February 10, 2000

Peace Corps Ranks Middlebury College Sixth on Annual List of Volunteer-Producing Small Colleges

In a letter to Middlebury College President John M. McCardell, Jr., Peace Corps Director Mark L. Schneider recently announced that Middlebury ranks sixth in an annual list of all small colleges and universities producing Peace Corps volunteers. The Peace Corps defines small colleges and universities as those schools with less than 5,000 undergraduates. In the Peace Corps’ 39-year history, 334 Middlebury alumni have joined its worldwide effort.

“This is an outstanding contribution to the Peace Corps’ legacy of service around the world and reflects the high caliber of the students who attend your institution,” Schneider wrote in his letter to McCardell.

This year, the Peace Corps will be recruiting 400 more volunteers than last year as it works to expand the number of volunteers to 10,000 over the next few years. Currently, more than 7,000 volunteers are serving in 78 countries around the world, working to help fight hunger, bring clean water to communities, teach children, help start new small businesses, and stop the spread of AIDS.