Middlebury College rises to third place in annual Peace Corps rankings

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-Long one of the leading producers of Peace Corps volunteers among small colleges, Middlebury has risen to No. 3 in the rankings this year, with 21 alumni now serving as volunteers.

Also serving as Peace Corps volunteers this year are five alumni of programs at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a Middlebury College affiliate in Monterey, California.

In the small college category, for schools with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates, the University of Chicago led the way with 35 volunteers and St. Olaf College was second with 26. Middlebury moved from a tie for 16th place last year, with 17 volunteers, to a third-place tie this year, with Smith College and the University of Puget Sound. Since the founding of the Peace Corps 47 years ago, 443 Middlebury alumni have served as volunteers.

Check out the complete rankings for this year. [PDF]

“The Peace Corps relies heavily on the graduates of contributing schools from across the country,” said Ron Tschetter, director of the Peace Corps. “Their education and experiences add to the diversity of the Peace Corps and its success in the host countries.” There are now more than 3,000 colleges and universities whose alumni are serving as Peace Corps volunteers, in 76 countries.

For the third consecutive year, the University of Washington is No. 1 on the list in the large schools category (more than 15,000 undergraduates), with 104 alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers. The University of Colorado-Boulder claimed the No. 2 spot with 102 volunteers, and Michigan State was third with 89. In the medium schools category (5,000 to 14,999), George Washington University had the No. 1 spot this year with a total of 57 volunteers. The University of California-Santa Cruz was second with 52 and American University third with 51.

To learn more, visit the Peace Corps Web site.