FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 25, 2000

Number One Producer of Asian American Peace Corps Volunteers Announces New Graduate Study Opportunity

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 25, 2000—The Peace Corps and the University of Washington announced a new partnership yesterday, establishing a Master\'s International Program. The university\'s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs will now allow graduate students to earn academic credit for nongovernmental development assignments as Peace Corps volunteers after completing a year of coursework on campus.
"The combination of graduate training, international experience and language immersion all in one package is a great opportunity for students interested in international development or nonprofit management," said Evans School Assistant Dean Elaine Chang.
The University of Washington has graduated more currently serving Asian American Peace Corps volunteers than any other institution in the country. The school ranks number seven for producing current volunteers overall. It ranks third historically, having graduated more than 2,100 volunteers since the Peace Corps was established.
"This new partnership demonstrates the Evans School\'s increasing focus on international development education," said Ellen Paquette, regional director of the Peace Corps\' Europe, Mediterranean and Asia region. "By offering this Master\'s International Program, the University of Washington will help the Peace Corps fulfill increasing requests for volunteers with nongovernmental organization experience."
The Memorandum of Cooperation Signing Ceremony was held yesterday in the University of Washington\'s Parrington Hall Commons. At the event, the Master\'s International Program was formally presented to students, faculty and the local community by Paquette and Evans School Dean Marc Lindenberg.
"Recruiting a diverse volunteer corps is an agency-wide priority for the Peace Corps," said Paquette. "This agency applauds the University of Washington for helping us meet this goal by graduating a diverse student body, including a significant number of Asian Americans who choose to serve as volunteers."
There are 396 students currently enrolled in 52 Master\'s International Programs at 45 universities. Today more than 7,300 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 76 countries around the world, the highest number of volunteers since 1974. Since 1961, more than 161,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.

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