UW-Madison ranked No. 2 ranking for most alumni volunteers in the Peace Corps for the second consecutive year, according to the annual list of Top Peace Corps Volunteer Producing Colleges and Universities"".
According to the rankings, which were released Monday, UW-Madison had 99 alumni volunteers in 2007. Only the University of Washington had more volunteers in 2007.
UW-Madison fell to the No. 2 spot in the large-school category in 2006 after being the top schools for Peace Corps volunteers for 20 straight years from 1986-2005.
Colleen O'Dell, a Peace Corps recruitment coordinator for the five-state Midwest area, said the application process to become a volunteer is ""extremely competitive."" Of the 10-12,000 applicants each year, only 4,500 are selected to go overseas.
""It's hard for us to find qualified, motivated candidates,"" O'Dell said.
""[UW-Madison's history of high rankings] demonstrates the commitment that UW-Madison has to public service and cross-cultural understanding.""
She said Peace Corps recruiters also look for people who have commitment to public service, live to help others, and have a sense of adventure.
""We're just thrilled to see Madison up there again,"" she said.
Erin McGillivray, UW-Madison regional recruiter for the Peace Corps, said she has noticed a higher number of qualified applicants from UW-Madison.
""Being one of the best schools in the regional Midwest, naturally the applicants [from UW-Madison] are more qualified and have leadership and service experience,"" McGillivray said.
""It's just neat to see all of the positive spin that we always get from Peace Corps at UW-Madison.""
According to McGillivray, UW-Madison also has one of largest and most active returning Peace Corps volunteer groups in the country. She said there are numerous returning Peace Corps volunteers that are apart of the UW faculty and staff, which help to uphold the ""very strong tradition"" of volunteers.
The Peace Corps is celebrating 46 years of service in the United States and abroad, and is experiencing a 37-year high for volunteers in the field.
Since its inception, 5,224 Wisconsin residents have served in the Peace Corps.
Wisconsin had 268 serving volunteers as of September 2007.
