April 23, 2001
Middlebury ranks first on Peace
Corps annual list of volunteer-producing small
colleges
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.In a letter to
Middlebury College President John M. McCardell, Jr., Acting Peace
Corps Director Charles R. Baquet announced that Middlebury ranks
first on an annual list of all small colleges and universities
producing Peace Corps volunteers. The Peace Corps defines small
colleges and universities as those schools with less than 5,000
undergraduates. In the Peace Corps 40-year history, 364
Middlebury alumni have joined its worldwide effort. There are 32
Middlebury alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps.
“Your institution has made a
tremendous contribution to this agencys global legacy of public
service,” Baquet wrote in his letter to McCardell.
“Many students today are solidly
dedicated to service and deeply value the unique experience Peace
Corps offers,” Baquet said in a news release issued by the Peace
Corps. “And through their volunteer work overseas, Americans
throughout this country are able to learn more about the world in
this era of globalization.”
Established in 1961 by President John
F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps has sent over 161,000 trained volunteers
to 134 countries. In 2001, 7,300 volunteers and traineesthe
highest level in 26 yearsare serving in 78 countries around the
world by working to help fight hunger, bring clean water to
communities, teach children, help start new small businesses, and
stop the spread of AIDS. During its 40th anniversary year,
the Peace Corps hopes to boost the number of volunteers by 25
percent.
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