Cladia Plantin '12 (left) served in St. Lucia as a literacy volunteer. (Image provided/Cladia Plantin)
SUNY Geneseo is ranked No. 13 among medium-sized schools on the Peace Corps’ 2019 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. Currently, 22 Geneseo alumni are volunteering with the worldwide program.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Geneseo has ranked among the top 25 medium-size schools, defined as having an enrollment of 5,000–15,000 undergraduate students. SUNY Binghamton, No. 19 in the medium-size category, is the only other school in the SUNY system to make the 2019 list in any category.
“We have seen time and again that the colleges and universities that produce the most Peace Corps volunteers focus on cultivating global citizens in addition to promoting scholarship,” said Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen. “I am proud that so many graduates of these esteemed institutions leverage their educations to make the world a better place. They bring critical skills to communities around the world and gain hands-on, life-changing experience along the way.”
Hundreds of Geneseo alumni have served since the agency’s founding. Several of their stories can be read on the College’s Peace Corps Scrapbook page.
The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment, and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a lifelong commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide.
For more information, visit the SUNY Geneseo Peace Corps website or the national Peace Corps website and follow on Facebook and Twitter.