HWS Among Top Schools for Peace Corps Volunteers
20 March 2019 HWS Among Top Schools for Peace Corps Volunteers
The Peace Corps announced today that Hobart and William Smith Colleges rank No. 3 among small-size schools on the agencys list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2019. There are 16 Hobart and William Smith graduates currently volunteering in countries around the world.
This is the third year that HWS has ranked among the top five small schools. In 2017 and 2018, the Colleges ranked No. 4. Since the Peace Corps founding in 1961, more than 235 alumni and alumnae have served abroad as volunteers.
We have seen time and again that the colleges and universities that produce the most Peace Corps volunteers focus on cultivating global citizens in addition to promoting scholarship, says Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen. I am proud that so many graduates of these esteemed institutions leverage their educations to make the world a better place. They bring critical skills to communities around the world and gain hands-on, life-changing experience along the way.
Lucie Mendelson 17, who is currently serving as an education volunteer in the Dominican Republic, says that service and community are the foundations of the culture at Hobart and William Smith. There, I was taught traditional academic concepts through the non-traditional methods of service learning. We were challenged to learn civics, sciences, literacy, critical thinking, politics, and much more outside the classroom by being pushed to be part of a community outside of the campus. This is why so many HWS students choose to continue a life of service through the Peace Corps. We are taught from day one to live a life of consequence by being placed in uncomfortable situations in order to positively impact a community.
Every day on campus, in Geneva and around the world, our students engage with people and ideas that reveal the essential value of service. When they graduate, they continue to bring that deep engagement, energy and commitment to the communities where its needed most, says HWS Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. 12. With this recognition from the Peace Corps, the Colleges are proud to have our values affirmed and the vital work of our alums commended once again.
In 2018, for the second year in a row, HWS was named the top liberal arts institution for service inWashington Monthlys College Guide and Rankings, based on alum service in the Peace Corps; institutional participation in theAmeriCorps Matching Programand in Tufts Universitys National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement; and the allocation of Federal Work-Study funds. These recognitions follow several other national accolades, including the CollegesNo. 1 ranking in the country for study abroad programsfor the second year in a row, according toPrinceton Review, as well as7th in best student-rated professors. The 2018 edition ofForbesAmericas Top Colleges also listed Hobart and William Smithamong the best liberal arts collegesand among institutions with the best return-on-investment.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. The Small Colleges & Universities category includes schools with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2018 data as of September 30, 2018, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers. View the complete 2019 rankings of the top 25 schools in each categoryhereand find an interactive map that shows where graduates from each college and university are servinghere.
Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 235,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide.For more information, visitpeacecorps.gov