NEWS AND PHOTO TIP, APRIL 2

The University of Oregon is one of the top five colleges and universities in the nation to send volunteers overseas with the Peace Corps, and is the No. 1 recruiter in the Pacific Northwest. The UO, with 67 graduates currently serving as volunteers, moved up from 15th place on the list last year. "The University of Oregon’s outstanding record of successfully recruiting and placing alumni in assignments around the world would not occur without the strong international focus in our academic program–especially our strong language, geography, planning and political science programs," says Lawrence Smith, director of the Career Center. Other institutions on the list of top Peace Corps recruiters are the University of Wisconsin-Madison with 93, the University of Colorado-Boulder with 74, the University of California-Berkeley with 70 and the University of Texas-Austin with 68. Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps has sent more than 161,000 trained volunteers to 134 countries. In 2001, more than 7,300 volunteers and trainees are serving in 68 countries.

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