Host a Fellow

Peace Corps Fellows and Applied Community & Economic Development Fellows are available for 11-month internships. Fellows are the next generation of community development professionals, eager to extend their substantial volunteer, classroom, and employment experiences.

By partnering with the Stevenson Center, your organization can pursue its goals while providing an educational opportunity to a motivated student. The Stevenson Center assists urban and rural communities in the United States and abroad in meeting their diverse development needs. We recruit individuals with substantial non-profit or development experience to be Peace Corps Fellows or Applied Community & Economic Development Fellows at Illinois State University. These Fellows complete a year of intensive graduate study on campus and then serve 11-month paid internships in communities needing their skills. While they serve, the Fellows continue to work towards completion of their degrees.

Projects vary in each community, but the reaction to Fellows' drive and sensitivity to local needs has been nearly universal. Community leaders hosting Fellows believe these students offer needed skills that bolster local development efforts and provide an organizational "spark" to move them toward action.

Examples of Fellows’ Skills:

• Human capital development and network building.
• Strategic planning and community organizing.
• Grant proposal writing and fundraising.
• Not-for-profit administration.
• Urban and regional planning.
• Economic data collection and analysis.
• Town hall meeting, focus group, and interview facilitation.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Website development.

Fellows’ projects have supported:

• Business retention and expansion.
• Workforce development.
• Downtown restoration.
• Tourism promotion.
• Parks and recreation enhancement.
• Community marketing and publications.
• Health and wellness initiatives.
• Youth programs.
• And more.

Please contact the Stevenson Center at 309-438-7090 or StevensonCenter@ilstu.edu for more information about hosting a Fellow. Organizations in McLean County, Illinois, may also host graduate assistants.