Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia ranks second among recruiters for the Peace Corps in the Southeast.
“Since John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, UGA has had more than 300 graduates serve as volunteers and currently has almost 40 serving,” said John Eaves, regional manager of the Atlanta Peace Corps office.
“We’re extremely enthusiastic about UGA’s long-standing efforts regarding Peace Corps and eagerly look forward to the future,” said Eaves.
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) houses the Peace Corps campus recruiter headquarters at UGA.
“OIA strives to assist UGA in maintaining its commitment to globalization. Having our own Peace Corps campus recruiter provides yet another opportunity for UGA to fulfill this goal by sending students, scholars and faculty overseas to serve as volunteers,” said Judith Shaw, interim associate provost for international affairs.
Over the past two years Valerie Peters, a Ph.D. student in the Institute of Ecology, has worked as the Peace Corps campus recruiter for UGA.
“Valerie’s own Peace Corps experience and enthusiasm have made her a strong recruiter; she has played a major role in attracting the large number of volunteers from UGA to serve in the Peace Corps,” said Shaw.
More than 178,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps is a 27-month commitment.
For general information, visit www.peacecorps.gov or contact the UGA Peace Corps recruiter in the Office of International Affairs at oia@uga.edu or 706/542-7903.