CU ranks third in Corps volunteers
National Peace Corps rankings released on Jan. 14 placed CU third among large universities for the number of alumni volunteers.
The Buffs rank third behind the University of Washington and University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is the second year in a row that CU is ranked as the number three Peace Corps volunteer producer, highlighting a commitment to community service.
“This university focuses heavily on student engagement and service-learning. The curriculum is structured in a way to create more global citizens, who have a broader view of the world than normal university students,” said Kathleen Wiley, the Peace Corps campus representative for CU.
Volunteer Clearing House director and Peace Corps alum Anna Domenico said teachers inspired her decision to sign up.
“As a student at CU, I had some good faculty members who kept asking good questions of the students about the world around us,” Domenico said. “It really forced me to question the status quo: why do these problems exist and what is my small piece as an individual that I can do?”
University academic programs like INVST Community Studies, Puksta Scholars and the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement encourage students to think about the role they can play in the world around them. Domenico added that most students learn a lot about local and global issues while attending CU.
“I can see that the education they receive and the groups that they become involved in while at CU really engage them in the world around them,” Domenico said.
Additionally, several classes on campus have added service-learning components requiring students to perform some form of related community service for class or degree credit. The Princeton Review even included CU as one of its 81 “Colleges With a Conscience” guide to university service-learning programs.
Wiley said both the university and the greater Boulder area have a tradition of community service that is instilled into students.
“I see much more civic engagement here,” Wiley said. “Boulder is such an outward-looking and service-oriented community.”
Senior international affairs major and current Peace Corps nominee Deanielle Christopher said the community’s level of awareness is a factor in producing volunteers.
“There is more of an awareness in Boulder about community and humanitarian issues,” Christopher said. “Since people care so much about poverty and the environment and those types of things, people are more inclined to volunteer.”
According to the CU Peace Corps Web site , over 2,100 alumni have served in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961, making CU-Boulder the sixth largest volunteer producer. Currently 94 undergraduate alumni are participating in the Peace Corps.
“The Boulder community is a place where world issues are often talked about but are sometimes hard to address because it is a pretty privileged community,” Domenico said. “I wonder if people really want to stop talking and start acting, to see what is really going on in the world and understand it. The Peace Corps is one of the best ways to get involved in these issues.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Ally Demos at demos@colorado.edu.
