Peace Corps Draws Record Number Of UCSC Students

At a University House reception honoring Peace Corps volunteers, Peace Corps deputy director Charles Baquet (center, left) and Executive Vice Chancellor Michael Tanner (center, right) speak with current UCSC students who will go overseas this summer as part of the Corps.

Ambassador Baquet speaks with UCSC student Melanie Sheldon who leaves this summer for Cape Verde to work as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Michael Tanner and Ambassador Baquet stand together during a presentation ceremony at the University House reception. Baquet displays a banana slug tie he received, and Tanner holds a plaque from Baquet that reads: Peace Corps recognizes the University of California, Santa Cruz For its outstanding contributions to development and world peace "Banana Slugs making a difference around the world" 500 Peace Corps volunteers since 1965

This year a record 48 alumni and students from UCSC will be engaged in overseas assignments in the Peace Corps. UCSC students have consistently volunteered for Peace Corps service in greater proportion than at any other UC campus, and this summer UCSC will reach a benchmark as its 500th student takes on a Peace Corps assignment.

Chancellor Greenwood noted, "It is remarkable but not surprising that UCSC, one of the smallest of the UC campuses, has the greatest numbers of students entering the Peace Corps. We are very proud of the strong sense of social responsibility that our students possess and aim to support and foster that sense in every way possible."

One of the ways in which UCSC recently provided such support was to collaborate with the Peace Corps to open an office on campus this past year. The campus office, located at Merrill College, serves a large constituency that previously had to seek information and support from the Peace Corps regional office in San Francisco.

Peace Corps deputy director Charles Baquet traveled from Washington, D.C., to Santa Cruz last week to honor past, present, and future Peace Corps volunteers, whom he met with at a reception at University House.

Baquet noted, "UC Santa Cruz can take great pride in having instilled in its students a spirit of service and a sense of adventure. As the agency prepares to meet the challenges of the next century, we are optimistic that UCSC students will continue to play an important role in Peace Corps efforts to build a better future."