Peace Corps partners with Elon for new program

The Peace Corps Prep Program will help students gain additional skills and knowledge necessary for international service.

Elon President Leo M. Lambert formalizes a partnership with the Peace Corps as (from left) Steve Moore, Alison Morrison-Shetlar, and Chris Gilson observe.

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Elon University has partnered with the Peace Corps to introduce an academic and service program that even better prepares students for careers in international development.

The partnership was formalized in a Friday morning signing ceremony between Elon University President Leo M. Lambert and Peace Corps representative Chris Gilson. The university is just the sixth school in the nation to host the Peace Corps Prep Program, organizers said.

“At the core of an Elon education is the idea that we are preparing global citizens to work for the common good,” Lambert said after the Feb. 22 signing in the Williams Conference Room inside Powell building. “This new program just embodies that ideal … and we are delighted to deepen our long-standing partnership with the Peace Corps.”

Students taking part in the program will be required to complete courses in environmental science, food security, green design, global awareness and foreign language as well as 100 hours of volunteer service into their degree plans.

Although participation in Peace Corps Prep doesn't guarantee that applicants will be accepted as volunteers, officials said, the specialized curriculum and experience should make them strong candidates for service. There are currently 14 Elon University graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers worldwide. Since Peace Corps was established in 1961, nearly 100 Elon alumni have served as volunteers.

Elon University President Leo M. Lambert, left, with Chris Gilson, a representative for the Peace Corps

“Elon has been a leading producer of Peace Corps volunteers over the years relative to other schools in the country of its size,” Gilson said. “This is an opportunity to provide students who have an interest in becoming Peace Corps volunteers with a means to work toward that objective.”

In attendance at the ceremony were Provost Steven House, Associate Provost Tim Peeples, and Alison Morrison-Shetlar, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences.

Also present and seated next to Lambert was Steve Moore in the Department of Environmental Studies, the faculty member who led the charge to create the Peace Corps partnership.

More than 210,000 Americans have volunteered through the Peace Corps, in 139 host countries, dating to its founding. Today, just over 8,000 volunteers are working with local communities in 76 host countries in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development.

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.

“Elon University encourages its students to make a difference by becoming global leaders through community service and international study,” said Acting Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “Elon couldn’t be a better fit for the Peace Corps Prep program. We are thrilled to welcome them as a partner as they continue to encourage their students to consider Peace Corps service.”

For more information about the program, contact Steve Moore in the Department of Environmental Studies at smoore24@elon.edu.

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by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 2/22/2013

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Department of Arizona, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Partners with Excelsior College to Provide Pathway to College Degree

Albany, New York (January 14, 2013) – The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona has signed an education agreement with Excelsior College that will allow VFW members and their spouses/domestic partners to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees for reduced tuition and fees.

The new statewide partnership builds toward a national VFW objective aimed at drawing younger veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking educational opportunity.

“The state of Arizona VFW is very proud to have entered into this partnership with Excelsior College,” said State Commander Michael Ferguson, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona. “This is another example on how the VFW is looking to reach out to all veterans, especially our younger vets just getting out of the military. We’re hoping they will take advantage of this opportunity to earn a degree and advance their skills. We believe our veterans and their spouses have earned it for their sacrifice.”

“Since our founding more than four decades ago, Excelsior has strived to serve the military and veterans communities both at home and abroad,” said Excelsior College President John F. Ebersole. “Arizona is home to more than a half-million veterans, with more coming home soon enough, as drawdowns continue and more of our brave servicemembers return from battle. This partnership will help to provide a pathway for these returning men and women to seek out a higher education.”

Arizona is home to approximately 557,000 veterans with the number expected to grow as servicemembers return to Arizona from overseas missions over the coming years. The Department of Arizona VFW currently counts 25,560 members among its 77 posts.

Excelsior, a regionally accredited nonprofit distance learning college based in Albany, New York, has a long and successful history serving the veteran community that began with its founding in 1971. In addition to broad online programming, Excelsior is also home to Excelsior College® Examinations, an extensive credit-by-examination program that provides an additional pathway to affordable degree completion.

Among the more than 37,000 currently enrolled students, over 14,000 count themselves as active-duty or of veteran status. And of the more than 5,200 Excelsior graduates in the 2011-2012 academic year, 34 percent were members of the U.S. military.

The College offers an extensive range of academic support programs and services tailored to veterans, including career counseling, financial counseling on veteran benefits, and an online veteran center with vet to vet mentorship. Many financial aid and academic advisors are veterans themselves.

In addition, Excelsior accepts prior military training in the form of academic transfer credit based on recommendations from the American Council on Education's Military Evaluations Program. Each year, Excelsior accepts approximately 50,000 military training program credits toward completion of undergraduate degree programs.

Under the agreement, veterans may enroll in degree programs from any of Excelsior’s schools: Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Nursing.

Excelsior College's other education credentials include:

• G.I. Jobs has named Excelsior a top military-friendly school the past four years and Military Advanced Education has recognized Excelsior College the past five years. For the third year in a row Excelsior College has been named a “Best for Vets” college by Military Times Edge magazine.
• Excelsior's course, "Success Strategies for Military and Veterans" earned the 2010-2011 Innovation Award from the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS). The course provides college and career orientation to veterans and military members and teaches transition strategies for those entering the civilian workforce after a military career.
• Excelsior is a recipient of the Council of College and Military Educators' (CCME) Institutional Award.
• Excelsior's military academic advising team includes veterans who are uniquely attuned to the unique needs of military students, veterans and their spouses.
• Center for Military Education (CME) Executive Director Susan Dewan is the recipient of the 2011 William E. Kennedy Award from the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), which recognizes leadership in providing higher education programs to personnel at U.S. military installations.
• Excelsior President Ebersole is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in Vietnam and received the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award in 2010 for his leadership in contributing to the Army's educational mission.

For more information on joining the VFW in Arizona, visit the membership information page. For more information about the Arizona VFW educational partnership with Excelsior College visit either the VFW partnership or Excelsior College partnership page, email veterans@excelsior.edu or call 888-647-2388.

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Excelsior
Excelsior College http://www.excelsior.edu is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans' service organization composed of combat veterans and those who currently serve on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and is one of its oldest veterans' organizations. With 2.1 million members located in 7,700 VFW Posts worldwide, the VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to "honor the dead by helping the living" through veterans service, legislative initiatives, youth scholarships, Buddy Poppy, and national military service programs. Annually, the VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 11 million hours of community service to the nation. For more information or to join, visit the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona’s website.

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