The Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development attracts bright and accomplished graduate students to its Fellows programs and undergraduate students to Peace Corps Prep. This academic year brought recognition of students’ success, on campus and off campus.
As he approaches graduation, Joel McReynolds, an Applied Community and Economic Fellow in political science, reflected on his experience: “It was a privilege to be in an academic environment that was both challenging and encouraging. There were many times where I was pushed to stretch my limits, but I always knew that the Stevenson Center staff and my fellow students were there for me should I need any help or support.”
Stevenson Center students received various awards:
Fellows and alumni:
- Ryan Arnold: Politics and Government Graduate Student Civic Engagement Award
- Kate Brunk: College of Arts and Sciences winner of the James L. Fisher Outstanding Thesis Award Competition
- Erik Carlson: Sociology Charter Department Excellence Award
- Bella Green: ISU/ASA Distinguished Sociology Graduate Student Award
- Joel McReynolds: March 2020 GradBird Scholar
Prep students:
- Maria Kitchin: University Club Scholarship
- Shaylin Quaid: Dr. John Baldwin Leadership Award
Current Fellows and alumni shared their research and experiences throughout the year:
- Teddy Dondanville: article published in Environmental Sociology
- Hannah Gdalman:
- panel discussion at the Peace Corps Office of University Programs Coordinators conference
- paper accepted for 2020 Chicago Ethnography Conference (conference cancelled due to COVID-19)
- Bella Green: poster presentation at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation conference
- Joel McReynolds: article published in The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community
Other research by Fellows and alumni is in the Stevenson Center’s digital repository.
Offering interdisciplinary, applied master’s programs for Peace Corps Fellows and Applied Community and Economic Development Fellows, the Stevenson Center prepares students for successful careers in community and economic development. For each program offered through the Stevenson Center, master’s degrees are available in anthropology, applied economics, kinesiology and recreation, political science, and sociology.
McReynolds noted: “My ISU graduate program in Applied Community and Economic Development through the Stevenson Center offers a balance between academic learning and practical application. A graduate degree is useless unless it can help you make a difference in the world, which is exactly what I believe my graduate program is doing.”
While pursuing academic achievements, Fellows have helped a range of partners in meeting their development goals. Stevenson Center students in the final class of the Peace Corps Master’s International program nationwide completed their service in Morocco and Ukraine. The Peace Corps Prep program continues to support undergraduate students completing a certificate of readiness for public service.
Shaylin Quaid is the Stevenson Center’s public relations intern.
