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Feb. 5, 2013 – Allegheny College ranks No. 23 on the Peace Corps’ 2013 Top Colleges in the small schools category. The annual list recognizes the colleges and universities in the U.S. that produce the most Peace Corps volunteers.

Fourteen alumni from Allegheny College are currently serving overseas. Since the agency was founded in 1961, a total of 190 Allegheny alumni have served in the Peace Corps.

Allegheny alumni are currently serving as volunteers in Cambodia, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, Ukraine and Zambia. They work in areas including agriculture, education, environment, health, community economic development and youth development.

“It’s a matter of students developing their own ethic of service and wanting to serve the common good that happens in many contexts here at Allegheny College,” said Dave Roncolato, director of community service and service-learning at Allegheny.

Two other colleges in Pennsylvania — Bucknell and Dickinson — also made the 2013 Top Colleges list.

Currently, more than 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers are working with communities in 76 host countries on projects related to agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth development.

“Every year, graduates of colleges and universities across the United States are making a difference in communities overseas through Peace Corps service,” said Peace Corps Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “As a result of the top-notch education they receive, these graduates are well prepared for the challenge of international service. They become leaders in their host communities and carry the spirit of service and leadership back with them when they return home.”

During Peace Corps service, college graduates make a difference in communities overseas. Volunteers return home as global citizens with cross-cultural, leadership, language, teaching and community development skills that position them for advanced education and professional opportunities in today’s global job market.

Ninety percent of volunteer positions require a bachelor’s degree. Americans with backgrounds in agriculture, environment, teaching English as a second language, and other technical or language skills related to Peace Corps assignment areas are encouraged to apply for service one year in advance of their target departure date.

The next application deadline is February 28, 2013.