Most students coming to UW-Madison know the university ranks among the top schools in the country for research and teaching. What they may not know is that the university has produced the second-most Peace Corps volunteers in the country since the program’s inception, according to the Peace Corps website, or that it sent 68 graduates abroad in the last year alone.
The past and present of UW-Madison Peace Corps volunteers will be displayed this week as the program celebrates its 56th anniversary with a week of recruitment events aimed at highlighting the hospitality that forms a central part of service abroad. The national program was founded March 1, 1961, by former President John F. Kennedy.
The events include a screening of “Girl Rising,” a film that tells the story of women from nine foreign countries as they overcome social and cultural barriers. There will also be an open house March 1 and an educational training March 3 through Badger Volunteers.
One of the challenges the Peace Corps program has faced is keeping up with the changing skills and experiences of recent college graduates, a problem that has been solved in part by changing the nature of Peace Corps service, according to Abigail Cook, the Peace Corps Campus Recruiter for UW-Madison.
“A lot of the programs are very different than they were 56 years ago,” Cook said. “They’re a lot more technical and focused on profession. When people are graduating it’s a way for them to get out in the field and actually practice what they’ve been learning.”
Helping Cook in her recruiting efforts is Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison, one of the largest and most active groups of returned Peace Corps volunteers in the country, according to her. In recent years, the nonprofit has organized fundraising drives to support Peace Corps initiatives in Madison and across the country.
“What sets them apart is that they’re just really active in the community, both as a group but also individually in all the different types of work that they do,” Cook said.
With a week of social events, Cook said she hopes the community of returned volunteers will inspire another generation of UW-Madison graduates to participate in the Peace Corps.
