February 2006

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Alumni Peace Corps Volunteers Elevate AU Rankings in 2005

Once again, AU ranks among the highest number of Peace Corps volunteer-producing universities in the country. According to the Peace Corps’ calculations, AU ranked 12th in 2005 for medium-size schools. AU’s 34 alumni volunteers outranked Northwestern, Notre Dame, Harvard, Syracuse, Tulane, Yale, and many others. The University of Virginia ranked first again with 80 volunteers.

Dr. Robert Pastor, vice president of international affairs at AU and a former Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia, says the university ranks fourth nationally if the exact size of the undergraduate student body is taken into account. The 34 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) represent 0.58 percent of the total undergraduate population at AU, ranking below Georgetown’s 54 PCVs (.87 percent), The College of William and Mary’s 38 PCVs (.68 percent), and the University of Virginia’s 80 PCVs (.61% percent).

“AU should be very proud that its tradition of service and internationalism lifted our ranking to number four nationally in terms of the number of Peace Corps volunteers, and as a former Peace Corps volunteer and a winner of the Sergeant Shriver Award, I am especially proud,” says Pastor.

Since the Peace Corps began in 1961, 663 AU alumni have joined the program, putting AU at a rank of 53 for all-time top-producing universities of Peace Corps volunteers. For the first time this past year, the Peace Corps created a separate ranking system for graduates with advanced degrees. AU grabbed the number six spot with 14 alumni volunteers with advanced degrees. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor came in first with 22 volunteers for this category.

Dr. Pastor in Malaysia photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Pastor

"The willingness of so many people to use their degrees and life experiences to share with other cultures is a commitment no one should overlook," says Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. "There is no single path to success. But those who leave a legacy in a rural village in Madagascar or a city in Ukraine know the impact that Peace Corps can have not only in that community but also on the remainder of their own careers."

Volunteers for this two-year program must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old; they are not required to have a college degree, however, which is why high school graduates join as well. Volunteers typically work in education, health, HIV/AIDS education and awareness, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture.

Schools are ranked as small, medium, or large in relation to the size of the undergraduate student body. Small schools consist of fewer than 5,000 students; medium-size schools have between 5,001 and 15,000 students; and large schools comprise more than 15,000.

-Tara Shlimowitz '08

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