The first Peace Corps Fellow to earn a degree from Fordham’s graduate program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) has been selected to serve as an officer in the U.S. Foreign Service. Angel Ventling, who graduated from the IPED program in January, will begin her foreign service career in March.
“It has been some time since a Fordham graduate has succeeded in being named a Foreign Service Officer,” said Henry Schwalbenberg, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, director of IPED and coordinator of the fellows program. “Hopefully, Ms. Ventling will be the first of many more Fordham/Peace Corps graduates to enter public service with such distinction.”
Foreign service officers help formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States and act as frontline personnel at all embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions around the world. The Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program at Fordham is a graduate fellowship offering assistance to former Peace Corps volunteers who wish to earn a master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development.
The IPED program was founded in 1979 with financial support from the U.S. Department of Education. Schwalbenberg said that the Peace Corps is responsible for 25 percent of all applications for next year’s IPED class. Ventling came to Fordham in 2005 after serving in the Peace Corps for two years. She received a full-tuition scholarship, as well as federal grant money to perform community service. See theInside Fordham article, “Fordham’s Peace Corps Fellows: Making a Difference,” for more on the program and Ventling.
– Janet Sassi
