DURHAM. N. H. - Graduates of the University of New Hampshire serving in the Peace Corps have earned the university a spot on the top 25 list of medium-sized schools producing Peace Corps volunteers.

The 2010 ranking places UNH at No. 15, up from No. 19 in 2009. Currently, 23 alumni are in the Peace Corps. More than 641 UNH alumni have joined the Peace Corps since President John F. Kennedy signed the executive order establishing the group in 1961.

UNH is one of two New Hampshire colleges to be nationally ranked on the 2010 Peace Corps top 25 lists of medium and small schools. Dartmouth College in Hanover ranks No. 12 nationwide among small schools.

Schools are ranked according to student body size; small schools have fewer than 5,000 undergraduate students; medium have between 5,000 and 15,000, and large schools have more than 15,000 undergrads. The University of Washington holds the top rank for large schools with 101 Peace Corps volunteers.

"For nearly 50 years, enthusiastic college alumni have contributed to the success of Peace Corps programs and our mission to promote world peace and friendship in host communities around the world," said Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams. "Peace Corps service is a life changing leadership opportunity and a great career foundation in almost every field, ranging from international development, education, public health, engineering, agriculture, and law, to name a few. I am proud of our historic relationship with over 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States and look forward to recruiting and training the next generation of Peace Corps volunteers."

Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2009 data as of Sept. 30, 2009, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.

Currently, there are 7,671 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 76 host countries around the world. Of those, 46 are from New Hampshire. In 2009, New Hampshire was among the nation's top Peace Corps volunteer-producing states per capita, ranked as No. 15 nationwide. 

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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