Colorado State Ranks Among Nation’s Top 10 Universities for Most Peace Corps Volunteers

Colorado State University ranks 8th in the nation among large colleges and universities in the number of alumni actively serving as Peace Corps volunteers, according to 2004 rankings recently released by the Peace Corps. Seventy-three Colorado State graduates currently are working overseas as Peace Corps volunteers.  

"Throughout the years, Colorado State has made a tremendous contribution to the Peace Corps’ legacy of public service," said Linda Kuk, vice president for Student Affairs at Colorado State. "We are pleased that an increasing number of our alumni are answering the call to service that is so vital in this global community."

Colorado State’s national 8th place ranking is up from last year’s 12th -place spot, when the university had 59 alumni serving in the Peace Corps. Student interest in joining the volunteer organization historically has been strong at Colorado State and increased after September 11, 2001.

"The fact that Colorado State consistently ranks among the nation’s top providers of Peace Corps volunteers reflects both the quality of our students and the emphasis this university places on building people of character who understand their responsibilities in a civil society," said Kuk.

Colorado State’s strong history of providing volunteers and support to the Peace Corps can be traced to the organization’s inception. Colorado State researchers, answering John F. Kennedy’s famous call to service, conducted one of the original feasibility studies in 1961 that led to the creation of the Peace Corps.  

More than 7,500 Peace Corps volunteers currently serve in 71 countries, working in communities to help fight hunger and disease, provide clean water, educate children and help launch new businesses. Since the Peace Corps was established in 1961, the vast majority of volunteers have been college graduates. Currently, 83 percent of Peace Corps volunteers have undergraduate degrees and 14 percent have graduate degrees or have studied at the graduate level.

The Colorado State University Peace Corps office is located in the Office of International Programs, Room 102E Laurel Hall on the main campus, and can be reached at (970) 491-7706.  

To contact the Peace Corps, call 1-800-424-8580 or visit the Web at www.peacecorps.gov.  

-30-