 2024 students will serve with an environmental education project.
- First-Year Seminar: First year students in the Bonner Program are all enrolled in the same First-Year Seminar 111 & 112 classes. These classes act as a way to add cohesiveness to the first year Bonner class .The classes also cover the meaning behind the Bonner Common Commitments and explores social justice issues.
- Rising Senior International Trip: Rising Senior Bonner Scholars are given the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the world through an international service trip. In 2023, students visited Ireland and Northern Ireland to learn more about conflict resolution and peace building. In 2024, Rising seniors will serve with youth empowerment in Belize.
CAMPUS-WIDE ENGAGEMENT AT A GLANCE
- Community and Nonprofit Leadership Major/Minor: The Community and Nonprofit Leadership major prepares students to work in the private non-profit and public sector as well as graduate study in nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, community development or public policy. Students will develop their abilities to make positive change in their community, region, and the world, learn to work effectively with people different from themselves, enact principles of social justice, and engage in extensive experiential learning. This interdisciplinary major has courses on sociology, business, working in community/ government organizations and more. It also includes a year-long junior field placement and a significant senior internship. The minor in community leadership is an interdisciplinary program in which students gain an understanding of their own special leadership abilities and how to use those abilities to lead in community organizations.
- Community Engaged Trips: All students have the opportunity to take a travel community engagement class that focuses on cross-cultural competencies and ethical service. Students partake in meaningful and sustainable service with our domestic and international partners that adds to their global perspective. In 2023 students traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii and in 2024 will travel to Portugal.
KEY CONTACTS
President: Tony Floyd
Bonner Program Staff:
- Deb Myers, Director of Center for Community Engagement
828-689-1161
dmyers@mhu.edu
- Caroline Twiggs, Community Partnerships Coordinator
828-689-1297
ctwiggs@mhu.edu
Bonner Scholar Intern:
- Lauren Sermersheim, lauren_sermersheim@mhu.edu
Bonner Cohort Program Associate:
- Rakiyan Moss, Rakiyan_Moss@mhu.edu