Peace Corps Partners With Babson College

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Peace Corps welcomes Babson College in Wellesley to its Paul D. Coverdell Fellows program, a graduate fellowship that offers financial assistance to returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) in pursuit of a Master's degree with an opportunity to work in professional internships in underserved American communities. Through the program, RPCVs will receive financial aid of $10,000 per year, the opportunity to apply for additional aid and waiver consideration for Peace Corps experience.  In addition, Babson College will offer special grants for residents of Wellesley and Needham, Mass.

"The Peace Corps is delighted to partner with Babson College and help more Americans pair Peace Corps service with graduate school," said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. "Peace Corps volunteers are creative problem solvers who have demonstrated a commitment to public service and a desire to learn about other cultures, languages, and skills. A returned Peace Corps volunteer will make an excellent addition to any graduate program."

The new partnership will be part of the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business and will offer Peace Corps Fellows the opportunity to earn a two-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with the option to concentrate in the following areas: Global Management, Finance (Investments or Corporate Finance), Life Sciences & Healthcare or Marketing.  Additional information on the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows program at Babson College is available at
http://www.babson.edu/graduate/tuition-financial-aid/financial-aid/MeritAid/Pages/coverdell-fellows-program.aspx.

"As a proven leader in entrepreneurial education, Babson is excited about the initiation of a partnership with the Peace Corps given their similar entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishments," stated Raghu Tadepalli, Murata Dean at the Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. "The Peace Corps volunteers who have come to Babson in the past have brought such an incredibly unique set of skills and impactful experiences. They bring a distinctive, humanistic set of values which give focused perspective to discussions and entrepreneurial ventures in and outside of the classroom.  By formally establishing the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows program here at Babson, we have the opportunity to welcome a greater number of former Peace Corps volunteers to become valuable members of the Babson community."

Since 1961, Babson College has produced more than fifty Peace Corps volunteers.

The Coverdell Fellows program partners with graduate schools across the country. There are currently more than 70 university partners in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Volunteers who have satisfactorily completed Peace Corps service have lifetime eligibility. Since its start in 1985, nearly 4,000 returned Peace Corps volunteers have completed the program. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov/fellows.

About the Peace Corps: Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, more than 200,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries. Today, 9,095 volunteers are working with local communities in 75 host countries. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment and the agency's mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries. Visit www.peacecorps.gov for more information.

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(r). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

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Contact: Nancy Sullivan, [email protected], 781-239-4623

SOURCE Babson College