Oman RPCV David Fenner, the Director of the Office of International Programs and Exchanges, and a returned volunteer to the Peace Corps Program, is very enthusiastic about the benefits of the new Peace Corps Master's program
UW creates first Peace Corps Master's program
Nathan Fowler
Daily Staff
Forty years ago last Saturday, President John F. Kennedy publicly announced his plans for creating a Peace Corps program in the U.S.
Created shortly after the onset of the Cold War, the Peace Corps was formed to promote world peace and friendship by training American volunteers to provide humanitarian aid overseas.
Now, the UW's School of Public Affairs is taking the next step to continue that mission.
The new Peace Corps Master's International Program will prepare students to lead agencies that are involved in development efforts around the world. These agencies are called Non-Governmental Organizations, (NGOs) and offer relief to developing nations. Some of these organizations include Catholic Relief Services, CARE and Doctors Without Borders.
The new program was announced by the School of Public Affairs last Saturday, Oct. 14.
"There is a big difference in the foreign affairs of the Kennedy era and the foreign affairs today," said Elaine Chang, assistant dean to the School of Public Affairs. "Through this program, we will be training a group of young people who are fully capable of running NGO's and other such organizations effectively and raise awareness of the world the world around them."
The program will start in the fall of 2001. Students will begin with a concentrated study of nonprofit management and policy, followed by a two-year tour of Peace Corps service where they will offer their services in the development of worldwide nonprofit organizations. They will then return to the UW for one more quarter before graduating.
Funding for the program comes from a seed grant from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving military medicine and public health.
The UW is the only school in the West Coast that is offering a Peace Corps major in NGO development. Response so far has been abundant and enthusiastic.
"We have been receiving a lot of calls and e-mails expressing interest in the program," Chang said.
David Fenner, the Director of the Office of International Programs and Exchanges, and a returned volunteer to the Peace Corps Program, is very enthusiastic about the benefits of the program.
"I attended higher education for many years before joining the Peace Corps and while it was great for theoretical knowledge, I learned more about the world and about myself when I was overseas."
In Fenner's opinion, the program is a great opportunity for students to "get their fingernails dirty" and to test out theories about world problems rather than simply discuss or contemplate them in class.
The program will serve as a good balance between a solid education through a master's program on campus, and first-hand experience through working with the Peace Corps overseas.
Fenner managed to pinpoint what he thought were the major benefits of joining the Peace Corps, especially through this program at the UW.
First the Peace Corps teaches awareness of the world as a whole, he said.
"It really takes away all or at least some of the naiveté that Americans so often have of the outside world. It helps us realize that we have as much to learn from the world as we do to teach," he said.
Secondly, the Peace Corps demonstrates how people are deeply interconnected.
"The lifestyles we lead in America do not just affect ourselves. They affect people in Ecuador or Oman or wherever through the things we put into our air and water," he said.
Thirdly, perhaps most crucially, Fenner said, it teaches those who participate in the program tolerance towards the rest of the world.
"So often we grow up to believe that the way we do things in America is right. Joining the Peace Corps exposes you to many different cultures, doing things in many different ways. It really teaches you that different does not necessarily mean wrong."
Those involved in the program are optimistic of its results.
"It's a win-win situation for everybody," Chang said. "It provides the Peace Corps with highly qualified recruits and it helps train a cadre of people who are prepared to lead agencies that are involved in aid and developmental affairs."
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