Archive - July 16, 2021

  KENNESAW, Ga. (Jul 16, 2021) — Kennesaw State University’s Thomas Nisley (Dominican Republic 1989-91)) has delved deeply into the Peace Corps, first as a volunteer worker helping communities in need and then as an academic researcher. His study indicates that the international assistance program is a significant and cost-effective component of the United States’ foreign affairs. That finding is particularly significant, Nisley contends, since last year the Peace Corps withdrew all its volunteers worldwide from their host sites — nearly 7,000 people serving in 60 countries — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Congress has authorized federal funding throughout the Peace Corps’ six-decade history, Nisley is concerned that the ongoing volunteer hiatus potentially could threaten further financial support for the Peace Corps and hinder its long-term future. “We have lost a year of what I often refer to as field-deployed public diplomacy,” said Nisley, a political science professor in KSU’s School of . . .