Colorado State University Among Nation’s Top 10 Producers of Peace Corps Volunteers in Year Celebrating 50th Anniversary

Colorado State University is third in the nation in the number of undergraduate alumni per capita serving in the Peace Corps and 10th overall, according to 2010 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. In 2010, the university ranked 10th overall with 79 volunteers with their bachelor’s degrees in the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps turns 50 this year. Beginning Feb. 28, Colorado State plans a month of activities in celebration of the university’s strong history of providing volunteers and support to the Peace Corps, which 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.

"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."

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 about 7,600 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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