Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Retains Top Ranking in Peace Corps

For the second year in a row, Georgetown led all other private universities in producing Peace Corps volunteers.

Georgetown sent 67 graduates to the Peace Corps last year to serve around the world in fields ranging from agriculture and environment to health and education.

“These numbers reflect what we know already at Georgetown – our students place a high value on public service,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a press release.

Out of all public and private universities, Georgetown ranked eleventh, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked first with 129 of its alumni going to the Peace Corps.

Among all medium-sized universities (enrollments of 5,000 to 15,000), Georgetown finished second, trailing only the University of Virginia, which sent 84 students to the Peace Corps.

As Peace Corps volunteers, Georgetown alumni are placed in one of 72 possible countries around the globe, where they work for approximately twenty-seven months.

According to Jennifer Borgen, Peace Corps deputy press secretary, the volunteers typically serve alone. They are embedded among the local population and live under the same conditions as the locals.

Borgen also said that Peace Corps volunteers are unpaid except for a monthly stipend for living expenses. They also receive full medical and dental coverage throughout their service and a $6,000 payment when they finish to cover transitional costs.

DeGioia expressed his belief that those Georgetown volunteers who serve abroad with the Peace Corps are both capable and ready to help.

“They are well prepared to make a valuable contribution on the local, national and global levels,” he said.

Borgen added to DeGioia’s praise for Georgetown alumni who join the Peace Corps.

She said that Georgetown graduates are “not afraid to go outside their boundaries and experience the world.”

Since its founding in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, there have been 178,000 Peace Corps volunteers working in 138 countries. Currently, the Peace Corps has nearly 8,000 volunteers across the world.

In the Peace Corps’ 44 year history, Georgetown has had over 700 alumni serve, ranking it 12th among private universities and 43rd among all universities for the total number of Peace Corps volunteers produced.

“Georgetown has an excellent history of providing students dedicated to the service of others,” Borgen said.

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