With 47 graduates currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, Michigan State University ranks No. 14 in this year’s Peace Corps’ list of top volunteer-producing large universities across the country.
MSU has earned a top spot on the list for the past 14 years. Since the agency was created in 1961, 2,322 MSU alums have served overseas, making MSU the No. 6 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers.
“MSU most definitely played a role in my decision to join the Peace Corps,” said Meaghan Kelly of Kentwood, Mich., who has been serving as an English education volunteer in Ecuador since January 2013 after earning her humanities degree in 2012. “While I was a student there I learned Spanish and volunteered with international students at the English Language Center. All of this made me a much stronger candidate for Peace Corps service. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experiences I had at MSU.”
MSU offers Peace Corps international master’s degree programs in the areas of agricultural, food and resource economics and community sustainability. The programs allow students to combine Peace Corps service with graduate studies for credit.
In addition, MSU hosts two on-campus recruiters. Marisa Rinkus, who served in Guatemala, and Dave Glovsky, who served in Senegal, can be reached at (517) 432-7474 or msupeace@msu.edu. Anyone interested in learning more can like the Facebook page, attend an event, drop by during office hours (3-5 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-noon Thursdays) or attend a public information session this semester:
- 6 p.m. Feb. 18, Room 303, International Center
- 6:30 p.m. March 13, Room 204, International Center
- 6:30 p.m. April 8, application workshop, Room 303, International Center
“The same passion that launched the Peace Corps more than 50 years ago fuels progress in developing countries today, thanks to the leadership and creativity that college graduates bring to their Peace Corps service,” said Peace Corps Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, who will congratulate MSU in person next week. “The unique Peace Corps experience helps recent graduates cultivate highly sought-after skills that will launch their careers in today’s global economy.”
Hessler-Radelet will host an event at MSU at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in Room 115 of the International Center as part of the Campus Food Security Tour. Peace Corps and the U.S. Agency for International Development, as part of the Feed the Future initiative, sponsor the tour. Representatives from MSU’s three USAID-funded innovation labs will discuss their research efforts to improve global food security and production.
Michigan is among the top-producing states for Peace Corps, and 271 state residents are currently serving as volunteers. Overall, 6,988 Michigan residents have served since the agency was created in 1961.