The University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Peace Corps have teamed up to launch a new Fellows/USA program, a partnership which provides graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers. Selected fellows will be able to choose one of three master’s programs: natural resources management, rural development, and natural resources management and geography. SNRAS and the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development are the two participating entities at UAF.
“The Peace Corps is delighted to bring the University of Alaska into our Fellows/USA fold,” said Peace Corps director Aaron Williams. “UAF’s rigorous curriculum will allow students to hone their professional skills and will prepare them to take on leadership roles both at home and abroad.”
UAF Provost Susan Henrichs said, “The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Fellows/USA Program will benefit the university by recruiting graduate students with a wealth of experiences to share with their fellow students and the university community. As part of their UAF program, the fellows will complete an internship that will benefit a high-need community, and that will augment UAF's service to the state.”
As the northernmost university in the United States, UAF will afford the fellows a unique opportunity to explore their academic interests in an arctic environment. Students will further bolster their professional skills with internships at Fairbanks nonprofits and government organizations. Fellows will receive a stipend of $13,500 for their first year of graduate school, as well as tuition for up to 10 graduate credits per semester.
Fellows/USA started in 1985 at Teachers College, Columbia University and has grown into a network of more than 60 graduate schools across the country. The program is specifically for students who have completed their tenure abroad with the Peace Corps. Fellows apply their Peace Corps experience to internships in underserved American communities.
The Peace Corps just recently changed the name of the Fellows/USA program to the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program. Coverdell was the director of the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991.
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