Western Illinois University Fellows Program in Community Development

The Fellows Program in Community Development at Western Illinois University is a two-year graduate fellowship program for returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) and AmeriCorps (AC) Alumni. The program is managed through the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) and offers RPCVs and AC Alumni an opportunity to pursue graduate studies (from among 10 partnering departments) with an emphasis on rural community and economic development.

As part of their degree program, Fellows serve an eleven-month internship in a rural community, leading local development projects, such as: downtown revitalization, business retention and expansion, tourism development, health education, volunteer management, and disaster preparedness. Fellows work to build local capacity, mobilize people, and make sustainable progress. They are supported in a number of ways (both financially and in-kind) throughout their time in our program and thereafter.

Examples of benefits we provide AC Alumni include the following:

1. preferred consideration during the application/selection process;
2. a fellowship award that in effect matches (and exceeds) the Segal Education Award with a full tuition waiver and monthly stipend for the two years students are in our program (total value worth approximately $63,000), and financial support to participate in ongoing professional development and training (via workshops and state and national conferences, etc.);
3. course credit for AC service during the second-year of their graduate studies, in conjunction with their graduate internship;
4. continued support and recognition beyond graduation and service - we mentor and support our Fellows as they transition to employment (or on to further graduate studies) and remain in contact with them for years. We bring them back to speak to and mentor current Fellows and have nominated them for recognition in their fields of service and within the AmeriCorps network - in 2019, one of our graduates was recognized among "AmeriCorps' 25 for 25 Alumni Award recipients in Illinois".