Questions linger about future of Peace Corps program, leadership

By Jakob Hosmer
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The most valuable education that Dr. John Meyer ever received was not at a school or university or by formal learning. Instead, he gained an incredible amount of knowledge and life lessons from his experience of serving other people while far from home and in a foreign culture as a member of the Peace Corps.

Meyer had taken President John Kennedy's admonition to serve in the Peace Corps personally and became a volunteer in 1969. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Peace Corps.

As a NU adjunct psychology faculty member, Meyer also teaches Peace Corps courses at Norwich with the hope that he will be able to pass on some of the knowledge that he gained from his experiences in the Peace Corps years ago.

According to Meyer, his classes cover community development skills and compare local community development with that of third world nations, in particular South Africa. The three areas of focus in his courses center on health, education, youth, and economics. Students take one area of study in depth.

The NU Peace Corps program has been facing troubled waters recently. Former director Mitch Hall left the position as program head last June. With nobody to officially replace him, many people thought that the program was weakening, explained Professor Johnnie Stones, Social Sciences Division Head.

Meyer believes that part of the problem is that students don't know that the opportunity of the Peace Corps is here for them.

Although the biggest change recently for the Peace Corps program was the lack of a specific department head, there were also some changes to the status of the curriculum.

"Until this last year, the classes were special courses for people who wanted to go into the Peace Corps or for upperclass cadets in place of ROTC. Now it's equal to any other elective course on campus," Stones said.

Prof. Thomas Taylor, NU professor of History and Director of International Studies, was a key player when the Peace Corps Preparatory Program originally started at Norwich under then President Russell Todd. According to Taylor, Todd asked Taylor to write a proposal for implementing such a program at Norwich after having heard about such a program at Notre Dame.

"It started as a Peace Corps Preparatory Program, initially to be set up to be housed on the campus," Taylor said. "It has changed since then to include things such as leadership training."

The Peace Corps classes were designed to be an alternative to ROTC courses for non-contract juniors and seniors in the Corps of Cadets. Additionally, they were to expose students to other cultures, particularly third-world countries.

The students who were part of the Peace Corps Preparatory Program also got involved in community service locally and were offered a $5,000 scholarship, provided they went into the Peace Corps after graduation. Students also had to be "invited into the program," Taylor said, adding that since its conception the program has been changing.

With the most recent changes however, there has been some confusion among faculty involved with the Peace Corps classes as to the future status of the program. Stones said that those involved with the program are waiting for an official answer from the administration to say what the salary budget will be in the future, adding that this year there was money in the budget for instructors to teach the classes, but not for a program head.

According to Stones, the duties of the program head included the scheduling of classes, setting up internships, organizing community service, and overseeing the program.

"Right now, Prof. Meyer is having to do a lot of the coordination as well as many other things," Stones said, explaining that Meyer is not being paid for this service.

According to Norwich Associate Provost Joseph Byrne, the program will see even more changes next year when Peace Corps classes will most likely not be offered altogether.

"For next year there is a proposal to not offer Peace Corps courses for purposes of cutting budgets," said Byrne, but added that this action is "not final yet," and that it has so far only been proposed to the budget committee. Byrne said that for right now the cutting of the courses is just for next year, but also that "it would take action to get it back."

Budget cuts were also the reason that Mitch Hall was forced to step down as director of the Peace Corps program. "Last spring, the university went through a number of cuts to balance the budget. The position of Director of the Peace Corps was seen as something that could be cut," Byrne said.

Concerning the impact academically of cutting the Peace Corps program, Byrne said that the actions, if they go through, would not directly affect any degree programs.

"The courses are good for helping students understand other communities and cultures as well as service," Byrne said. "The Peace Corps is something that fits the mission of the institution, and Norwich supports it, but it isn't necessary for any degree requirements."

Byrne added that if the Peace Corps program were cut, such action shouldn't have any effect on stopping students from joining the Peace Corps.

According to Meyer, the Peace Corps has a lot to offer to people.

"I think it's a great opportunity for students to consider," he said, adding that the experience includes the possibility of getting experience in teaching, child health care, agriculture, plus the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

"If it weren't for family responsibilities, I would go back tomorrow," Meyer said.

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