March 26, 2001
UCSC ranks eighth in nation for graduates in Peace Corps
UC Santa Cruz ranks eighth in the nation in the number of its graduates now serving
overseas as Peace Corps volunteers. With 60 graduates now in the Peace Corps, UCSC's
ranking climbed from eleventh highest in 2000.
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It was at the University of Michigan that presidential candidate John F. Kennedy made his speech in 1960 proposing the Peace Corps.
Less than five months later, the Peace Corps was created.
The University of Wisconsin, Madison, topped the list for the third year in a row,
with 93 graduates serving.
"The strong showing of colleges from so many different parts of the country illustrates that many students today are solidly dedicated to service and deeply value the unique experience Peace Corps offers," said Peace Corps acting director Charles Baquet III.
Other University of California and California State University institutions in the top 25 were: UC Santa Barbara, 16; UC Davis and UCLA, 17; UC San Diego, 20; Humboldt State University, 21.
The top 10 universities and their number of volunteers are:
1. University of Wisconsin, Madison, 93
2. University of Colorado, Boulder, 74
3. UC Berkeley, 70.
4. University of Texas, Austin, 68
5. University of Oregon, 67
6. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 65
7. University of Virginia, 63
8. UC Santa Cruz, 60
9. University of Washington, 58
10. Pennsylvania State University, 56
The Peace Corps also ranked the number of graduates from the top small colleges and
universities, those with enrollments of less than 5,000 undergraduates. Middlebury
College in Vermont topped that category with 32 volunteers.
The Peace Corps has sent more than 161,000 trained volunteers to 134 countries. More
than 7,300 volunteers and trainees--the highest level in 26 years--are now serving
in 78 countries around the world.
