Knox's Peace Corps Preparatory Program Begins Selecting First Batch of Volunteers

GALESBURG, IL: Knox College?s Peace Corps Prep program has begun selecting its first batch of potential Peace Corps volunteers. Representatives from the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., recently visited Knox to congratulate faculty and administrators on their dedication to fostering international service and offer their full support.

Knox launched the pilot Peace Corps Prep program in the fall of 2007 and is the first such program to feature this internationally-focused curriculum designed to prepare students to serve in the Peace Corps or other international service. The program includes course work in international studies, education, and foreign languages, as well as experiential learning and community service components.

?We are very pleased with the program?s progress at Knox and are hoping to replicate the program at other campuses later this year,? said Eileen Conoboy, director of University Programs at the Peace Corps and a returned Volunteer from Mali. ?Last semester for the program?s kick-off, a Peace Corps presentation attracted nearly 5 percent of the Knox student body, displaying a real interest in international service among Knox students.?

Conoboy, along with Peace Corps Director of Domestic Programs Cameron Quinn, Marketing Specialist Adrienne Scherger, and Regional Recruiter Katie O?Connor, toured campus, interviewed student Peace Corps applicants, and reviewed educational and experiential components of the Peace Corps Prep program. ?It?s a great opportunity for college juniors and seniors who are interested in serving as Peace Corps Volunteers to develop and hone skills that will better prepare them for service,? explained Conoboy. She cautioned that while the Prep program is intended to make applicants more competitive for service, ?it does not guarantee acceptance into the Peace Corps.?

Approximately seven Knox graduates are currently serving in Peace Corps, and at least four have applied and been recommended for Peace Corps service in 2008 after their graduation. Approximately 160 Knox graduates have served in Peace Corps since 1961, when the agency was formed. With this new program, Peace Corps hopes to attract even more Knox graduates to international service.

?Knox students have always been inclined toward service, and this program prepares them for the challenges that the Peace Corps offers,? explained Stephen Bailey, the program?s on-campus coordinator and Knox?s associate dean of the college. ?Now we can offer the additional preparation today?s students need to be successful candidates,? Bailey added.

According to Conoboy, the Peace Corps is seeing landmark interest, and recently hit a 37-year high with more than 8,000 volunteers serving in the field. ?It?s great to pilot this program with Knox ? especially since so many Knox graduates have taken the road less traveled, rolled up their sleeves and joined the Peace Corps.? In the 1960s, Knox had one of the highest percentages of graduates in the Peace Corps of any college in the nation.

?The Peace Corps provides a chance for service and personal growth that is completely unique from any other job opportunity for students just coming out of college,? Senior Rebecca Ganster said. ?For me, this is its appeal. I feel quite lucky to have had many chances to live and study abroad, and this is the ideal time in my life to give back to the global community. I believe that my experiences in the Peace Corps will help direct my future career goals and keep my long term priorities community based.?

Ganster, an integrated international studies and Spanish major who began the application process in September, 2007, has been nominated to serve in Latin America and is awaiting medical clearance.

Knox College is a national liberal arts college founded in 1837. With 1,351 students from 45 states and 44 nations, Knox is ranked by Washington Monthly magazine among the top 100 colleges in the nation for its commitment to community service and undergraduate research.

Knox student Rebecca Ganster, center, talks with other students
and Peace Corps representatives about her work helping organize the
Peace Corps Program at Knox.