Although it is traditionally seen as one of the biggest contributors to the Peace Corps, the University recently dropped in a national ranking. The University fell from fourth to eighth place in the Peace Corps college rankings this year, which are based on the number of volunteers sent overseas. A total of 67 Illinois graduates are involved in Peace Corps programs, according to the annual list released last Thursday. Peace Corps campus representative Mattito Watson said he cannot account for the decline. Last semester we interviewed almost as many people as we do all year.
Interest is definitely up at Illinois.
It might be that this year's results were more like a market correction than a crash. Traditionally, Watson says, the University is about eighth in the nation and has one of the stronger recruitment programs. Almost 2,000 alumni have been Peace Corps volunteers. Brendan Daly from the Peace Corps partly attributed Illinois' success to its nearby recruitment office in Chicago, which makes several recruiting trips to the campus. Because of the established legacy, there are teachers and alumni who are former volunteers and can pitch their experience to students.