Press Release

Contact:
Barbara Laskin
651-696-6203

Macalester Is Ranked 16th Among Small Colleges for Peace Corps Volunteers

Macalester ranked 16th among small colleges in the number of graduates currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers around the world, the Peace Corps announced this week. There are 17 alumni in the Peace Corps.

Last year, the college ranked 21st among small colleges with Peace Corps volunteers. Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy, 307 Macalester alumni have served. That makes the college the 133rd largest producer of volunteers all-time.

In a letter to President Brian Rosenberg, Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter wrote: "By constantly contributing graduates who have served so admirably as volunteers, the Peace Corps’ mission of global peace and friendship has been enriched and sustained for more than four decades. Seventeen of your dedicated undergraduate alumni are serving our country through volunteer service…By applying the skills and knowledge they acquired during their time at your fine institution, these graduates are helping improve the lives of people across the globe."

Rosenberg wrote back that "service to others is an important part of the Macalester College experience, and we consider ourselves very fortunate that so many of our graduates are willing to dedicate their time and talents to worthy causes."

Macalester is tied with Colgate University, Middlebury College, Tufts University and Wake Forest University among small colleges and universities (those with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates). The University of Chicago is first this year with 34 volunteers. Carleton College is 5th with 22, St. Olaf College is 9th with 19 and Colorado College and Grinnell are 11th with 18. Among large universities, The University of Washington is 1st with 113 volunteers this year and the University of Minnesota is 9th with 71.

The University of California at Berkeley has produced the most volunteers over the years—3,326.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,873 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism and civic engagement.