Seton Hall University Launches Peace Corps Prep Program, Deepening Its Commitment to Global Service

Seton Hall University today announced the launch of its Peace Corps Prep program, a new undergraduate initiative that prepares students across every major for careers in international development and service, including future service with the Peace Corps. The program, housed in the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, will formally launch this fall following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Peace Corps.

Open to undergraduates in any major, minor or academic year, Peace Corps Prep builds three core competencies — sector-specific training and hands-on experience, intercultural competence, and professional and leadership development, across the Peace Corps' six work sectors: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development. Students who complete the program will earn a Peace Corps certificate of completion along with a Seton Hall digital badge and certificate recognizing their preparation for global service.

The program reflects a university-wide collaboration, drawing on the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, the Office of International Programs, the Career Center and the Division of Volunteer Efforts to give students coursework, field experience and mentorship aligned with Peace Corps service.

“Peace Corps Prep gives our students a structured, credentialed path to becoming the kind of globally engaged, servant leaders Seton Hall has always aimed to form,” said Mary Kate Naatus, associate provost for Partnerships and Global Initiatives and dean of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at Seton Hall. Naatus, a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in El Salvador from 2000 to 2002, added, “My own Peace Corps service shaped how I think about leadership, service and cross-cultural understanding more than almost anything else in my career. We want every student who goes through this program to have the chance to discover that same sense of purpose, whether their path leads to Peace Corps service or another form of global or community impact.”

Courtney Smith, dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, said the program strengthens a pipeline the school has cultivated for decades. “Our students come to the School of Diplomacy and International Relations because they want to do work that matters in the world, and Peace Corps Prep gives them a concrete, guided way to build the skills and experience that global service demands,” Smith said. “It also reflects something distinctive about Seton Hall: our willingness to open a program like this to every student on campus, not just those in international affairs, because we believe the capacity for service-driven leadership shouldn’t be limited by major.”

Tracy Robertson, Peace Corps Prep Staff Coordinator, welcomed Seton Hall’s addition to the national network of partner institutions, becoming the third Peace Corps Prep campus in the state of New Jersey. “The Prep program at Seton Hall will prepare students for potential Peace Corps service by helping them build the foundational competencies that are critical to working collaboratively in an overseas community where they will hone professional skills that will make them even more competitive in today’s economy.”

For Emily Harrast, a Seton Hall graduate diplomacy student in the University’s Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, the new Peace Corps Prep track fills a gap the campus hadn’t had before. “Having an opportunity to learn about Peace Corps and prepare myself to serve is something I wish I had during undergraduate. Peace Corps service showed me that international relations is my passion and discovering that sooner would have transformed my path dramatically.” Emily is also an ambassador for Peace Corps on the Seton Hall campus.

Seton Hall anticipates admitting its first Peace Corps Prep cohort in the coming academic year, with an initial goal of five students in year one, growing to a sustained cohort of at least 10 students annually as the program matures. Prospective students can learn more through the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies website, information sessions held throughout the year and the Career Center. Interested students should contact [email protected] for more information.

About Seton Hall University
Seton Hall is a private Catholic university founded in 1856, with campuses in South Orange, Newark and Nutley, New Jersey. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States and more than 70 countries, Seton Hall is recognized for its rigorous academic programs, nationally ranked leadership initiatives and commitment to forming globally engaged, ethical leaders.

Categories: Education, Nation and World