Aggie alums are spreading peace and goodwill around the world more than ever.

With 61 alumni serving, UC Davis ranked No. 13 this year among large U.S. universities in the number of students who have served as Peace Corps volunteers.

This data represents UC Davis’ highest ranking and greatest number of volunteers since the Peace Corps began its annual surveys in 2003. UC Davis, 14th last year among schools with 15,000 or more students, has appeared among the top 25 large universities every year.

Tradition of volunteerism

Fred Wood, vice chancellor for Student Affairs at UC Davis, said, “This achievement continues the proud UC Davis tradition of volunteerism by our students, staff, faculty and alumni, to serve our region, the nation and the world.”

Since 1961, more than 1,300 Aggies have joined the Peace Corps, making UC Davis the No. 19 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. UC Berkeley maintains the number one all-time rank, with 3,412 alumni having served.

This year, the University of Washington holds the top rank for large schools with 101 Peace Corps volunteers in the field today.

Peace Corps volunteers typically serve 27 months overseas helping communities address needs in education, health, business, agriculture, transportation and the environment.

The corps ranks its top volunteer-producing schools according to the size of each school’s student body. The rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2009 data as of Sept. 30, 2009, as self-reported by the volunteers. More Peace Corps volunteers come from California than any other state.

More information: peacecorps.gov.