Hamilton College ranks ninth among small colleges and universities in the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, according to the annual list just released by the government agency.
"In this 40th anniversary year of the Peace Corps, [Hamilton] has made a tremendous contribution to this agency's global legacy of public service," wrote Peace Corps Acting Director Charles R. Baquet III. "This ranking certainly reflects the high caliber of the students who attend your institution."
"Hamilton instills in its graduates a commitment to public service," said Career Center Director Kino Ruth. "Whether in the Peace Corps or as volunteers for their local social service agencies, Hamilton alumni give back to their communities."
Ruth said Hamilton's commitment to the ideals of the Peace Corps and the agency's interest in Hamilton students are evidenced by the fact that the Peace Corps has recruited for many years at the college's annual Non-Profit Career Fair held each fall semester.
There are currently 14 Hamilton alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in developing countries abroad. Ruth said Hamilton would probably rank even higher on the Peace Corps list if the figures were adjusted for size of the alumni body.
Since the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, 181 Hamilton alumni have worked as Peace Corps volunteers in 71 countries. One of those alumni is Douglas Miller, a recruiter in the New York regional office, who graduated from Hamilton in 1988 and taught English to middle school students as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 1990-92.
The Peace Corps currently lists 7,300 volunteers and trainees serving in 76 countries. More than 162,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers since the program was founded 40 years ago.
