William & Mary remains a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers
Volunteering Katie Leach-Kemon '04 (center) served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger. Since Peace Corps' inception, 560 alumni of the College have served with the organization. Photo courtesy of the W&M Alumni Association
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With 41 alumni currently serving as volunteers with the Peace Corps, the College ranks as the eighth-highest producer among medium-sized schools, which includes institutions with undergraduate populations between 5,001 and 15,000.
The College’s Peace Corps numbers are all-the-more impressive if one considers William & Mary’s small size. With an undergraduate population of about 5,836, the College can boast approximately one Peace Corps volunteer per every 142 undergraduate students. Compared with the other top 10 schools that appear on the ranking, William & Mary has the second most per-capita volunteers among medium-sized schools, topped only by American University, which has approximately one Peace Corps volunteer per every 120 undergraduate students.
In 2010, the College ranked fifth on the survey. However, this year, the College actually has one more alumnus serving than last year. Since Peace Corps’ inception, 560 alumni of the College have served with the organization.
George Washington University took the top spot in the medium category for the third year in a row with 71 alumni serving in the Corps. The University of Colorado at Boulder was number one among large schools (more than 15,000 undergraduates), and the University of Mary Washington topped the list of small schools (less than 5,000 graduates).
According to a press release from the Peace Corps, Ben Burnes, William & Mary’s campus recruiter and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, will be hosting an information session on March 16 in the Cohen Career Center at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Burnes at 202-692-1051 or bburnes@peacecorps.gov. For more information on the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov.
