The Peace Corps has announced its top 2014 Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Programs for returned volunteers, and the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) ranks No. 4 among all programs nationwide and No. 1 among nursing schools. Currently, there are 46 returned Peace Corps volunteers enrolled in the JHSON program, established in 1991.
JHSON also ranked fourth overall in 2013, with 42 returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) enrolled.
“Peace Corps Fellows are dynamic, experienced, and service-focused,” says Lori Edwards, DrPH, RN, APRN, BC, who directs the RPCV program at JHSON. “They have become leaders in the School of Nursing and around the campus. They are involved with JHU and Baltimore community service and they also support one another in countless ways.”
“Peace Corps volunteers know about Hopkins Nursing as a great place to come home to,” adds Emily Dawes, Accel. ’14 and herself an RPCV. “We come here with these big, crazy dreams about changing the world. And here we learn the truth: We CAN change the world. And then they give us the tools.”
The Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows program provides graduate school scholarships to RPCVs who complete a degree-related internship in an underserved U.S. community while they pursue their studies. “The Peace Corps is proud to partner with colleges and universities to support returned volunteers who want to further their education while continuing to serve their local community,” says Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “Returned volunteers enrich the lives of those around them by sharing their knowledge of the world and different cultures, which helps to strengthen international ties and increase our country’s global competitiveness.”
Since 1961, more than 750 Johns Hopkins alumni have served in the Peace Corps, with eight currently serving overseas. See a list of the benefits that are offered to Peace Corps Fellows at Johns Hopkins.
The top 10 Coverdell Fellows programs (number of students currently enrolled in parentheses):
1. University of Denver (69)
2. University of Arizona (63)
3. Brandeis University (53)
4. Johns Hopkins University (46)
5. Teachers College, Columbia University (35)
6. Duke University (29)
6. The New School (29)
8. University of Michigan (25)
9. American University (21)
10. Monterey Institute of International Studies (20)