Walsh University has received approval to begin a Peace Corps Preparatory Program on campus during the 2015-16 academic year. Walsh will be one of only six colleges in Ohio to offer the Peace Corps Prep Program.
Through the program, students gain knowledge and experience that will make them more competitive Peace Corps applicants upon graduation. Students will also participate in a unique combination of undergraduate coursework and community service that will prepare them for work in international development. Walsh University students will be able to apply to the new Peace Corps Prep program for enrollment beginning in the spring of 2016.
"We’re so excited to provide this opportunity for our students. Our Peace Corps collaboration is a natural fit with Walsh’s guiding mission of service combined with the international perspective of our Founders, the Brothers of Christian Instruction," said Director of Global Learning Rachel Hosler. "This partnership will further enhance the global learning and service opportunities currently available to our Walsh students."
Students in Walsh University’s Peace Corps Prep program will gain hands-on experience and leadership skills while completing courses focused on intercultural competence and foreign language. Upon completion of the program, which will be managed collaboratively by Walsh’s Office of Global Learning and the Office of Service Learning, students will receive a signed certificate of completion from the Peace Corps.
"Students today have a passion for service and are interested in not just imagining a better world, but rolling up their sleeves and doing something about it," Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. "Through the Peace Corps Prep program, Walsh University students can develop skills specifically targeted to Peace Corps service and careers in the international development and service communities."
The Peace Corps has Peace Corps Prep program partnerships with more than 25 leading academic institutions nationwide. Established in 2007, the program aims to support schools’ efforts to provide substantive, globally focused experiences for their students. Walsh University will be one of six institutions in Ohio which currently offer Peace Corps Prep Programs, including the College of Wooster, Hiram College, Shawnee State University, Wilmington College and Wittenberg University. Schools are selected for the program based on their demonstrated interest in promoting international learning and service opportunities to their students.
The new collaboration is the latest addition to Walsh’s Global Learning programming. In recent years, Walsh has launched new initiatives such as the Br. Francis Blouin Global Scholars Program and joined the Institute of International Education Generation Study Abroad initiative to double the number of students studying internationally in five years.
During the summer of 2015, a record number of 115 Walsh students participated in 11 Global Learning Programs, more than doubling last year’s figures during the same time period of 53 participants and six trips. Students and faculty members traveled to Tanzania, Uruguay, Mexico, Rome, Uganda, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland where they provided service to those in need, furthered their education and developed a deeper understanding of a culture different from their own. Click here to read more about their experiences.
For more information about the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov