Peace Corps ranks Clark among Top Colleges for 2012

Clark University alumni are serving as volunteers in Armenia, Benin, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Eastern Caribbean, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Uganda, Ukraine and Zambia.

“Peace Corps volunteers are changing the world,” said Clark University President David Angel. “It is gratifying to see our alumni carrying forward the values of Clark’s own mission in their dedication to promoting education, engagement, and understanding.”

Since 1961, 211 Clark alumni have served as Peace Corps volunteers. Today, Peace Corps volunteers work in dozens of countries in the areas of education, youth and community development, health and HIV/AIDS, business information and communication technology, agriculture and environment.

The rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2011 data as of September 30, 2011, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers. A complete rankings list is available online. The number in parenthesis represents the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers.

In 2010, Clark University’s Graduate School of Management (GSOM) became a partner with the Peace Corps’ Fellows/USA program. Through GSOM, returned Peace Corps volunteers can work toward an MBA degree in a variety of concentrations, including social change. The social change track comprises courses in social entrepreneurship, environmental policy and community development. Participating Fellows receive at least a 50 percent reduction in tuition with the possibility for further merit aid.

About the Peace Corps: President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961, by executive order, to promote peace and friendship around the world. Historically, more than 200,000 Americans have served with the Peace Corps to promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of 139 host countries. Today, 8,655 volunteers are working with local communities in 77 host countries. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

Since its founding in 1887, Clark University in Worcester, Mass., has a history of challenging convention. As an innovative liberal arts college and research university, Clark’s world-class faculty lead a community of creative thinkers and passionate doers and offer a range of expertise, particularly in the areas of psychology, geography, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. Clark’s students, faculty and alumni embody the Clark motto: Challenge convention. Change our world. www.clarku.edu