Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program - in development

The Future Generations Graduate School is excited to partner with the Peace Corps in developing the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program within our Master’s degree program.   We welcome all Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are interested in obtaining an MA in Applied Community Change and Conservation and engaging in an internship in a West Virginia community. This is an excellent opportunity for you to apply the knowledge and skills gained in your Peace Corps service to an under-served Appalachian area. 

We are still accepting applications for our next class. To apply, please download the application.

Admissions Requirements: Coverdell applicants must submit the following:

• Coverdell Fellows Application form (online or downloadable)
• CV
• Bachelor’s degree transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Community Statement.  The Fellows’ “community” will be the internship community.  Since you are not yet familiar with this community, your Community Statement should describe your Peace Corps service and how you feel lessons and skills learned overseas can be incorporated into your service in a West Virginia community.  This is described more fully on the application.

Benefits:

 Coverdell Fellows will receive a $10,000 tuition discount, lowering the tuition to $25,000 for the two-year program.   This includes all in-country expenses during each of the four month-long study abroad residentials.  Fellows are only responsible for their airfare to and from the country.  FGGS is not a residential institution, so apart from the field residentials, students live at home.  The first year, Fellows will be able to work, helping to offset some of the expenses; the second year, however, you will be engaged in the West Virginia internship.  The Graduate School and the partnering organization will locate discount housing for Fellows.

 
Description of Program:

The Future Generations Graduate School was founded in 2003, and in 2010, received full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  The Graduate School shares a mission with its founder, Future Generations, a civil society organization founded in 1992.  Both are committed to teaching and enabling a process of equitable community change. 

The Graduate School currently offers an MA in Applied Community Change and Conservation and authorization for a concentration in peace-building is pending.  Both degrees are inter-disciplinary and founded on a pedagogy which combines interactive online learning, field visits abroad, and applied research and project implementation in students’ communities.  Students remain in their home communities during the two-year program except for the four months away during the residentials.  The Graduate School recruits emerging leaders and development practitioners worldwide who are committed to the well-being of their communities.

Coverdell Fellows will live at home the first year of the MA program and will begin the West Virginia internship following the Term III residential, during the second year.  Their applied research practicum will be carried out in their internship community, not in the Fellow’s home community. A one-week orientation at the Future Generations headquarters will be required at the beginning of the program (January 2012).

Contact information:

For more information about the Coverdell Fellows Program at Future Generations Graduate School, please contact Christie Hand, the Student Campus Coordinator, at 304-358-2000 or christie@future.edu.