The University of Michigan capped its celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps by establishing a new program that ties service in the Peace Corps with graduate study in several of U-M’s colleges.

Under the program, signed into creation this afternoon by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman and Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams, a student would spend one year at U-M in graduate study, serve the normal 27 months in the Peace Corps and then return U-M to wrap up the degree.

University officials touted the agreement as one example of the connection between the university and the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps officials, former Peace Corps volunteers and members of the university have spent the last several days celebrating the 50th anniversary of a speech John F. Kennedy gave on the steps of the Michigan Union that launched the Peace Corps.

An event was held at 2 a.m. today to celebrate the exact moment of the speech. A group of Ann Arbor residents, university officials, Ann Arbor government officials and Peace Corps officials then gathered at 10:30 a.m. to dedicate a historic marker across South State Street from the union.

At 11 a.m., several hundred people gathered on the steps of the union to once again celebrate the founding.

Marnee Devine, Kennedy’s cousin and an Ann Arbor resident, remembered Kennedy’s arrival in Ann Arbor late that night.

“Jack and his campaign staff were dumbfounded by the size of the crowd,” at such a late hour, she said.

Kennedy decided to address them.

“I wasn’t surprised he fed off the energy,” DeVine said.

U-M students grasped hold of a challenge from Kennedy to be willing to serve. They drove the cries for the establishment of what became the Peace Corps.

"(The students) picked up the torch,” said Harris L. Wofford, a former U.S. Senator and advisor to President Kennedy. “It’s been 50 years, and the world still needs the Peace Corps.”

Jack Hood Vaughn, an U-M alumnus, a former ambassador to Panama and Columbia and the second director of the Peace Corps, said, “I don’t think … Jack Kennedy could imagine how successful the Peace Corps could turn out to be. He made the concept of the ugly American obsolete.”

After the event, Williams said he’s pleased to be continuing to work with the university on encouraging students to serve.

The new Peace Corps Masters International program will be offered in the school of education, the school of natural resources and environment, school of social work and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Deborah Lowenberg Ball, the dean of the education school, said she’s excited for the new program.

“Students will be able to be here and do their graduate work and then go into the Peace Corps. They’ll have the ability to have online connections with each other to help them continue to learn. Then they’ll come back and finish up here," she said.

“Our (master of arts teaching certificate program) really began with Peace Corps volunteers who came back and wanted to teach, “ she said. “This is a great way for our students to continue to serve.”

David Jesse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.