Peace Corps Recruits at Knox

One year after introducing a unique Peace Corps Prep Program at Knox College, the program already has 15 students enrolled for the fall semester.

According to Associate Dean of the College Stephen Bailey, the program's coordinator, the special curriculum is a way to advance students' knowledge in international studies and language, as well as gain real-life skills and the hands-on experience that make students strong candidates for the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps Regional Recruiter Carrie Teiken, who served in Ghana as an environmental volunteer, visited Knox on September 17 to talk with students and faculty about Peace Corps and highlight the Knox Peace Corps Prep Program. Teiken and Bailey also gave a presentation on the program.

Knox College's Peace Corps Highlights

• Approximately 160 Knox graduates have served in the Peace Corps since it was established in 1961
• 15 current Knox students are taking courses in the Peace Corps Preparatory Program in Fall 2008
• 9 Knox graduates were nominated or recommended for the Peace Corps in 2008
• More than 60 students (close to 5% of the student body!) attended the Peace Corps recruiting presentation at Knox last year
• Former Knox President John McCall joined the Peace Corps following his retirement in 1993; he and his wife Mary-Berenice served two years in Turkmenistan
• Peace Corps participation is one factor cited by Washington Monthly in its "service oriented" ranking that includes Knox
• Peace Corps Deputy Director Jody Olsen and Knox College President Roger L. Taylor signed the agreement in June 2007 to partner on a Peace Corps Prep Program

The Peace Corp Preparatory Program at Knox College is a specialized curriculum that promotes international volunteerism.  The program offers students global perspective and language training, along with personal enrichment and skills training. It includes community service and work experience requirements. The program is designed to both encourage students to consider Peace Corps service and to make them more competitive for Peace Corps nomination.

Nationally, Peace Corps applications are up by 14 percent year over year, from program year 2007 to program year 2008.  Also, in a recent survey of 44,064 U.S. undergraduates published in BusinessWeek, students placed Peace Corps as the No. 8 Most Ideal Employer to meet their career goals, making Peace Corps the highest-ranking service organization in the survey and placing alongside companies such as Google, Disney and Apple. In addition, Peace Corps this year ranked as the No. 1 most socially responsible employer among college students, was recognized as a 2008 Top Entry Level Employer by CollegeGrad.com, and placed as the No. 1 most viewed video on CareerTV for employer branding videos.

More about the Peace Corps:

Peace Corps Volunteers are among the best employment candidates for future corporate and development positions as they bring skills experience and a unique cultural awareness from their international experience.  Fluency in foreign languages, international experience, and cross-cultural understanding are highly sought-after assets in today's global economy.

? Volunteers can combine service with graduate school for credit and/or financial assistance through the Peace Corps Master?s International graduate program or Fellows/USA program.

? Volunteers receive paid living expenses and full health and dental coverage in service, as well as a $6,000+ transition fund upon service completion and an option for affordable health insurance after service.

? Peace Corps maintains a directory of former volunteers and others who are willing to offer career advice, providing a ready-made job network in a wide variety of fields; publishes a biweekly online newsletter with job announcements, graduate school information, and industry overviews; and sponsors career workshops throughout the year.  Two-year Peace Corps service also comes with federal employment noncompetitive eligibility advantage.

The work of Peace Corps volunteers is diverse and includes a range of programs within education, health, HIV/AIDS prevention, information technology, business development, math and science, engineering, youth and community development, environment and agriculture, as well as secondary projects initiated by volunteers themselves, such as book drives, school and house construction, computer labs, community businesses, clean water and much more.
 
Currently, there are more than 8,000 volunteers abroad.  Since 1961, more than 190,000 volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where volunteers have served.  Returned Peace Corps volunteers? commitment to service and humanitarian efforts often continues back home in their communities and around the globe.