Tulane ranks first for most Peace Corps volunteers

Graduate students in the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine are seeing—and helping—the world in record numbers as Peace Corps volunteers. The school has once again ranked first in the nation for producing the most Peace Corps volunteers at the graduate level.

The undergraduate ranking for Tulane University also moved up the list in 2017 from No. 12 to No. 10 among mid-sized undergraduate schools.

“Tulane is committed to preparing and inspiring its students to address the world’s most pressing problems and needs,” said Tulane President Mike Fitts. “To be recognized by the Peace Corp in this manner is a tremendous honor."

“Tulane is committed to preparing and inspiring its students to address the world’s most pressing problems and needs.”

Mike Fitts, Tulane University President

There are currently 20 graduate students and 26 undergraduate alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers and all 20 volunteers are students from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

“This is the third year in a row that the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine was the top producer of graduate students who enrolled in the Peace Corps,” said Thomas Stranova, associate dean in the School of Public Health. “In the past, we’ve been among the top five.”

Since 1961, when the Peace Corps was founded, 571 Tulane graduates have served as volunteers. The School of Public Health has appeared as a top-ranked contributor since 2011.

The School of Public Health has an in-house Peace Corps office within the division of Student Affairs. The coordinators, who have all served in the Peace Corps, hold recruiting events throughout the school year and provide support to students while they are in placements overseas.

Currently, there are 25 students serving in 18 countries including: Burkina Faso, South Africa, Guyana, Tanzania, Albania, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Senegal, Guatemala, Mozambique, Cambodia, Botswana, Gambia, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Namibia, and Uganda.

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