February 08, 2010 — Washington, D.C. — This year, the University of Miami ranks 15th on the annual national rankings of top Peace Corps volunteer-producing schools with 23 undergraduate alumni currently serving around the globe. Four graduate students are also currently serving.
Since Peace Corps was founded in 1961, 357 University of Miami alumni have joined the Peace Corps, making it the No. 3 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers in Florida. UM President Donna E. Shalala served as a volunteer in Iran from 1962-64.
President Shalala will discuss her experiences with the University community during an informational session at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, at the Storer Auditorium on campus.
“The University of Miami is now ranked 15th among hundreds of medium-sized Peace Corps producing undergraduate universities in the nation,” said David Leavitt-D’Agostino, Peace Corps public affairs specialist. “It’s a significant accomplishment to enter this list and reflects highly on the university’s internationally focused academic study and commitment to service learning.”
Peace Corps is especially attracted to the University of Miami because many of its undergraduates fill assignments in scarce skill areas where it is traditionally difficult to find qualified applicants. These areas include environmental studies, teaching English, elementary and secondary education, marine biology, and teaching math and science.
The following are the top five medium universities in the undergraduate category:
• The George Washington University (53), American University (51), Cornell University (46), Miami University (43), and The College of William & Mary (40) lead the medium school undergraduate rankings.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing schools annually according to the size of the student body. Small schools have less than 5,000 undergraduates, medium-sized schools have between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates and large schools have more than 15,000 undergraduates. The rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2009 data as of September 30, 2009 as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.
“For nearly 50 years, enthusiastic college alumni have contributed to the success of Peace Corps programs and our mission to promote world peace and friendship in host communities around the world,” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “Peace Corps service is a life changing leadership opportunity and a great career foundation in almost every field, ranging from international development, education, public health, engineering, agriculture, and law, to name a few. I am proud of our historic relationship with over 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States and look forward to recruiting and training the next generation of Peace Corps volunteers.”
Currently, there are 7,671 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 76 host countries around the world. A college degree is not mandatory for service. Relevant experience in areas such as education, health, business, IT, environment, and agriculture, however, is required. In 2009, Peace Corps received over 15,000 applications, an 18 percent increase over 2008. This is the largest number of applications since the agency began electronically recording applications in 1998. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov
