Stetson University and Peace Corps Announce New Partnership
Program offers professional development opportunities for intercultural work
DELAND, Fla., Sept. 26, 2017 – Peace Corps and Stetson University announced a new partnership today centered on an undergraduate certificate program called Peace Corps Prep. Associate Director Chip Wheeler and Chief of Operations Erin Gibbs of the Peace Corps’ Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection and Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., President of Stetson University announced the official launch of the Peace Corps Prep program during Stetson’s annual Values Day.
“We are pleased to announce the new Peace Corp Prep program on Values Day which is dedicated to Stetson’s commitment to its core values–personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship,” said Elizabeth Boggs, Ed.D., Director of Career and Professional Development, Stetson University. “Students in this program will have the opportunity to develop skills in a specific sector of international development, gain intercultural competence, and participate in organized community-engaged learning, leadership, and professional development programs offered through both coursework and experiences outside the classroom.”
Peace Corps Prep will be structured as an interdisciplinary certificate program housed in the Center for Career and Professional Development. Students in the program will have the opportunity to participate in organized service-learning and leadership development programs via Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement. In addition, they will have the opportunity to study abroad on a variety of short-term or long-term programs to gain cross-cultural adaptation skills via Stetson’s Center for International Education.
“Students today have a passion for service,” Gibbs said. “Through the Peace Corps Prep program, they can build skills specifically targeted to Peace Corps service and careers in the international development and service communities.”
The Peace Corps has Peace Corps Prep partnerships with more than 75 leading academic institutions nationwide. Established in 2007, the program aims to meet the demand for Peace Corps volunteers with a broad and relevant set of expertise, and to support schools’ efforts to provide substantive, globally focused experiences for their students. For more information, go to www.peacecorps.gov/pcprep.
Earlier this month, Stetson University alumni Orion Maier departed for Morocco to begin training as a youth development volunteer. There are currently 16 Stetson University graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uganda and Vanuatu. Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, 95 Stetson University graduates have served overseas.
