Syracuse University is continuing its ascension in the national Peace Corps rankings, with 36 alumni volunteers participating this year.

For the third year in a row, SU has risen in the Peace Corps national college rankings for its bracket. SU ranks 11th among medium-sized colleges and universities, which are schools with 5,000 to 15,000 undergraduate students, according to the Peace Corps Top Colleges 2011 rankings released Feb. 1.

Peace Corps recruiters at SU could not be reached for comment.

Each year the Peace Corps ranks the Top 25 colleges in the nation based on the number of currently serving alumni from each university. The 2011 rankings are based on 2010 financial data, which are self-reported by volunteers.

There are currently 36 alumni from SU volunteering in the Peace Corps, according to the 2011 rankings. George Washington University has 72 volunteers, placing it first in the nation among medium-sized colleges and universities, according to the rankings. Since 1961, there have been 760 SU alumni who have served in the Peace Corps, which puts SU 52nd in the national rankings, according to a Feb. 2 SU News release.

The ranking ‘speaks volumes’ about SU, Chancellor Nancy Cantor said in the release. Since the Peace Corps began, SU students have volunteered to make a difference, Cantor said.

In 2008, SU was not included in the Top 25 schools in the country. Every year since then, the university has sent more and more alumni to the Peace Corps. In 2009, SU ranked 24th in the country with 19 alumni volunteers and moved to 15th in 2010 with 23 volunteers, according to the Peace Corps Top Colleges rankings from 2009 and 2010.

The Peace Corps is an independent government agency that provides volunteer assistance to any country that requests it. The Peace Corps has three main goals, according to the fact sheet: to provide interested countries with their need for trained men and women, to promote an increased understanding of American citizens to the people volunteers serve and to give Americans a better understanding of the world’s people.

The Peace Corps was at the Feb. 3 career fair and will be back on campus Friday, Feb. 25, at the Schine Student Center, according to the Peace Corps website.

Volunteering is a 27-month commitment, and the benefits of volunteering include a readjustment allowance after serving, according to the website.

John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961 by executive order. Since then, more than 200,000 people have served in the Peace Corps, according to the website.

ndgallag@syr.edu

 

 

 

Published on February 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm