Down one spot from last year, University of Wisconsin was recently ranked second among the nation’s universities as one of the top producers of Peace Corps volunteers, with 69 active graduates in six disciplines.
Carrying on John F. Kennedy’s message of Americans doing good on an international level, in its 53-year existence, UW has sent 3,145 graduates to serve abroad, and has consistently been ranked in the top 10 since 2001, according to a UW statement.
“There’s a strong service ethic on campus that translates well into volunteers,” Megan Miller, assistant director of civic engagement and communications, said.
While UW’s high service numbers can be attributed to its value of service, they can also be as a result of changes to the programs application, which now allows students to choose which country they would like to serve in. The program saw its most applicants in 22 years, the statement said.
UW currently has graduates serving in 34 countries, working in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community and economic development and youth in development, the statement said.
“What’s impressive is that we’ve had high rankings like this for the last decade,” Miller said, “[it’s] telling that there’s this culture of engagement [on campus].”
