The Peace Corps has selected Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business to join a fellowship program that provides financial support to returned Peace Corps volunteers pursuing graduate degrees at a select number of U.S. schools, McDonough announced today. Through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship Program, returned Peace Corps volunteers who apply and are admitted to McDonough’s full-time MBA program receive significant tuition scholarships, can apply for additional graduate assistantships and will complete internships in underserved American communities, where they can put to use and expand upon the skills they learned as volunteers.
“Georgetown University has a longstanding commitment to being men and women for others, as well as understanding the intricacies of different cultures around the world,” McDonough Dean David A. Thomas said in a statement, referencing the school’s Jesuit roots and principles. “By joining the Coverdell Fellows Program, we can reward incoming MBAs who already have the global mindset and value for serving society that we teach in our programs.”
How It Works for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Pursuing an MBA at McDonough
McDonough will waive the application fee ($175) for all returned Peace Corps volunteers who apply to the program. Eligible volunteers should use the school’s optional application essay to note that they want to be considered for the fellowship. Application deadlines, available for each of three rounds, are the same as for general MBA applicants to McDonough, falling in early October, early January, and early April. See website for exact dates as they may vary from year to year.
Admitted Fellows will receive a minimum of a $10,000 tuition scholarship per year for each of their two years in the program, totaling $20,000 in scholarship funding. Fellows will also be considered for additional merit-based funding and can apply for potential Graduate Assistantships within MBA Admissions or the school’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative (GSEI). Compensation for the internships Coverdell Fellows will complete as part of the program will vary by employer.
At McDonough, Coverdell Fellows will complete the school’s general management degree, which provides both core courses and the ability to customize through a range of electives. Fellows will also complete a required Global Business Experience, a six- to eight-week consulting project for an international company in which they will work to solve real-time problems for a client, culminating in a one-week global trip to meet with and present recommendations to the client. Finally, with guidance from both the McDonough MBA Career Center and GSEI, Fellows will learn about the more than 250 internship and service experiences that can fulfill the Coverdell Fellows internship requirement.
McDonough’s Inside Advocate for Peace Corps Collaboration
Associate Dean of MBA Admissions Shari Hubert came to McDonough in 2013 from the Peace Corps, where she served as director of recruitment for its Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection. In that role, she was responsible for recruiting 4,000 volunteers annually and managed the operations of nine regional recruitment offices across the United States. Part of her focus since arriving at McDonough has been on exploring opportunities for collaboration between the two organizations.
“I am very proud that Georgetown McDonough is the first school at the University to become a Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program,” Hubert told Clear Admit today. “A lot of energy and enthusiasm went into this endeavor from returned volunteers on campus to dedicated admissions staff. Not only was this partnership important to me given my prior role at the Peace Corps, but it’s made even more special by the fact that my father was sworn in, this past February, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda, at the age of 65. I am so proud to be affiliated with two great institutions dedicated to making a global impact on society.”
McDonough becomes the first school at Georgetown and only the 18th business school in the country selected to join the Coverdell Fellowship Program since it was founded in 1985. In total, the program includes more than 90 partner schools across a wide range of disciplines. Other leading partner business schools include Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and Babson College’s Olin Graduate School of Business.
“We are delighted to partner with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business to support our returned volunteers as they pursue higher education and continue their commitment to service,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said in a statement. “Communities are moved forward by the selflessness of volunteers, and returned Peace Corps volunteers have unique skills and experiences to offer their local communities.”
