Ohio State will host two distinct events this spring that will showcase the legacy of the Peace Corps and memorialize its 60-year history at Ohio State. These programs will serve as a reflection point to discuss the complex history of internationalization, civic engagement and global citizenship – and Ohio State’s path forward in these areas.
“A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Jean and Charles Schulz Lecture Hall, 220 Sullivant Hall
Alana DeJoseph, producer and director of the reflective independent film, “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps,” will visit Ohio State for a screening event and discussion centered around global citizenship.
For the many students, faculty and staff who contribute to global engagement at Ohio State, this retrospective view of the Peace Corps offers a chance to learn about and contemplate one of the most influential global citizenship efforts of our time – and use that lens to evaluate our role in today’s modern context.
This film and engaging conversation will be of interest to globally minded individuals from a number of interdisciplinary programs, and all are invited to participate.
Attendees can further reflect on the Peace Corps’ impact and opportunities a day later through the perspectives of Ohio State alumni and staff who have served the program since its foundation.
Peace Corps 60th Anniversary Commemorative Event
Thursday, April 7, 2022, 4-6:30 p.m.
Jean and Charles Schulz Lecture Hall, 220 Sullivant Hall
This captivating event and panel discussion will focus on the experiences and insights of returned Peace Corps volunteers spanning six decades from the present back to the organization’s founding years, during which Ohio State contributed to the Peace Corps’ initial training and recruitment operations. In that spirit, the organization will be joined by Glenn Blumhorst, president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association, to honor:
- Stephan L. Honoré – the first Ohio State student to be accepted into the Peace Corps; also the first Ohioan, first African-American, and one of the first 27 Peace Corps invitees in the United States
in mid-June 1961. - Representatives of India I – the first cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in India, originally trained at Ohio State.
This reflection on the Peace Corps’ history and impact comes at an exciting time for the organization as it resumes invitations for new volunteers to serve abroad after a two-year hiatus in the wake of the pandemic.
Both events include light refreshments and are free to attend. Additional program details will be available at https://ipa.osu.edu/peace-corps.