In the latest ranking of colleges and universities that send the largest number of volunteers to serve in the Peace Corps, UC Santa Barbara is again in the Top 25, with 55 of its graduates serving around the world in 2010.
UCSB has consistently ranked among the top providers of volunteers to the agency, and the 55 serving in 2010 placed the campus at No. 22 among all large colleges and universities.
Now marking its 50th anniversary year, the Peace Corps was created in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy called upon America's youth to serve by volunteering to live and work in developing countries. Since that time, a total of 1,529 alumni of UC Santa Barbara have served as Peace Corps volunteers.
"Students and graduates of UC Santa Barbara have long supported the ideals and activities of the Peace Corps, and that so many of them volunteer to serve each year is a great statement about their commitment to national service and global concerns," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "We are very proud of these UCSB alumni, and of the work they do to improve the quality of life for people around the world."
In a letter to Chancellor Yang, the director of the Peace Corps, Aaron S. Williams, said the agency was "extremely grateful for the tremendous support that you, the faculty and staff, and, of course, the graduates of the University of California, Santa Barbara have provided to the Peace Corps since 1961."
Peace Corps volunteers currently serve in a total of 77 countries. More volunteers for the Peace Corps have come from California than from any other state. With 1,134 Californians currently serving, and more than 27,000 having served since 1961, California has provided more than twice as many Peace Corps volunteers as New York, which ranks second.
The Peace Corps's Top Colleges report groups and ranks institutions according to the size of their student body. The University of Colorado at Boulder led all large institutions with 117 undergraduate alumni serving overseas in 2010. The University of Washington had held the top spot for four straight years. Historically, the University of California, Berkeley maintains the number one all-time rank, with 3,457 Peace Corps volunteers since 1961.
The rankings and more information can be found on the Peace Corps Web site at http://www.peacecorps.gov/
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