For the first time in its history, the University of Colorado in Boulder has more graduates serving in the Peace Corps than any other large college or university in the nation.
This year, 117 CU-Boulder undergraduate alumni are overseas serving in the Peace Corps. The University of Florida is ranked second with 97 graduates, while the University of Washington, which was the top school for four straight years, is in a three-way tie with for third, with 94.
“The University has always, even back to the early 60s when Peace Corps began, attracted students who have a desire to be engaged in their communities, whether it’s global or local, developed or undeveloped and they have a desire to be overseas,” says Peter Simons, director of CU-Boulder’s Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement. He says part of the credit goes to the university’s strong focus on civic engagement as part of the student experience.
The university was ranked second nationally for both 2009 and 2010, and comes in at number five all time, with 2,269 alumni who have served since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961.
