Holding considerable expertise in advising, scholastic standards, composition and literature, and Greek classics, Bonnie Skinner Titley, EdD, retired from Colorado State University as an assistant professor emeritus in 1996. Prior to her retirement, she spent over three decades with Colorado State University, having first served as an instructor of English from 1962 to 1970 and assistant chair of the English department from 1968 to 1970. From 1970 to 1987, she was the director of academic advising and became an administrator in the College of Applied Human Sciences in 1988, a role she held until 1996, as the assistant to the dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences and coordinator for the Institute for Health and Human Services. She was promoted to assistant professor in the School of Occupational and Educational Studies in 1995. She began her career in 1960 as an administrative secretary for the director of admissions for the University of Colorado.
Alongside her primary career responsibilities, Dr. Titley has contributed her skills to a number of other professional endeavors. Over the years, she has authored numerous articles for professional journals and spent time as an associate editor for student development reports and an editor for the College of Applied Human Sciences annual report for Colorado State University, as well as an editor for the NACADA Journal. She also served as a faculty adviser for student clubs and established the Outstanding Adviser Award at Colorado State University in 1984. In addition, she has been a guest lecturer for college courses and professional development seminars and workshops; a consultant in advising at various two and four year schools; a member of a number of committees and advisory boards; and a private tutor in composition, literature and grammar.
She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1959 at the University of Colorado and was instrumental in establishing the Colorado State University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for which she served as secretary, vice president, president, screening officer and historian at various times.
Active in her community as well, Dr. Titley has been a member of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins since 1988, served on the board of directors from 1993 to 1997 and was the first female president of her club from 1995 to 1996. In 2019, she endowed the Wesley Award for doctoral candidates in counseling psychology through the Rotary Club. She has previously been involved with the Fort Collins Symphony, Designing Tomorrow Today, TEAM Fort Collins and the Community Airpark. She was a chartered member of the National Academic Advising Association, and has been recognized by several academic honor societies. In past years she was a sustaining member and secretary of the board of directors for Character Fort Collins, and was a member of the City Planning and Zoning Board. She is currently the chair of the board of directors for the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures.
Raised with the values of hard work and finishing what you start, Dr. Titley was first drawn to her career as a child doing her homework at the kitchen table alongside her older brothers and sisters. Receiving a Boettcher Foundation scholarship from 1956 to 1959 to attend the University of Colorado Boulder, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature in 1959 and a Master of Arts in English language and literature in 1962. Throughout the years, she has always been inspired to keep growing and learning, and to that end, she achieved a Doctor of Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1976.
At age 40, Dr. Titley learned how to fly and obtained a commercial pilot’s license with instrument rating and certification as a basic ground instructor from the Federal Aviation Administration. She used her knowledge to serve as a ground school instructor at Colorado State University for ROTC Air Force and Army cadets entering flight training. For her service to ROTC, she was presented with the Commander’s Award for Public Service from the Department of the Army in 1992. She has also been a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association since 1980.
In 2020, Dr. Titley was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who for her decades of achievements with the Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian Award, followed by the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.