ASU among Peace Corps’ 2018 top volunteer-producing colleges and universities

Today, the Peace Corps announced that Arizona State University ranked No. 15 among large schools on the agency’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 50 Sun Devils currently volunteering worldwide. 

The Sun Devils have ranked among the top volunteer-producing schools for nine consecutive years, and 1,081 alumni have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers. ASU is one of two Arizona schools on the top colleges list.

“Peace Corps service is a profound expression of the idealism and civic engagement that colleges and universities across the country inspire in their alumni,” said acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley. “As Peace Corps volunteers, recent college and university graduates foster capacity and self-reliance at the grass-roots level, making an impact in communities around the world. When they return to the United States, they have new, highly sought-after skills and an enterprising spirit that further leverages their education and strengthens their communities back home.”

Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961.

ASU alumnus Justin Coghill majored in global health and is a HIV/AIDS specialist in Botswana. His main focus is developing community health education projects and organizing a monthly support group for HIV-positive youth. Coghill noted the school’s focus on diversity and its strong relationship with the Peace Corps.

“ASU values cultural diversity, and I was surrounded by like-minded individuals who wanted to support the international community on a local and global basis,” Coghill said. “Having two recruiters on campus as well as the Campus Ambassador program and Peace Corps Prep, the opportunities to get involved with the Peace Corps were always available.”    

The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. Large colleges are those with more than 15,000 undergraduates. The No. 1 large school, with 85 volunteers, is the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here, and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.

Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2017 data as of Sept. 30, 2017, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.

The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow on Facebook and Twitter.