Peace Corps Ranks UAlbany among 2015 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges & Universities

School of Public Health student Elizabeth Stevens, with children in Togo in 2013, earned global health field experience in the Peace Corps through UAlbany's Peace Corps Masters International Program.

New York, N.Y. (February 24, 2015) – The Peace Corps has listed the University at Albany among the top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in the U.S., with 13 alumni currently volunteering worldwide, according to the program’s recently released 2015 rankings.

UAlbany placed 24th among the nation’s medium-sized schools, those having undergraduate enrollment between 5,000 and 15,000 (UAlbany’s is 12,822 for 2014-15). The University’s alumni are currently serving in Belize, Eastern Caribbean, Ghana, Guatemala, Madagascar, Malawi, Mongolia, Togo and Zambia, working in sectors including education, environment, health, and community economic development.

The University was among four colleges and universities from New York State listed in the Peace Corps’ three institutional-size categories. SUNY Geneseo and Columbia University joined UAlbany in the medium sized category, while the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry placed in the small institution (under 5,000 undergrads) category. The University of Washington, with 30,000 undergraduates led all schools in the nation with 72 alumni volunteers.

UAlbany has intensified its engagement with the Peace Corps in recent years. In 2009, its School of Public Health (SPH) became the first graduate school within the State University of New York system to partner with the Peace Corps through the Peace Corps Masters International (MI) Program. Under this program Master of Public Health students are able to combine their graduate studies with global health field experience. SPH’s first MI students completed their Peace Corps service as public health volunteers in 2013.

UAlbany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy also participates in the Peace Corps MI Program, beginning its relationship in 2011. The College's students work toward a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree while gaining valuable experience in international public service. MPA students pursuing concentrations in global affairs, nonprofit management, local government, and financial management are especially well-prepared to be Peace Corp volunteers. Peace Corps service can also be used to fulfill the internship requirement for the MPA program.

Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961, including 459 from UAlbany. The Peace Corps’ annual rankings are based on fiscal year 2014 data as of Sept. 30, 2014, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, nearly 220,000 Americans of all ages have served in 140 countries worldwide.

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