IU ranks 14th in Peace Corps workers

Peace Corps annual statistics put IU 14th on a nationwide list of large colleges and universities with the most Peace Corps volunteers. IU has 48 alumni who are volunteering their time overseas.\nFor the third year in a row, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was first on the list, with 93 graduates and one current student serving. University of Colorado at Boulder and University of California at Berkeley were second and third, respectively. The University of Oregon made the largest jump on the list from 15th place last year to fifth place this year. \nMiddlebury College in Vermont topped the list for colleges and universities with less than 5,000 students. The college has 32 alumni volunteers. Middlebury was followed in the rankings by Columbia University in New York, Tufts University in Boston and Colby College in Maine. \n"The strong showing of colleges from so many different parts of the country illustrates that many students today are solidly dedicated to service and deeply value the unique experience Peace Corps offers," Peace Corps Acting Director Charles Baquet III said in a press release. "And through their volunteer work overseas, Americans throughout this country are able to learn more about the world in this era of globalization."\nThe Peace Corps was established in 1960 by President John F. Kennedy. To date it has sent 161,000 trained volunteers to 134 countries. More than 7,300 volunteers were serving in 78 countries in 2001 -- the most in 26 years.