PEACE CORPS: "top-producing" feeders in 2005

Parents Forum
1

<p>for those that like lists, this is an interesting one, grouped by size of college/university:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2006.pdf[/url]”>http://www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2006.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I threw the small & midsized colleges list into a spreadsheet, & calculated how many peace corps volunteers were produced as a percentage of the undergrad student body population (using US News data). Below is the list, cut off at 0.80% on the lower end. Note that some smaller schools not included on the original pdf MIGHT place near 0.80% or slightly higher, if they produced 14 or 15 volunteers (15 being the cut point for the small college list)…like Swarthmore or Haverford. Any case, I thought this was an interesting list, albeit potentially missing some names.</p>

<p>RANK/ COLLEGE/ Undergrads / PC Volunteers/ % vol:undergrads
1 Kalamazoo 1263 21 1.66%
2 Grinnell 1577 22 1.40%
3 Whitman 1512 19 1.26%
4 Bryn Mawr 1346 16 1.19%
5 Bowdoin 1666 17 1.02%
6 Colorado Col 1971 20 1.01%
7 Mt Holyoke 2125 21 0.99%
8 Wesleyan 2764 27 0.98%
9 Puget Sound 2604 24 0.92%
10 Macalester 1869 17 0.91%
11 Dartmouth 4110 37 0.90%
12 Carleton 1959 17 0.87%
13 Lewis & Clark 1964 17 0.87%
14 Wellesley 2331 20 0.86%
15 Middlebury 2455 21 0.86%
16 Conn College 1887 16 0.85%
17 Willamette 1954 16 0.82%
18 Georgetown 6719 54 0.80%</p>

<p>Of note, Georgetown was the only mid-sized college to make this cut.</p>

2

<p>here’s another way to look at the list above.</p>

<p>rounding to the nearest # of individuals per graduating class, here’s how many PC volunteers these colleges had per 100 graduates in 2005:</p>

<h1>of PC vol’s per 100 grads…College or Univ</h1>

<p>7 ……… Kalamazoo
6 ……… Grinnell
5 ……… Whitman
5 ……… Bryn Mawr
4 ……… Bowdoin
4 ……… Colorado Col
4 ……… Mt Holyoke
4 ……… Wesleyan
4 ……… Puget Sound
4 ……… Macalester
4 ……… Dartmouth
3 ……… Carleton
3 ……… Lewis & Clark
3 ……… Wellesley
3 ……… Middlebury
3 ……… Conn College
3 ……… Willamette
3 ……… Georgetown
3 ……… Oberlin
3 ……… St. Olaf
3 ……… Gonzaga</p>

<p>Of course, this is only one years worth of data.</p>

3

<p>Papa Chicken </p>

<p>That was fascinating and thanks, also, for the link.</p>

<p>My husband was in Papua New Guinea 1981-1985 with the Peace Corps.</p>

<p>We are encouraging our sons to consider Peace Corps after college.</p>

4

<p>errata…scratch my last post…I misunderstood the PC’s numbers. They report total alumni serving at the time of the report, not how many came out of one year’s graduating class as I wrongly assumed. Here’s a Dartmouth article on their stellar PC involvement that made me see the light:
<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2006/01/30a.html[/url]”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2006/01/30a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>so, lets say the average PC tour is 2 years, then the numbers I presented in post 2 above should be halved. For instance, Kalamazoo produces on average 3 or 4 PC volunteers (not 7)for every 100 graduates each year.</p>

5

<p>Peace Corps and other service careers are a significant variable factored into this rankings list also. Interesting variation and captures some important things many parents and kids are seeking in a collegiate experience:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.libarts.html[/url]”>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.libarts.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Papa:</p>

<p>Here’s a blurb from a September 2003 alumni magazine on Swarthmore students in the Peace Corps:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Over the 42 year history of the program at that point, Swarthmore had averaged 5 volunteers per graduating class. The average graduating class over that time frame was probably somewhere slightly under 300.</p>

7

<p>Hmm… I would have expected Hobart and William Smith Colleges in that ranking being that their current president was the past director of the Peace Corps. I know the numbers are growing for H/WS but perhaps they don’t go far enough back.</p>

8

<p>Interesting that the number for the Catholic colleges is so high. A significant number of the graduates serve in the Jesuit Volunteer Corp thus reducing the number that serve in the Peace Corp. For more on this see:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ajcunet.edu/tier.aspx?bid=255[/url]”>http://www.ajcunet.edu/tier.aspx?bid=255&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>Is the peace corps difficult to gain admission to? I was under the impression they took basically whoever they could get.</p>

