AmeriCorps Expects to Cut Number of Participants in Half This Year

By Ian Wilhelm

The Corporation for National and Community Service may be only able to accept half as many people into the AmeriCorps national-service program as it did last year because of financial troubles, according to a preliminary estimate.

The corporation, a federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and two other service programs, may only have enough funds to pay for 25,000 AmeriCorps members in fiscal 2003, said Christopher Gallagher, vice chairman for the corporation's board of directors. In previous years, the corporation has enrolled 50,000 people for the program, which provides members a stipend and educational assistance for full- or part-time work with nonprofit groups and public-service organizations.

Mr. Gallagher said Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, and other charities that rely on AmeriCorps volunteers should be aware of the potential shortfall. "They need to understand it could be a very difficult year," he said.

Mr. Gallagher said the 25,000 figure was given to him by the corporation during a board retreat in Cleveland this week.

Leslie Lenkowsky, the corporation's chief executive officer, acknowledges his organization may not be able to accept as many people into the program as it did last year, but said estimates on the exact amount are premature. "We don't have a firm number," he said in an interview. The estimate provided to the board was expected to remain private until further accounting, he added.

The number depends, in part, on how the corporation accounts for the educational aid it provides AmeriCorps graduates. The White House's Office of Management and Budget and the General Accounting Office, the research arm of Congress, disagree about how much the corporation should set aside for each AmeriCorps member, Mr. Lenkowsky said. Therefore, until they reach an agreement, the exact amount of the shortfall remains uncertain, he said.

Despite being a hallmark program of President Clinton's, President Bush has embraced AmeriCorps as part of his effort to encourage every U.S. citizen spend 4,000 hours over their lifetimes working in public service or volunteering for charity. However, the program has faced scrutiny from members of Congress.

Last year, the corporation placed a five-month suspension on enrollments into AmeriCorps in part because it said it had failed to accurately evaluate the level of interest for the program. An estimated 10,000 applicants were affected by the suspension. (The Chronicle, January 9.)

The enrollment freeze ended in March when Capitol Hill provided $100-million in emergency funds to the corporation. But, according to Mr. Gallagher, Senators Christopher S. Bond, a Republican from Missouri, and Barbara A. Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland, want the board of directors to play an increased role in solving the corporation's financial troubles.

Mr. Lenkowsky said he welcomed the oversight of the board and sought to dispel a Washington Postreport that he plans to resign soon. President Bush appointed Mr. Lenkowsky in October 2001, and Mr. Lenkowsky, a former professor of philanthropy at Indiana University, in Indianapolis, said he had always intended to serve in the position for only two years. However, while he still intends to return to teaching at some date, Mr. Lenkowsky said he plans to stay in his current job to fix AmeriCorps' problems.

Said Mr. Lenkowsky, paraphrasing Mark Twain: "The rumors of my imminent departure are greatly exaggerated."