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An innovative program that prepares college students for international service is now available to Western Illinois University students. The Peace Corps (PC) Prep Program at WIU offers current undergraduate students an opportunity to enhance their academic experiences with an emphasis on community development and service.
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Downloadable flat sheet about the WIU Peace Corps Prep Program, which is launching Monday, Oct. 6 at Western Illinois University.
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WIU Peace Corps Prep Program to Launch Oct. 6 at University Art Gallery

October 2, 2014

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MACOMB, IL — An innovative program that prepares college students for international service is now available to Western Illinois University students. The Peace Corps (PC) Prep Program at WIU offers current undergraduate students an opportunity to enhance their academic experiences with an emphasis on community development and service.

Information about Western's PC Prep Program will be available at a launch event set from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6 in the University Art Gallery. The event is open free to the public, and refreshments will be served.

According to Karen Mauldin-Curtis, program manager for the WIU Peace Corp Fellows (PCF) Program in Community Development, WIU Provost Ken Hawkinson (who served in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa, from 1986-88) and Peace Corps Midwest Region Manager Brad Merryman will be on hand at the event to introduce the program and the new campus-wide Peace Corps recruitment efforts.

In addition, Merryman and Rok Teasely, recruiter for the Peace Corps in the Midwest region, will be available at the WIU Fall Career and Internship Fair and Grad Program Expo (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) Tuesday, Oct. 7 in the University Union Grand Ballroom. They will also be visiting classes on campus that afternoon to discuss Peace Corps service and answer questions about the new, streamlined application process.

Mauldin-Curtis noted the debut of the WIU PC Prep Program is in honor of the 20th anniversary of Western's PCF Program in Community Development this year. She said at the launch event, attendees will learn how participants in the PC Prep Program can develop relevant skills for Peace Corps service and/or careers in international service and community development.

"Participants are not required to apply to the Peace Corps, nor is acceptance into Peace Corps guaranteed; however, successful completion of the PC Prep Program will distinguish participants during the competitive application process for service, employment or graduate studies," she explained.

She added Western's program has been awarded a contract with the Peace Corps to carry out recruitment activities on campus.

"One of our new PCF graduate students, Lexie Woodward (Portland, OR), will coordinate the PC Prep Program and serve as our campus-wide Peace Corps recruiter, which is a first on the WIU campus," Mauldin-Curtis said.

"We're pleased to expand our partnership with Western Illinois University to provide more students with the chance to make a difference and gain valuable international experience with the Peace Corps," Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. "There is no better and more important time to apply to serve with the Peace Corps, and the students who complete this program will be highly competitive applicants who can choose the Peace Corps path that best fits their personal and professional goals."

The PC Prep Program at WIU is managed by the Peace Corps Fellows Program, a unit of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), in conjunction with partnering departments, on the Macomb and QC campuses.

For more information, contact Western's PC Prep Program at (309) 298-2706 or via email at pcprep@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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