Montana State University has earned a No. 14 ranking among medium-sized schools on the Peace Corps’ 2016 top volunteer-producing colleges and universities list. There are currently 16 MSU students volunteering worldwide.

“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.”

The Peace Corps, established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, sends Americans abroad to help address the most pressing needs of people around the world, according to information available on its website. Volunteers work with community members at the grassroots level toward sustainable change that lives on long after their service.

Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding, including 471 alumni from MSU. In 2015, Montana ranked No. 3 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, with 4.5 volunteers per 100,000 residents.

View the complete 2016 rankings of the top 25 schools in each undergraduate category here.  

For more information on MSU and the Peace Corps, see http://www.montana.edu/engagement/volunteer/PeaceCorps.html.