What Does the UA Peace Corps Fellowship Provide?

• Tuition Assistance
• Internship
• AmeriCorps - Bringing Service Home
• Professional Development
• Mentoring
• Housing Opportunities

Tuition Assistance

UA Peace Corps Fellows receive a maximum of a $12,000 graduate tuition remission applied to the standard (base) graduate tuition. This does not include some fees, departmental differential tuition, health insurance, or book discounts. Tuition support is renewable for each year of your study based on your progress to degree and completion of your obligations as a Fellow.

You are encouraged to seek additional support from the academic department or extramural funding sources to provide additional support. You may hold an assistantship while you are a Fellow. Tuition scholarships are renewable each year of study depending on progress to degree and meeting the committments of the program. Tuition costs are set each spring by the Arizona Board of Regents and the Bursar's web site will provide information on the costs of education.

Some Fellows also receive an assistantship or other scholarship support through their academic department. Students on assistantship receive the standard benefits of an assistantship, and Fellows tuition remission is limited to the share of the base tuition not covered by the assistantship (if any).

 

Internship and Service

The core of what it is to be a Peace Corps Fellow is to provide a service or benefit to an underserved community. At the UA, this is traditionally through a Peace Corps Fellows internship. Most, but not all, positions are paid, either through a combination of work study, AmeriCorps, an assistantship, grant funds, or regular wages. Some Fellows may volunteer as well. We have partnered with more than 150 community non-profits, government agencies, and UA outreach units, and typically place Fellows in 35-40 agencies each year.

Academic credit is not offered for previous Peace Corps service, nor for the Peace Corps Fellows internship unless it is also used for a required departmental experience. Your Peace Corps Fellows service may meet your departmental requirement or you may elect to do something entirely different. Fellows normally continue working with the same agency for the duration of studies, but changes are permitted.

Fellows' projects have resulted in presentations at national conferences, publication of scholarly papers, and thesis research. These experiences have sometimes led to permanent positions following (or before) graduation.

 

 

      High School Wash Service Project

 

Service Projects

Fellows plan and participate as a group in two-six community service projects each year in addition to Peace Corps Week. Projects have included trash pickup and streambed assessment of High School Wash with Watershed Management Group, SAAF AIDS/Walk, Community Food Bank projects at Marana Farms, National Homeless Count with Primavera Foundation, support of troops participating in Sahuaro Girl Scouts Thinking Day, trash pickup with Humane Borders on migrant routes, buffel grass removal with Tucson Weedwackers, participation in community health fairs, vaccination clinics, and emergency disaster exercises. 

 

Funding the Internship

Work Study

Most incoming Peace Corps Fellows receive a work study award to partially support their internship. The award is need based, requiring that the FAFSA be filed. Average awards are $3000 for the academic year. Community agencies who employ Fellows may be reimbursed 35-50% of the wages paid to the Fellow up to the amount of the student's work study award. Participation in the program allows non-profits and UA outreach units to benefit from the experience of working with Fellows.

 

AmeriCorps - Bringing Service Home and UA Wildcat Corps

The Fellows program received four-years of funding through State AmeriCorps grants through the Governor's Office of Children, Family and Youth. Peace Corps Fellows and other students serve as AmeriCorps members on a quarter-time or half-time project. Members receive a living allowance and a Segal Education award while providing service. Many Peace Corps Fellows combine work study and AmeriCorps to establish a paid internship.

Our third year grant concludes in December 2009, and our Recovery/Stimulus Act grant concludes in April 2010.

 

 

Approximately 34 members serve with host agencies in the community and UA outreach units in quarter- or half-time slots. UA Wildcat Corps AmeriCorps Members address community issues including

• Environment
• Health and nutrition
• Education and literacy
• Expanding access to non-profit services

 

 

AmeriCorps Benefits

Half-time members serve a total of 900 hours within a 12-15 month period at a host agency. Half-time members receive a living stipend of $5820, and at the completion of service, a $2360 Segal Educational Award which can be utilized for tuition, fees, or repayment of student loans over a 7-year period. A quarter-time position requires 450 hours of service and provides a living stipend of $2910 and a Segal Educational Award of $1250.

Member's may utilize 20% of their hours in professional development and training. The half-time member may receive up to 180 hours of professional development. A quarter-time member may receive up to 90 hours of professional development. Training includes CPR, First Aid, Crisis Shelter Management Training, participation in a 3-day state AmeriCorps conference in Flagstaff in July.

 

Professional Development

An August orientation and internship fair introduces fellows and organizations and provides a time to arrange interviews for service experiences. Fellows meet monthly for professional development, training, social gatherings or service projects. Past events included panels on working with international and domestic NGO's, Professor Roger Hartley discussing "Getting to Yes: Models of Negotiation," internship presentations, social, and service events. Current events are on the Google Calendar under "Current Fellows." In 2009-10, we are working with  SEED to develop coaching and training skills for non-profit organizations.

 

Fellows have also worked together to develop their own projects, such as an Engineers Without Borders water project in Ghana, development of the Watershed Management Group in Tucson, and creation of a Global Health Club on campus. Fellows work with Desert Doves, the Tucson RPCV organization in fundraising and special events, and Fellows and alumni often serve as officers of this organization. Fellows plan and organize Peace Corps Week events which include school presentations, a Fair, and a service project. Fellows are expected to actively participate in two service projects, Peace Corps Week, and key events each year.

 

Mentoring

RPCV faculty, community members, and second year Fellows are invited to mentor incoming PC Fellows. We have 800+ RPCV’s in Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties, and the University of Arizona is a top 25 recruitment school. We have identified 50+ RPCV faculty and staff at UA who are wonderful resources. Mentoring is a way for second year Fellows to share their experience, and for first-year Fellows to expand their network. Incoming Fellows are assigned a Fellows mentor.

 

Housing Opportunities

Fellows do not receive housing support, but are encouraged to investigate Residence Life opportunities. Fellows have served as Hall Directors or Residence Assistants in La Paz, La Aldea, Maricopa, and Posada san Pedro. Residence Life assistants receive free housing, an assistantship, health insurance, and discounts at the book store. Apply for housing positions on the Residence Life web site beginning in late November.