Marlboro College Partners with the Peace Corps

Marlboro College is pleased to announce that all of its graduate teaching programs have been approved to partner with the Peace Corps as part of the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program. The Coverdell program will offer significant financial assistance for returning Peace Corps Volunteers choosing to attend Master of Arts in Teaching programs at Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies.

“As someone with a keen appreciation of the value of both Peace Corps service and a Marlboro education, I am especially pleased with this new partnership,” said Kevin Quigley, president of Marlboro College.

President Quigley speaks from experience, having served as a Peace Corps Volunteer himself, the Peace Corps country director in Thailand, and president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), before coming to Marlboro. “This new partnership is a perfect way for Peace Corps volunteers to build on their skills and experience with a Marlboro education that will prepare them well to shape a purpose-driven life.”

The Coverdell Fellows Program offers returned Peace Corps Volunteers the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) through one of the three graduate teaching programs at Marlboro College: Teaching with Technology, Teaching for Social Justice, and TESOL. The Coverdell program offers financial support to fellows, and allows returned volunteers to gain valuable professional experience through internships in underserved communities in the United States.

Marlboro graduate programs would make an excellent match for many Peace Corps Volunteers returning from their service, ready to engage with the world in new and creative ways as teachers, nonprofit leaders, and social entrepreneurs. The majority of graduate students at Marlboro already have several years of professional experience, so returning volunteers will fit in well with the college community of mature, service-oriented, intellectually curious adults.

“Marlboro is a community of servant leaders who care about making a difference in the world and growing personally and professionally as leaders,” said Travis Hellstrom, co-chair of management programs at Marlboro who also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. “This is a perfect environment for returned Peace Corps Volunteers. They want to make the world a better place and that doesn’t stop when their service ends. When they come here I think they’ll feel like they are home. I know I do.”

“This new partnership between Peace Corps and Marlboro is a perfect match,” said President Quigley. “Both the Peace Corps and Marlboro are fundamentally about helping individuals develop the skills and have the experiences needed to shape lives of purpose making a difference, and this work must begin by being rooted in community.”