FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, July 1, 2010

Peace Corps Fellows/USA Partners with the University of Notre Dame

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 1, 2010 The Peace Corps welcomes the University of Notre Dame to its Fellows/USA program. The program, housed in the Mendoza College of Business, offers Peace Corps Fellows the opportunity to earn a masters degree in nonprofit administration (MNA). This is the first Fellows/USA program to offer such a degree and returned Peace Corps volunteers accepted into the program will receive a $10,500 scholarship.

I am pleased to welcome the University of Notre Dame to the Peace Corps Fellows/USA family, said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. So many of our volunteers feel a continuing commitment to serve when they return to the United States, and Notre Dames degree program in nonprofit administration will help prepare newly returned Peace Corps volunteers to be leaders in the nonprofit community.

The Fellows/USA program offers returned Peace Corps volunteers financial benefits such as scholarships, reduced tuition and university credit in advanced degree programs at over 50 participating colleges and universities. In addition to their academic studies, Fellows/USA participants apply the experience they acquired as volunteers abroad to programs that benefit underserved American communities.

The MNA program has been designed to provide graduate business education to full-time employees of nonprofit, altruistic organizations, said Tom Harvey, Notre Dame Universitys Luke McGuinness director of nonprofit professional development. This means that returned Peace Corps volunteers will be immersed in classes with established leaders from organizations that share the values typically espoused by the Peace Corps, namely, commitment to community and service to others.

Peace Corps Fellows/USA program started in 1985 at Teachers College, Columbia University and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. To help expand Fellows/USA into new geographical regions and courses of study, Peace Corps is encouraging all accredited American graduate schools to apply by October 1, 2010, to the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program. More details can be found at: www.peacecorps.gov/fellows.

The Mendoza College of Business ranked as one of the top business schools in the country by Bloomberg Businessweek magazine provides a rich graduate environment for Peace Corps Fellows to pursue their education. The MNA program educates future leaders serving the nonprofit and public sectors in the essential areas of philanthropy, information technology, administrative effectiveness, accountability, revenue generation, as well as the core disciplines of business. MNA students may work full time while pursuing their degree. For more information about the Notre Dame Peace Corps partnership or the MNA program, visit the MNA website at: http://business.nd.edu/mna/.

The Fellows/USA partnership is part of a historical relationship between the University of Notre Dame and the Peace Corps. The Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, president emeritus of Notre Dame, provided advice and support in the 1960s to Sargent Shriver, the first Peace Corps Director. Since then, the university has become one of the countrys top Peace Corps volunteer-producing schools, currently ranking 13th among medium-size schools.

As Peace Corps approaches its 50th anniversary, its service legacy continues to promote peace and friendship around the world with 7,671 volunteers serving in 77 host countries. Historically, nearly 200,000 Americans have served with the Peace Corps to promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of 139 host countries. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

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