Established in 1994 at Western in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), the Peace Corps Fellows Program has given returned Peace Corps volunteers the opportunity to earn a master's degree at Western while gaining experience serving rural communities throughout Illinois. Nearly 70 Fellows have graduated from WIU's program since its inception.
Peace Corps Fellows program provides transition
Peace Corps Fellows program provides transition
Journal News Report
MACOMB - After serving two years in the Peace Corps volunteering in Malawi, Africa, Angela Sanders of Woodhull didn't know quite what she would do following her volunteer stint. Then she heard about Western Illinois University's Peace Corps Fellows Program in Community Development.
Sanders, a Peace Corps Fellow in Western's recreation, park and tourism administration (RPTA) graduate program, applied to the WIU program for returning Peace Corps volunteers and began her studies in Spring 2005.
"After finishing Peace Corps, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. My undergraduate degree was in broadcast journalism, but I worked on protected shallow wells, eco-sanitation and fish ponds in Malawi, so, as you can imagine, I felt some different opportunities were possible," she said. "I decided on Western's program because of the 11-month rural Illinois internship it offers the Fellows. Not all programs can offer that kind of experience."
Established in 1994 at Western in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), the Peace Corps Fellows Program has given returned Peace Corps volunteers the opportunity to earn a master's degree at Western while gaining experience serving rural communities throughout Illinois. Nearly 70 Fellows have graduated from WIU's program since its inception.
"The Peace Corps Fellow Program at Western offers a unique opportunity for the returning volunteers to apply knowledge learned overseas to local community problems. The experience is more in-depth than a typical internship," said Karen Peitzmeier, internal relations manager for WIU's Fellows Program.
Peitzmeier added that an aspect of Western's program that makes it an attractive option for so many returning volunteers is an excellent financial aid package, which no other Fellows Program in the U.S. offers. Through cooperative agreements with Western, Americorps and the IIRA, the Fellows are provided a paid graduate assistantship, a tuition waiver and a paid economic/community development 11-month internship. Western's Fellows program is one of only three in the state and one of just 30 across the nation.
Sanders said another beneficial aspect of the program, besides obtaining a degree and getting hands-on experience working with rural Illinois communities, is that the program and its staff provide an excellent support system for the Fellows.
"They understand where we're coming from as returning volunteers. The staff and professors offer encouragement, social opportunities and provide that transition we need," she said. "I would encourage current volunteers to look into this program; it is ideal if they are interested in rural issues in Illinois and want the opportunity to really get involved and make a difference here."
Peace Corps volunteers, those who are just returning or even those who served several years ago, are eligible to apply for Western's Fellows Program. Fellows select a graduate program in RPTA, geography, business administration, political science, community health and health services management or economics.
Mical McFarland, a Fellow in Western's political science/public administration master's degree program, served in Moldova (in Eastern Europe) from June 2001 until August 2003. He was drawn to the Peace Corps because he wanted to help those less fortunate and wanted to learn about people, languages and cultures.
"After the Peace Corps I realized if I wanted to make a difference in an even bigger way, I needed more education so I could be in a position to make an impact," McFarland said. "I looked at other programs and decided on Western because of the great financial benefits - really one of the best I came across nationwide - and because I wanted to go somewhere I'd never been before."
McFarland will begin his internship experience in January 2006. He will spend the Fall 2005 semester working at a small business development center in Russia as part of Western's College of Business and Technology's cooperative exchange program with a Russian university.
Dave Keiser, a Fellow working toward a master's degree in economics at Western, is currently working for the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation for his internship experience. Keiser, who served in Morocco as an agriculture volunteer, joined Western's Fellows Program a year after returning to the states in 2003. In Carroll County, he is helping form a non-profit economic development corporation.
"The money that we raise will go toward a variety of development projects for the county, from bike trails to road infrastructure," he explained.
For more information on Western's Peace Corps Fellows Program, contact Peitzmeier, Program Manager Karen Mauldin-Curtis or Carolyn Lawrence at 800-526-9943 or visit www.peacecorpsfellows-wiu.org.
