Tulane University is No. 1 on Peace Corps' annual rankings

Tulane University is the No. 1 graduate school nationwide in producing Peace Corps volunteers, the agency announced today. Tulane also ranks No. 12 among mid-sized undergraduate schools on Peace Corps’ 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list.

Currently, 18 Tulane graduate students and 19 undergraduate alumni are making a difference around the world as Peace Corps volunteers.

“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.”

Since the agency was created in 1961, more than 520 Tulane graduates have served as Peace Corps volunteers.

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

Many of Tulane's Peace Corps volunteers are students in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

“Programmatically, the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is well aligned with the Peace Corps,” said Dr. T.J. Stranova, associate dean for student affairs and admissions. “The skills our students learn in the classroom are well suited to the kinds of roles they encounter in country. It’s a great fit and we’re thrilled so many of our students choose this option, especially the Master’s International program.”

Peace Corps volunteer Alexandra Ernst of Indianapolis has been serving in Mozambique as a health volunteer since 2014. Ernst is simultaneously earning her master’s degree of public health from Tulane through the Master’s International program, which allows students to combine graduate school and Peace Corps service. Ernst says the courses she took at Tulane prior to departure helped prepare her for life as a volunteer.

“For me, joining the Peace Corps was a manifestation of my educational experiences and philosophical worldviews,” said Ernst, 26. “It was about serving a community where the injustice of health inequalities is not being addressed in the fullest ways possible when we have more means and abilities to do so.”