Since the return to school, many students have walked past a new project being carefully crafted just outside one of Colorado State University’s most traveled areas. The Lory Student Center will soon have new flora, creating a peaceful space to pass through or study.
The circular path that leads around the new Peace Corps Tribute Garden takes visitors past a few different signs that explain the history and mission of the Peace Corps. Several large stones have been laid out to sit and admire the scenery of CSU’s campus and the garden itself.
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The Peace Corps is a government agency that sends American citizens all over the world to promote peace and help communities abroad. They have three goals when in other countries: to learn about other countries, to share American culture and to provide technical assistance.
According to the CSU Peace Corps Garden Tribute website, the purpose is “to celebrate CSU’s early and ongoing involvement with the foundation of the Peace Corps.”
“We want people 80 years from now to remember this history and take pride and think about what’s their contribution to a global society,” Associate Director of Development for International Programs Laura Thornes said.
The garden will feature the unique history between CSU and the Peace Corps, which have had a relationship with each other since the Peace Corps was created.
“There was a feasibility study in 1960, and it was commissioned by the federal government,” Thornes said. “CSU competed for it and actually got the grant, which meant that some of our researchers flew to 10 different countries on three continents in 30 days to research this question: … ‘If there was to be an international youth service corps, what would that look like?'”
Thornes added that the researchers went on to write a 334-page document used by former President John F. Kennedy to help frame the foundations of the Peace Corps.
“(The garden will) document some of its earliest history,” Thornes said. “It will also have different benches and plaques that recognize some individuals who were very transformed by the Peace Corps.”
Thornes said the garden will honor three of those researchers: Maurice Albertson, Pauline Birky-Kreutzer and Andrew Rice. Thornes said the Peace Corps wants this garden to encourage more young people to be globally engaged.
CSU ranks 11th among the top Peace Corps-producing colleges thanks to the help of Peace Corps Strategic Recruiter Chrissa Percival.
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“Start out by browsing www.peacecorps.gov to search current openings and learn about serving in the Peace Corps,” Percival said. “Next, connect with your local recruiter to answer any questions, get insights into the process and help strengthening your application. Colorado State University’s early ties to the Peace Corps and historical ranking as a top Peace Corps Volunteer-producing college means we have a strategic campus recruiter right here.”
This garden will serve as a way to not only provide a pleasant resting place for students on campus but also to inform them. The CSU Peace Corps Tribute Garden will open Oct. 15 as a finale of this weekend’s Homecoming festivities.
Reach Tyler Weatherwax at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @twwax7272.