10

<p>Papa Chicken, even with a misunderstanding, your report is amazingly insightful. I think your entire spreadsheet should be delivered to the PC people as they would most benefit (unless you are from Kalamazoo and want to share in a boast with them for their incredible numbers). Think of it – little and relatively unknown (but a great school) Kalamazoo has MORE PC volunteers presently serving than renowned Harvard.</p>

11

<p>i feel like liberal arts schools actively encourage their students to ‘change the world’ and ‘make a difference,’ as part of their education. i know at my school (which is on the list), everyone i knew did some sort of volunteering</p>

12

<p>speductr- the numbers of PC members from HWS is growing pretty rapidly. I just graduated and know a large number of people who are leaving soon.</p>

<p>PhatAlbert- it’s slightly more difficult than that.</p>

13

<p>Good point, Eagle. Peace Corps is only one way to serve out of many.</p>

14

<p><a href=“unless%20you%20are%20from%20Kalamazoo%20and%20want%20to%20share%20in%20a%20boast%20with%20them%20for%20their%20incredible%20numbers”>quote</a>. Think of it – little and relatively unknown (but a great school) Kalamazoo has MORE PC volunteers presently serving than renowned Harvard.

[/quote]

I’ll share in a boast as my S. is a freshman at K College. Their long-standing emphasis on international learning, and leadership in study-abroad programs with over 80% participation by the student body, likely has influenced interest in the PC by its grads. The college’s motto is “A Fellowship in Learning: At Home in the World.” They’ve been promoting global awareness/exposure long before it became the latest catch phrase.</p>

15

<p>I was also amazed to see the list of feeder schools for other programs such as Teach for America. ( I can’t find the list right now, but it included many top schools.)</p>

<p>My niece graduated from Northwestern and is involved with the program. Her b/f is also involved with the program, and is a graduate of Penn.</p>

16

<p>Have to put in a plug for Notre Dame. Their Center for Social Concerns coordinates a good deal of the service/volunteer efforts of the students, both during school and after graduation. It is astounding to me that each year, approximately 10% of Notre Dame’s graduating class commits to one or more years of full-time service in the United States and abroad.</p>

17

<p>Father of the Boarder— good idea, I think I’ll send the info to PC…it is very interesting IMHO when looking at their data from a per capita basis.</p>

<p>1sokkermom-- I searched thru Teach for America, and found only this 2003 list of top corps suppliers:</p>

<p>Àƒ Cornell University
Àƒ Harvard University
Àƒ Indiana University
Àƒ Northwestern University
Àƒ University of California at Berkeley
Àƒ University of California at Los Angeles
Àƒ University of Illinois
Àƒ University of Michigan
Àƒ University of Pennsylvania
Àƒ University of Texas at Austin
Àƒ University of Wisconsin</p>

<p>many, many news releases, etc on the growth of the program at various other top schools like Dartmouth, etc.</p>

<p>here’s a few more links worth perusing:</p>

<p>latest 2006 press release:
<a href=“http://www.teachforamerica.org/assets/documents/090706.Back.to.School.pdf[/url]”>http://www.teachforamerica.org/assets/documents/090706.Back.to.School.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Newsweek article:
<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12206029/site/newsweek/[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12206029/site/newsweek/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>NPR story (transcript):
<a href=“http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/041205_NPR_MoreCollegeSnrsApplyingToTFA_001.pdf[/url]”>http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/041205_NPR_MoreCollegeSnrsApplyingToTFA_001.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Dartmouth story:
<a href=“http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/040705_TheDartmouth_SeniorsApplyInDroves.pdf[/url]”>http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/040705_TheDartmouth_SeniorsApplyInDroves.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Some college numbers by NYT:
<a href=“http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/100205_NYTimes_TopGradsLineUp_001.pdf[/url]”>http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/100205_NYTimes_TopGradsLineUp_001.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

18

<p>here’s another interesting one on volunteering. Check out page 18+ of this pdf:
<a href=“http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/06_1016_RPD_college_full.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/06_1016_RPD_college_full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>shows the amount of volunteering by college students by state. yea for the “heartland”!</p>

19

<p>Yeah, but some of the non-heartland states get a raw deal because they don’t count “getting a job on Wall Street” as volunteer service…</p>

20

<p>received a nice email back from the Peace Corps…they read this thread with interest. The PC noted that they had considered adding a per capita ranking this past year, but opted to add the graduate school listing, and note some per capita stars in press releases. This press release in fact names Kalamazoo as #1:
<a href=“http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1088[/url]”>http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1088&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I applaud PC (that would be the Peace Corps, not self-flagellation for Papa Chicken!) for turning a ranking system (something which we here on CC often view cynically) into a positive motivator for doing societal good.</p>