Georgetown University yielded the most Peace Corps volunteers of any private university last year, sending 66 graduates into the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps also announced that Georgetown had the second-most Peace Corps volunteers among medium-sized colleges and universities in 2003, finishing behind the University of Virginia, which sent 75 students into the Peace Corps last year. The Peace Corps considered schools with an enrollment of 5,000 to 15,000 as “medium-sized.”

Since the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 700 Georgetown alumni have served in the Peace Corps, volunteering in dozens of countries around the world.

“Georgetown is so proud to have so many of its graduates volunteering to serve communities through the Peace Corps,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a university press release. “Georgetown strives to provide opportunities for students to serve on the local, national and global level, and we are pleased to see that desire to serve beyond the University’s gates.”

The University of Wisconsin at Madison placed first among all universities, with 142 students, followed by the University of Texas at Austin with 108 and the University of Colorado at Boulder with 98.

Among private universities, Georgetown placed ahead of Cornell and George Washington University, which ranked second and third, respectively.

Peace Corps volunteers have moved on to leadership roles in all areas of business, government, overseas development, education, media, science and health. The Peace Corps offers opportunities for graduate studies during and after service through the Masters International and Peace Corps Fellows programs and helps contribute to student loan payments for its volunteers.

Students can meet with a Peace Corps representative at the Government and Non-Profit Career EXPO on Feb. 19 from 10-5 p.m. Sherlene Fergusen, the Mid-Atlantic recruiter, will be at the Career EXPO and will be back on campus to host an information session in March.