USAID and Mercy Corps are partnering to coordinate efforts that will give students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) greater access to internships and career development opportunities in international development.
MSIs are critical partners to both USAID and Mercy Corps, with an expansive knowledge base in areas that have helped bolster international development efforts globally, and that is directly complementary to the expertise of USAID's local partners - including a wide range of university partners abroad.
In order to recruit the rich talent MSIs offer, USAID and Mercy Corps will collaborate more closely on MSI outreach engagements, including jointly attending career fairs and recruitment events; holding lecture series and interactive sessions at universities on topics related to international development; and increasing information sharing with students about new job announcements, and Mercy Corps international internships and USAID fellowships such as, the Pathways Programs, Payne International Development Fellowship Program, and Junior Officer Program. This partnership also encourages the two organizations to collectively strengthen and expand relationships across their network of government, university, industry, and local partners so they can more easily share new knowledge, research, and development tools.
This partnership aligns directly with USAID's MSI Partnership Initiative, which promotes the interests, capabilities, and experience of MSIs within USAID and underscores USAID's commitment to developing a stronger workforce. USAID currently has agreements with Alcorn State University, Delaware State University, Draper University, Fayetteville University, Florida International University, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Morehouse College, the Office of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Development and International Cooperation, and Tuskegee University.
