Contact Us

P) 609.771.2548

F) 609.771.2573

E) bonner@tcnj.edu

Street Address

1938 Pennington Rd.

Ewing, NJ 08618

Please enter our parking lot from Pennington Road, we are located about 150 yards south of the College's main entrance.

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Mailing Address

Bonner Center for Civic
and Community Engagement

The College of New Jersey

P.O. Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

Staff

Pat Donohue, Director

E) pdonohue@tcnj.edu

Paula Figueroa-Vega, Associate Director

E) pfiguero@tcnj.edu

Richard Wilson, Program Assistant

E) rwilson@tcnj.edu

Morgan Reil, Democracy Project Fellow

Bridge to Employment Initiative

E) reil@tcnj.edu

Brittany Aydelotte, Democracy Project Fellow

Bonner Community Scholars and Education Coordinator

E) aydelot2@tcnj.edu

Giancarlo Giametta, Democracy Project Fellow

Special Projects Coordinator

E) giamett2@tcnj.edu

Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement

TCNJ Home : Academics : Bonner :

FYE CEL Program

Overview: CEL Days & Components

During a typical CEL day, students gather with others from their residential floor to learn and serve together—as well as to reflect on their experiences and find out how they can sustain their involvement. These four components are briefly described below.

Learning: In addition to the education they receive by completing a project in the community, students learn about a social issue they have selected themselves as they receive a pre-service educational packet and hear from a qualified speaker at the beginning of the day. The speaker may be the leader of a community organization, a professor, or a resident directly involved in the issue and programs that are available.

Serving: Students engage in a structured experience or project that has been mapped out by community organizations, Bonner Center staff, and Bonner Scholar/Peer Advisor students. In the field, students usually work in teams of ten students and are led by an experienced leader. The goal is to be involved in concrete and interactive projects. (Transportation is provided by college vans or buses.)
Reflecting: Building on the idea that we all learn and grow upon hearing our own “voice,” students spend 30-45 minutes talking about the experience. In small groups, usually led by other student leaders or community partners, students discuss a number of guided questions pertaining to the particular social issue of the day, community efforts to address the issue, and their related roles as citizens.
Sustained Involvement: While college life aims to foster a life of learning, it could also spark a life of serving and community involvement. Students are given a chance to sign-up to volunteer on a regular basis and learn how they might integrate the needs or interests of the community into their own course of study. Interested students can volunteer at one of the 15 “comprehensive” Bonner Scholar partner-sites.

The process of connecting First Year students to specific CEL days begins in late August during Welcome Week. You can learn more about this process by clikcing on Democracy in Action link above.