Dr. Charles
F. Bonser received his undergraduate education at Bowling Green State
University in 1954. He studied business administration at Indiana
University, completing his Master's Degree in 1961 and his Doctorate in
1965.
Dr. Bonser
first joined the faculty of the Indiana University School of Business in
1961 as a Lecturer. Following a period of government service from
1963-65, he rejoined Indiana University as Assistant Professor and
Associate Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. He
was appointed Associate Dean of the I.U. School of Business in 1969, and
promoted to Full Professor in 1971.
In the fall
of 1971, Dr. Bonser was appointed Special Assistant to the President of
Indiana University. In this assignment he prepared the plan for the new
School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), and was appointed the
first Dean of the School in 1972. During Dr. Bonser's 17 year tenure as
Dean, SPEA developed into one of the largest and most highly rated
public affairs schools in the U.S. The School currently has about 200
faculty and staff and approximately 3,000 students on five campuses of
Indiana University.
In July of
1988, he was appointed Director for the Institute for Development
Strategies, SPEA.
In March of
1992, Dr. Bonser was also appointed Ameritech Professor of Economic
Development, an endowed chair awarded by the Ameritech Foundation to
Indiana University. He retired from full-time academic service at the
end of 1998, and now makes his home, with his wife Nancy, in both
Bloomington, Indiana, and Sanibel Island, Florida.
In May
2000, Dr. Bonser was elected Chairman of the newly organized
Transatlantic Consortium for Public Policy Analysis and Education. This
is an association of over 25 U.S. and European Union university and
government training programs focusing on public policy/public
administration. The purpose of the consortium is to develop and
facilitate cooperative education and research programs between
participating European and American Schools, Institutes, and research
centers.
In April
2002, he was named the recipient of the Indiana University Distinguished
Service Award.
He still
continues an active professional life at the University and elsewhere,
and was called back to part-time duty with Indiana University in July,
2002, to serve as the Director of the Arts Administration Graduate
Program, when the program became part of the School of Public and
Environmental Affairs.
Dr. Bonser
has held a variety of governmental and public service posts during his
career. Among the most prominent are: Director of the Indiana State Tax
and Financing Policy Commission, Director of the Intergovernmental
Personnel Program for the State of Indiana, Chairman of the Great Lakes
Intergovernmental Personnel Council, and Special Assistant to the U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Otis Bowen.
He has been
consultant/advisor to the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Civil Service
Commission, and the Offices of Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of the
State of Indiana. His experience in consultation and advising extends to
the international arena where he has worked with USAID and several
foreign governments. In addition, he has initiated and directed
educational programs in Venezuela, Egypt, Nigeria, Spain, France, The
Netherlands, The United Arab Emirates, and Great Britain.
Dr. Bonser has served
extensively in several professional associations. He was President of
the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs, President of the
National Public Affairs Honorary, Pi Alpha Alpha, and Vice-President of
the International Association of Schools and Institutes of
Administration. He has received special awards for his public service,
including two commendations from the U.S. Civil Service Commission, and
special recognition through a joint resolution of the Indiana General
Assembly. He received a Presidential Citation from the President of
Indiana University upon his retirement from the Deanship of SPEA in
1988. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration,
and completed six years on its Board of Trustees in 1997. He has been a
member of the Board of Trustees of the NSF International, a public
health standards developer and third party certifier, located in Ann
Arbor, Michigan, since 1984.
Please view the SPEA
profile of Dr. Bonser.
