Peace Corps honors UW-Madison leadership

UW–Madison’s historic commitment to the United States Peace Corps will be honored during a campus celebration of “Wisconsin Peace Corps Day” Friday, Feb. 28.

Peace Corps officials have been on campus this week conducting recruiting interviews and events. Capping the week, a reception for all university and Madison-area returned volunteers will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Pyle Center Alumni Lounge, 702 Langdon St. The event is also open to the media.

Two returned Peace Corps volunteers, John Torphy, former vice chancellor for administration, and Wisconsin First Lady Jessica Doyle, will be on hand to accept awards on behalf of the university.

The Peace Corps recently announced that UW–Madison lead the nation in 2002 with 123 new alumni volunteers, marking 17 consecutive years of leadership, according to Gary Lore, a Peace Corps spokesman.

The university trails only the University of California-Berkeley for the historical lead in total alumni volunteers. 3,227 UC-Berkeley alums have enrolled since 1961, compared to 2,577 from UW–Madison.

The unique spirit and culture of UW–Madison students plays a big role in the university’s continued commitment to the Peace Corps, says Mary Rouse, director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service.

“UW-Madison has a deeply rooted tradition of education and service,” she says. “Our student culture has always been one of activism and oriented toward service and that tradition has been handed down from one generation of students to the next.”

A total of 6,678 Americans currently serve in the Peace Corps in 70 countries around the world.