Colorado State University Among Top Universities in Nation for Peace Corps Volunteers

Colorado State University ranks 15th in the nation among all universities and colleges for the number of alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers, according to 2009 rankings released this week by the volunteer organization.

Colorado State consistently lands in the top 15 among universities and colleges with more than 15,000 undergraduates.

The university claims 59 alumni volunteering for the Peace Corps.

"Students at Colorado State University want to give back and help with the health and well-being of people around the globe," said Martha Denney, director of International Education. "That’s part of our commitment to internationalization and our mission of outreach and service."

The university’s strong history of providing volunteers and support to the Peace Corps can be traced to the organization’s beginnings. Colorado State researchers Pauline Birky-Kreutzer and Maury Albertson, answering President John F. Kennedy’s famous call to service, published in 1961 one of the original feasibility studies that led to the creation of the Peace Corps.

In addition to traditional Peace Corps service, Colorado State offers Peace Corps master’s degree programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Warner College of Natural Resources, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Department of English.

Currently, there are 7,671 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 67 host countries around the world.

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

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