Peace Corps notes large BU alumni involvement

Boston University, with 68 graduate students currently serving in the Peace Corps, BU was recently ranked high among large universities in the country for its service in the program.

Released Jan. 16, the 2007 ranking, which categorizes schools by size, lists the university 10th for its alumni volunteer service and 5th for its graduate volunteer service in 2006.

The BU graduate students and alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps contribute to a "global community," said New England Regional Peace Corps Recruiter Nancy Gilbert.

Noticing an increase in college graduates' enrollment in the Peace Corps in recent years, Gilbert said BU has particularly "maintained a good standing."

"People realize we are living in a global community, and they are seeing the value of being in service," she said.

A total of 1,142 BU alumni have served in the Peace Corps since the organization's inception, according to a Jan. 16 Peace Corps press release.

"BU cultivates the ideals of service and internationalism in both its grad and undergrad programs, and those perfectly match the spirit of Peace Corps service," said Director of International Practicum Programs and Master's International Program Coordinator Joseph Anzalone.

The School of Public Health's MI program allows students to earn up to five credits toward degrees while volunteering with the Peace Corps, according to the SPH website.

The program also encourages BU alumni to take deep service initiatives after their service time is completed. Kevin Fiori, a SPH 2003 graduate who recently returned from a three-year Peace Corps term in Kara, Togo, co-founded Hope Through Health, a non-profit organization that supports health initiatives in poor communities, in August 2004.

"[The Peace Corps puts] you into a community, and you are forced to learn and understand the different idiosyncrasies," he said. "We have a lot more in common than differences."

Fiori said he enjoyed the opportunity to personally grow alongside a different culture.

"They throw you into community and give you a general, basic outline," he said, "and I liked that idea of just going in without structure and trying to understand needs at a community level."

Holly Bullock, a SPH 2007 graduate, started an HIV support group while volunteering with the Peace Corps in Swaziland from 2003 to 2005.

"You don't necessarily have a defined job description -- no set path outlined," she said.

Anzalone said the program has become more popular in the past few years.

"Public health and international health is getting a little more press these days," he said. "Also, 9/11 may have something to do with it . . . People may want to contribute internationally."

Gilbert said while Peace Corps members cannot be classified into a certain group, the organization seeks out volunteers with certain attributes.

"Volunteers must be able to be flexible, to look at things from a positive perspective, to be able to make do with less and to look for positive in community," she said.

Since the program's establishment in 1961, Peace Corps volunteers have worked in 139 countries, aiding residents with global issues including education, HIV/AIDS, technology and the environment, according to the Peace Corps website.

BU Career Services Assistant Director Deborah Halliday said the Peace Corps may appeal to students looking for an experience between the end of college and the beginning of their careers.

"The Peace Corps is not for every student, but for some, it offers a new way of looking at the world, through a new lens," she said. "It offers mental and personal breathing space that is not always available during a student's four years at college."

Halliday said the Office of Career Services does not work with the Peace Corps, but it supports the program "wholeheartedly."

"We're very enthusiastic about it," Halliday said. "It's a terrific program, both for the volunteers and for those who benefit from it."