WASHINGTON, D.C. - Duke University, located in Durham, N.C., has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Peace Corps, becoming the newest partner of the agency’s Fellows/USA program. Duke will be the first Fellows/USA partner in North Carolina.

As one of the Peace Corps’ domestic programs, Fellows/USA has established similar relationships with 34 other universities nationwide. Universities that participate in the Fellows/USA program ask returned Peace Corps volunteers to complete internships in underserved U.S. communities, which Duke calls “community service projects,” in addition to graduate course work. In return, Peace Corps Fellows receive reduced-cost graduate education. Returned volunteers are well suited to fill hard-to-staff positions or work in multilingual environments as a result of the language and professional skills they acquired during their Peace Corps service.

Duke’s two Fellows/USA programs offer returned Peace Corps volunteers the option of pursuing a master’s of public policy or a master’s of arts in international development policy degree. Returned volunteers accepted in the master’s of public policy program may concentrate their studies in global, social, or environmental policy, health care, or ethics, and will receive a $10,000 fellowship. Fellows in the master’s of arts in international development policy program may specialize in development management, applied economics, social policy, environmental management policy, or peace and conflict resolution, and will receive a $7,500 fellowship.

Through their community service projects, Duke Fellows will assist the local low-income community and educate local youth about global issues. Fellows may also work with the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership Initiative, which aims to increase the university’s ability to take on a more active and constructive role in Durham by addressing issues and needs identified by 12 neighborhoods and seven public schools near campus.

“We’re looking forward to having more returned Peace Corps volunteers in our graduate programs,” said Bruce W. Jentleson, director of Duke's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. “Our past experience has shown them to be outstanding students who become insightful leaders. This collaboration will not only give the Peace Corps Fellows an exemplary education, but will also enrich both the Sanford Institute and Durham communities. The Fellows' work will enhance cross-cultural awareness, particularly of developing countries, and provide technical assistance to local community development initiatives.”

For more information about the Fellows/USA master’s in public policy program at Duke, contact Katherine Flynn at (919) 613-7412, or Katherine.flynn@duke.edu . For more information about the master’s of arts in international development policy program, contact Stephanie Alt Lamm (who served as a volunteer in Costa Rica) at (919) 613-7356, or slamm@duke.edu . Please visit the Peace Corps website at www.peacecorps.gov/fellows for more information about Fellows/USA.

Since 1961, more than 171,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.

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