GU produces many Peace Corps volunteers

Gonzaga University just moved up five spots in its ranking.

No, not the AP NCAA basketball poll, but in the Peace Corps’ top 25 list for small schools. GU is now ranked No. 13. Currently 20 alumni are volunteering. Since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961, 209 Gonzaga alumni have joined the Peace Corps.

The University of Chicago tops the small-school list with 39 alumni volunteering. Grinnell College, with an enrollment of slightly more than 1,500, has the best per capita volunteer rate with 23 alumni serving.

“The diversity of alumni serving as volunteers, coming form all backgrounds and regions of the country, has helped the Peace Corps represent the true face of America,” said Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. “We are pleased that so many graduates have taken the journey to make a better place for all of us to share,”

Over the past 43 years, the majority of Peace Corps volunteers have been college graduates, although it is not a requirement for service. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old. Peace Corps volunteers make a 27-month commitment.

A complete list of 2005’s “Top Producing Colleges and Universities” can be found on the Peace Corps Web site at www.peacecorps.gov/new/resources/ stats/pdfschools2005.pdf.