Syracuse University moved from 24th to 15th in the national ‘Peace Corps Top Colleges’ volunteer rankings released Thursday, up nine spots from last year.

In 2009, SU had 23 alumni volunteers in the program, compared to 19 in 2008. Since 2008, overall application numbers rose 18 percent nationally, said B.J. Whetstine, a recruiter for the Peace Corps that works in the Western and Central New York areas.

SU was ranked in the medium college and university category in the list of the study put out by the Peace Corps. There are three main categories: large, medium and small college and universities. The ranking is based on the number of active volunteers participating in the Peace Corps from each college or university.

Whetstine said SU in particular produces a large amount of volunteers because of the strength of the university’s international programs.

One possible reason for the volunteer increase nationally is the country’s economic decline, said Amy Friers, a career counselor for the College of Arts and Sciences. Students do not have to worry about their financial situations during the two years that they are involved in the Peace Corps, she said.

Friers also said an interest in volunteer work in general has grown as well.

Programs like Peace Corps, Teach for America and AmeriCorps have become popular with college graduates because students can take a break before entering ‘the real world.’

‘I think it’s more and more people that want to give back in the public work sector,’ she said. ‘I also think that (President) Obama has encouraged people to look at those in need and help out. People are very interested in giving back.’

Sven Stafford, a graduate student in public administration, participated in the Peace Corps from 2006 to 2008. He said a love of travel is what made him decide to join the program.

Stafford went to Kazakhstan to teach English to children and other adults in a small village just north of the capital, Astana.

He said people with a preconceived notion about the program should keep an open mind.

‘There’s a kind of the image you get: a person wearing a bandana and shorts playing with a kid,’ he said. ‘A lot of people that left were people whose ideas didn’t really come true when they stepped off the plane. It’s one of the realities of the program, but people who are flexible and people who are usually able to get past that and succeed.’

Stafford said though the program was rewarding, it is not for the faint of heart.

‘Some people say that it’s the hardest job you’ll ever love,’ he said.

smtracey@syr.edu

Published on February 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm