Peace Corps Lists St. Lawrence University Among Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges

CANTON, N.Y. - Feb. 25, 2016 - PRLog -- The Peace Corps has ranked St. Lawrence University 14th among small schools on the agency’s 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. Today, a total of nine St. Lawrence University alumni are currently volunteering worldwide.

This is the second straight year that St. Lawrence has taken the number 14 spot among small schools.

“The Peace Corps is a unique opportunity for college graduates to put their education into practice and become agents of change in communities around the world,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Today’s graduates understand the importance of intercultural understanding and are raising their hands in record numbers to take on the challenge of international service.”

The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961, including 258 St. Lawrence alumni.

“Since I arrived at SLU this past year, I’ve been impressed by the number of students with a commitment to pursue lives with purpose,” said Ron Albertson, director of Career Services at St. Lawrence. “The Peace Corps is a great destination for them to act on that by helping others as well as to enhance their understanding of the world.”

St. Lawrence University alumni, also known as Laurentians, are currently serving in Benin, Botswana, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia and Tanzania.

“The success of St. Lawrence students in the Peace Corps indicates their commitment to public service to solve problems in an increasingly interdependent world,” said Karl Schonberg, associate dean of International and Intercultural Studies and professor of government, “and that a liberal arts education focused on global learning enables creative, principled leaders for the future.”

Scott Robinson, Class of 2012, served in the Peace Corps in Togo and Rwanda, after graduating from St. Lawrence. In a recent post to a St. Lawrence blog, Robinson credited his participation in St. Lawrence's Kenya Semester Program for inspiring him to serve in the Corps.

“My KSP experience has greatly impacted my Peace Corps service in Togo and now in Rwanda,” he wrote, “because it has made me critically think about my role in the world.”

Learn more about St. Lawrence’s Career Services by visiting http://www.stlawu.edu/career-services, and learn more about its international programs, including the Kenya Semester Program, by visiting the Center for International and Intercultural Studies at http://www.stlawu.edu/ciis.

About St. Lawrence University:

Founded in 1856, St. Lawrence University is a private, independent liberal arts institution of about 2,500 students located in Canton, New York. The educational opportunities at St. Lawrence inspire students and prepare them to be critical and creative thinkers, to find a compass for their lives and careers, and to pursue knowledge and understanding for the benefit of themselves, humanity and the planet. Through its focus on active engagement with ideas in and beyond the classroom, a St. Lawrence education leads students to make connections that transform lives and communities, from the local to the global. Visit http://www.stlawu.edu.