Currently, 25 HSU undergraduate alumni and two graduate alumni serve in the Peace Corps. Since the inception of the program in the Kennedy Administration in 1961, 737 HSU alums have served.
Ron Tschetter, Director of the Peace Corps, said, “With the knowledge and training acquired at Humboldt State University, these Peace Corps volunteers are making a positive contribution to the lives of people in 76 countries.”
HSU fosters involvement in service organizations through its historical tradition of social responsibility, embodied by its internationally-emulated Graduation Pledge and a host of student-led service learning programs like Y.E.S. (Youth Educational Services). The Graduation Pledge is a long-term voluntary commitment, conceived by HSU students and community members in 1987, to take social and environmental responsibility into account in career and job choices.
For 41 years, the Y.E.S. program of student volunteer initiatives has provided ongoing support and civic outreach across the Redwood Coast. Campus initiatives such as the MultiCultural Center, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology and the Campus Recycling Program originated at Y.E.S.
The full Peace Corps rankings are at www.peacecorps.gov.