Yale and Peace Corps Announce F&ES Fellowship for Returning Volunteers

Note: Yale School of the Environment (YSE) was formerly known as the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). News articles and events posted prior to July 1, 2020 refer to the School's name at that time.

Yale University and the Peace Corps have announced the launch of a new Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program that will provide graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers at the Yale School of Foresry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). All program Fellows will complete internships in underserved American communities while they complete their studies, allowing them to bring home and expand upon the skills they learned as volunteers.  
 
“We are delighted to partner with Yale University to support our returned volunteers as they pursue higher education and continue their commitment to service,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Communities are moved forward by the selflessness of volunteers, and returned Peace Corps volunteers have unique skills and experiences to offer their local communities.”
 
Fellows selected for the program will receive a $5,000/year scholarship in addition to any need-based financial aid they receive. On average, students with demonstrated need receive $16,000/year in internal need-based scholarship assistance. Fellows will be guaranteed a scholarship of at least $5,000/year if they do not qualify for need-based financial aid. Application fee waivers will also be granted to all Coverdell Fellows, and Fellows will have the opportunity to apply for work study or teaching fellow positions, in which they can earn up to an additional $8,000/year. There is considerable amount of school funding available for summer internships. Students receive an average of $4,000 to carry out their summer internships or research.

“We have welcomed many returned Peace Corps volunteers to our School over the years, and we are thrilled that the Coverdell Fellows Program will help us formally provide financial support to these veterans of the program to enable them to pursue their academic goals,” said F&ES Dean Peter Crane. “Returned Peace Corps volunteers bring with them a great diversity of experiences, practiced leadership skills, and passion for making a difference. All of these traits help strengthen our community and are strongly in line with what we feel it takes to succeed, both as an F&ES student and as an environmental leader.”
 
Through their internships, Coverdell Fellows apply what they learn in the classroom to a professional setting. They not only gain valuable, hands-on experience that makes them more competitive in today’s job market, but they also further the Peace Corps mission. By sharing their global perspective with the communities they serve, Fellows help fulfill Peace Corps’ Third Goal commitment to strengthen Americans’ understanding of the world and its people.
  
The Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program began in 1985 at Teachers College, Columbia University and now includes more than 90 university partners across the country, from the District of Columbia to Hawaii to Alaska. The program is specifically reserved for students who have already completed their Peace Corps service abroad. Since the inception of the program, more than 4,500 returned volunteers have participated and made a difference across the country. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov/fellows.
 
To learn more about the Coverdell Fellows Program at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, contact: Danielle Dailey, Director of Enrollment Management, at fesinfo@yale.edu or 203-432-5106, or visit www.environment.yale.edu/go.