The Ken Bonde Award citation states that the award is intended to honor “exemplary demonstration of student initiative, intellectual creativity, constructive integration, and academic achievement” in the senior year’s work. The award was created by the family of Ken Bonde, St. Olaf class of 1969, a political science major who was also interested in the possibilities of alternatives to the traditional curriculum of that time. As a member of student government, Ken participated in campus discussions that led to the establishment of the Paracollege in the fall of 1969.
Nominations for the Bonde Award come from the student’s faculty Individual Major Advisor. There is no GPA requirement for eligibility. In past review of Bonde nominations, the committee has considered some or all of the following:
- extraordinary intellectual or artistic work, either as a single project or a body of work;
- exemplary integration between academic study and the student’s other experiences;
- impact, especially lasting impact, on the campus or other communities.
Advisors wishing to nominate a student for the Bonde Award should do so here after their advisee’s senior project has been submitted. The deadline for submitting a nomination letter for the Bonde Award is the last day of finals. The Bonde committee may award up to two Ken Bonde Awards each year.