Peace Corps Fellows Administrator To Visit Illinois State, Sept. 14

Date: 9/11/06
Contact: Frank Beck, faculty director, Stevenson Center (309) 438-7090

Cary Ballou, a Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program administrator, will visit Illinois State University's Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development on Thursday, Sept. 14. Ballou's visit is part of a regularly scheduled evaluation of Peace Corps Fellows programs across the U.S. A reception for Ballou will be held in the Stevenson Memorial Room, Stevenson Hall Room 132, at 3:15 p.m.

Every two years, Peace Corps officials from Washington, D.C. visit Peace Corps Fellows programs at more than 35 U.S. universities to evaluate the programs' effectiveness at meeting the needs of local communities and agencies.

Illinois State's Peace Corps Fellows program gives returned Peace Corps volunteers the opportunity to earn master's degrees in applied economics, political science or sociology. The program then places those returned Peace Corps volunteers in communities across the state to help with community and economic development activities. Fellows currently in the Stevenson Center's program have served in Armenia, the Dominican Republic, the Kyrgyz Republic, Morocco, Paraguay and Tanzania.

The Peace Corps, begun during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Since 1961, more than 182,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers. Today, Peace Corps volunteers serve in 77 countries across the globe.