Peace Corps Names Evergreen No. 4 Top Small School for Volunteerism

Olympia, (Wash.) – On February 18 the Peace Corps announced that The Evergreen State College ranked No. 4 among small schools on the agency’s 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 13 Geoducks currently volunteering worldwide. In 2015, Evergreen ranked No. 20.

“The Peace Corps is a unique opportunity for college graduates to put their education into practice and become agents of change in communities around the world,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Today’s graduates understand the importance of intercultural understanding and are raising their hands in record numbers to take on the challenge of international service.”

Greg Mullins, dean of the library at Evergreen, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya from 1986 to 1987 was happy to learn of the ranking. “I'm glad to learn that our graduates continue to serve in high numbers,” Mullins said. “The Evergreen-Peace Corps connection is a perfect fit. Both Evergreen and the Peace Corps attract creative, entrepreneurial people who want to make the world a better place than they found it.”

Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961, including 236 alumni from Evergreen. Seven Washington schools rank as Top Colleges, earning the state of Washington the unique distinction of being among only 15 states and the District of Columbia with three or more ranked schools.

In 2015, Washington also ranked No. 3 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers. There are 319 volunteers currently serving worldwide, and more than 9,300 Washingtonians have served in Peace Corps since 1961.

The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body.