Host a Fellow
Peace Corps Fellows and Applied Community & Economic Development Fellows are available for 11-month internships. Fellows are up-and-coming community and economic development professionals, eager to share their expertise and help your organization achieve its goals.
IMPORTANT: Organizations in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, also have the option of hosting students for graduate assistantships each semester, up to 20 hours per week.
Please contact the Stevenson Center at 309-438-7090 or
for more information about hosting a Fellow.
What is the Stevenson Center?
Begun in 1994 as the first Peace Corps Fellows/USA program in the country to focus on community and economic development, the Stevenson Center at Illinois State University assists urban and rural communities in the U.S. and abroad in meeting their diverse development needs. We have graduate students available for 11-month, 35 hour per week internships.
Why should I consider hosting a Stevenson Center graduate student?
Stevenson Center graduate students are the next generation of community development professionals, eager to extend their substantial volunteer, classroom, and employment experiences. They bring concrete skills, professionalism, and enthusiasm to every project. By partnering with the Stevenson Center, an organization can pursue its goals while providing an educational opportunity to a motivated student.
Who are these graduate students? What sort of expertise do they have?
The Stevenson Center recruits individuals with experience and/or interest in non-profit or public service. These students are seeking Master’s degrees in Applied Economics, Political Science, or Sociology at Illinois State University. Building upon their experiences in Peace Corps or other contexts, they are completing degree sequences in Applied Community/Economic Development. The curriculum covers a range of topics, including community project design and management, grant writing, economic development tools, not-for-profit administration, feasibility studies, and research methods. Given their previous experiences and graduate training, as a group our students are hard-working, responsible, and intelligent.
If you would like to see résumés of the available students, please contact Assistant Director Beverly Beyer at 309-438-7090 or
.
What are some examples of organizations or communities that have hosted Stevenson Center students?
A comprehensive list of current host organizations is available in the box on the right. Each student relocates to her/his host organization’s community for the internship.
How long is the internship?
The internship, or professional practice, is 11 months at 35 hours per week. Students are generally ready to begin their internships during the summer and January of each year. The start date varies: it depends on the needs of the host organization and any classes the student must complete. In the summer, a few students could be ready as early as June; all should be ready no later than September 1. The start date does not need to be tied to any academic calendar. Outside of the 35 hours per week of service, some students complete a thesis or a capstone project during the internship.
How much does it cost to host a student?
The cost to an organization or community wishing to host a student is well below the entry-level market rate for community development professionals. Currently, the host organization covers the student’s stipend for the 11 months, plus an administrative percentage. This amount is paid to the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development. A supplemental fee is assessed for hosts outside the state of Illinois.
Please contact Assistant Director Beverly Beyer at 309-438-7090 or
for current rates.
The student remains registered as a full-time graduate student at Illinois State University and is on the University’s payroll. The student is eligible for student health insurance through fees that she/he pays out of the stipend, so hosting one of our students can be a cost-effective way to fill a staff vacancy or to launch a new program or project. The student is expected to cover room, board, and living expenses out of the stipend as well. Illinois State University provides the student with a full-tuition waiver for the 11 months.
We recognize that for many organizations the cost to host a student is significant. As a result, host organizations have high expectations. Our students tend to exceed these expectations, so that their hosts feel they have gotten more than they paid for. We would be glad to write a letter of support and provide any relevant information for a grant proposal that includes one of our students. Most of the students are offered jobs by the organizations that hosted them for their internships.
What other kinds of support would I need to provide?
As you would for an employee, you need to provide a supervisor and the necessary equipment and information to complete the work at hand (e.g., computer, telephone access). During the first month on site, the student and the supervisor create a work plan that clarifies objectives for the 11-month internship. The Assistant Director will send the supervisor a two-page evaluation form to complete approximately every three months. The student can draw on resources at Illinois State University in completing her/his work, and he/she will be earning professional practice credits through reports submitted to the Assistant Director.
How does the matching process work?
The Assistant Director will email you résumés of the available students and will solicit your feedback. Shortly after the application deadline, all applications from organizations are shared with the students. Using your feedback and theirs, the Assistant Director will arrange interviews (in person when logistically feasible, otherwise by phone) and continue to seek input regarding suitability both from you and from the students. These interviews precede a formal commitment, as it is in everyone’s best interest that students and host organizations are well matched. You should know within about a month of the application deadline whether you are likely to be matched. The Stevenson Center Board, composed of faculty members in our three partner departments, approves all matches. The next step is formalizing the agreement between your organization and Illinois State University. (Sample agreements are available upon request.)
My organization would like to host a student. What do I do next?
Please contact Assistant Director Beverly Beyer at 309-438-7090 or
. She will answer any questions you have and provide you with résumés of available students and a brief (four-page) application. This form asks for basic information about your organization, as well as the kinds of projects you have in mind. The application deadline for fullest consideration is typically in mid-February for students starting internships in the summer and mid-September for students starting internships in January.
