CHEP offers grad scholarships to VISTA volunteers

4:20 p.m., May 26, 2004--A unique UD program guarantees full-tuition assistantships and living stipends to students who volunteer with VISTA. Some openings are still available for the volunteer group that begins service in July.

VISTA members who are accepted into graduate programs within the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy or in the Political Science Global Governance Program receive a free master’s education and other benefits.

Beginning in July, students from places as far-flung as Florida, California and Poland will come to Delaware to enter the program, live on a poverty-level salary and arrange mentors for at-risk children. All the volunteers who are accepted into one of the master’s programs will receive assistantships and living stipends.

“To our knowledge, no other university in the country is offering it,’’ Theresa Clower, director of the Delaware Mentoring Council, said. “As a result, we’ve been able to recruit the cream of the crop. We’ve become a national model in terms of the design of the program and the quality of the VISTA members we’re able to attract and retain.”

Seventy persons applied for the upcoming program year, mostly from out of state. Two of the 25 accepted members are from UD, but slots are still open.

VISTA members from the UD program run mentoring programs at community centers, schools and at school districts. While many VISTA volunteers in other states work alone in isolated settings, the University program is team-based with program coordinators, field supervisors and support services.

Volunteers are paid $8,700 to $9,300 a year during their year of service, along with health and prescription coverage. The Corporation for National Service will pay any interest that accrues on qualifying college loans during their service year, and each volunteer receives an education award of $4,725 or a $1,200 cash stipend.

In addition, VISTA members who are accepted into certain UD master’s programs will receive assistantships and those who also qualify as CHEP Service Scholars can enjoy some of the benefits of graduate school during their VISTA year.

The CHEP Scholars program offers early acceptance to graduate programs, so VISTA members will know they have been accepted and can interact with graduate school faculty during their volunteer year. The benefits include faculty mentoring, career development seminars, membership in a professional organization in their career areas and a chance to attend a professional conference.

For more information, check UD’s VISTA website at [http://www.udel.edu/udvista/] or contact recruiter Allegra Grant, who works at VISTA’s Dover office, at (302) 735-8209 or by e-mail at [agrant@udel.edu].

Article by Kathy Canavan

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