Puget Sound, tied for No. 1, has ranked highly for more than 15 years
TACOMA, Wash. – the University of Puget Sound has been named a No. 1 producer of Peace Corps volunteers among small schools in the 2016 rankings of colleges and universities across the country.
The Pacific Northwest liberal arts college tied with Gonzaga University for the top spot, continuing its ranking among the Top 15 small colleges since 2001. Currently, 18 Loggers are volunteering abroad in 15 countries, including Cambodia, China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Senegal.
“We are deeply proud of our graduates, who take on these leadership roles around the globe with a firm commitment to helping others and to enhancing their own understanding of the world,” said Puget Sound President Ronald R. Thomas. “We have sent out 300 volunteers from this university since the Peace Corps started in 1961, reflecting our commitment to developing engaged and informed citizens with an international perspective, prepared to be bold, to take risks, and to make a difference in the world.”
Puget Sound has taken many steps to encourage students to be interested in international cultures and community service. The campus offers extensive opportunities for study abroad, summer Asian field schools, teacher exchanges, and language and international studies. Through the Civic Scholarship Initiative, Race and Pedagogy Institute, tutoring and school programs, and countless volunteer opportunities, community service is offered.
Graduate Janece Levien ’09, who recently served with the Peace Corps in Guatemala, said she is not surprised that Puget Sound graduates are enthusiastic overseas volunteers.
“The environment at Puget Sound is one of cultural awareness, exposure to diverse communities, and one that pushes you as an individual to go outside of your comfort zone,” she said. She added that the experience would “change your life in a good way.”
“You’re going to have hard days, but you are also going to have the best of days. You will make lifelong friends, travel to some incredible places, have the opportunity to learn a language (or two!), and maybe even adopt a furry critter during your 27 months. In the end, you will think it was not enough time.”
This year’s Peace Corps rankings follow a 40-year high in applications in 2015, the agency said. The record-breaking number of applicants came after the first full year that the Peace Corps’ historical application and recruitment reforms have been in place.
“The Peace Corps is a unique opportunity for college graduates to put their education into practice and become agents of change in communities around the world,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Today’s graduates understand the importance of intercultural understanding and are raising their hands in record numbers to take on the challenge of international service.”
Last year Puget Sound recognized Hessler-Radelet’s career of service and emphasized the college’s own commitment to global citizenship by conferring an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree on the Peace Corps director.
Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961. Seven Washington schools rank as top colleges this year, earning the unique distinction of being among only 15 states and the District of Columbia with three or more ranked schools.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the student body's size. Rankings are based on data as of Sept. 30, 2015.
View the complete 2016 rankings of the top 25 schools in each undergraduate category here.
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to address the most pressing needs of people worldwide. Volunteers work at the grassroots level to develop sustainable solutions to challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment, and youth development. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 220,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov.
Learn more about volunteering for the Peace Corps by contacting Career and Employment Services: pugetsound.edu/ces
Press photos of Puget Sound Peace Corps volunteers are available upon request.
Photos on page: Peace Corps volunteers from University of Puget Sound: From top right: Jennifer Utrata, associate professor, sociology and anthropology, in Uzbekistan; Roy Robinson, director of international programs in Benin; Janece Levien '09, in Guatemala; Lea Fortmann, assistant professor, economics, in Zambia; Matt Warning, professor, economics, in Tanzania.
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