Elon University recently established a partnership with the Peace Corps to better prepare students for the rigors of the program and the prospect of working abroad.
The new Peace Corps Prep Program is an interdisciplinary curriculum that teaches students skills necessary for success in the Peace Corps. Although the program does not count toward the completion of a major or minor, students may earn a Peace-Corps recognized certificate upon completing certain courses.
Stephen Moore, professor of AgroEcology, said many Elon students are already on track to acquire the Peace Corps certificate. Classes required to successfully complete the program range from foreign languages and regional studies to food systems.
“By the end of this semester, we might have 30 people that are tracking themselves for this goal of the certificate,” Moore said. “I’m going to guess that maybe 10 students will apply and maybe three to five will choose to serve”.
According to the Peace Corps website, more than 8,000 volunteers work throughout the world on behalf of the organization. Fourteen Elon graduates are currently serving as volunteers and roughly 100 alumni have participated, Moore said.
“The program was a perfect match, and Elon is the perfect place because of the ethos of the university: global citizenship, service and study abroad,” Moore said. “It really bring students awareness of their options”
Elon is the sixth university in the nation to institute the Peace Corps Prep Program within its curriculum. Moore said student interest in the program is already high.
Junior Rebecca Kennedy said she believes harnessing the opportunities that Elon offers students will help prepare them to serve abroad upon graduation.
“The first time I thought about the Peace Corps was after studying abroad,” Kennedy said. “I feel like a lot of students who want to go into the Peace Corps will participate in the program. I would go with the intent of doing education or health.”