The director of the Peace Corps will visit UF today to finalize a new master's program and to discuss global citizenship.
Aaron Williams is scheduled to speak at 6 p.m. at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service in Pugh Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Before his speech, Williams will sign an agreement between UF and the Peace Corps that will start the university's new Master's International program. It will allow graduate students to work on their master's degrees while volunteering overseas with the Peace Corps.
More than 80 schools in the U.S. offer the program so far, according to the Peace Corps website.
UF's partnership will be through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences because the Peace Corps especially needs volunteers with agricultural and environmental skills, said UF Peace Corps recruiter Amy Panikowski.
The process starts when a student is admitted to graduate school and then accepted into the Peace Corps. The student will take classes for about three semesters before volunteering for 27 months, Panikowski said.
Once back in the U.S., she said, the student will have about a semester of work, which could include a case study or professional paper, before graduating.
Panikowski said she hopes the program launch this fall.
