Why I Give
For her contributions to the College of Arts & Sciences, Bonnie Feld was honored at Alumni Weekend 2024 with the presentation of the first-ever Dean’s Leadership Award from Dean Stan Sclaroff.
Bonnie Feld (CAS’73)
Bonnie (Turen) Feld loved her time as a college student—the big lectures, the small seminars, the freedom to choose classes she was interested in, the diversity of people she met. She learned something new every day.
Feld (CAS’73) has spent the past 18 years giving back to—and continuing to learn from—the College of Arts & Sciences as a member and chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board, as chair of the Arts & Sciences fund drive during the Campaign for Boston University, and by funding professorships and student support programs.
Feld, who stepped down from the Dean’s Advisory Board in June 2024, spent 50 years working with her former husband, Kenneth Feld (Questrom’70, Hon.’24), at Feld Entertainment, which produces Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Monster Jam, Supercross, Disney Live!, and Disney on Ice. She has also dedicated herself to live theater, as a member and chair of the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va.; as a coproducer of the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen; and, most recently, as a coproducer of the Tony Award–nominated Broadway musical Water for Elephants.
“I live to learn,” she says. “I pick up as much as I can around me and try to figure out how to implement, make it better.” Her passion for learning through experience inspired her to give a founding gift to the CAS Experiential Learning Connector, a new resource to help undergraduates find and access experiential learning opportunities.
“In college, I was just collecting information that I thought was interesting. The ability to understand the usage of the courses that I took, to think about them in terms of application, just wasn’t a thing. Now the Connector is there as a guide to help,” she says. “It’s the connective tissue that I wish I’d had.”
Feld encourages fellow alumni to follow her lead in giving back—to bring what they have learned in their lives and careers back to campus to support and enhance the experience of current students. “The University is a lot different than when any of us were there. We’re better because we have this affiliation. And we’re better because of what we learn when we get involved.”