The University of Montana has been recognized as one of the Peace Corps’ 2025 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges among medium-sized institutions. This distinction highlights UM’s ongoing commitment to public service and its longstanding relationship with the Peace Corps.
For three consecutive years, UM has been named the top college in the country for community and national service. The university has also held a Carnegie classification for Community Engagement since 2008.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten this kind of a recognition from the Peace Corps, as well as other organizations,” said Karey Sabol, UM associate director for Experiential Learning and a former Peace Corps volunteer. “It shows this through line of service throughout UM’s history, and I think that’s a really powerful draw.”
According to a recent Peace Corps news release, UM is ranked No. 22 among medium-sized colleges, with six alumni currently serving in five countries: Albania and Montenegro, Eswatini, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, and Sri Lanka. Since 1961, more than 830 UM graduates have served in the Peace Corps. The university also offers support to returned volunteers pursuing graduate studies through its participation in the Coverdell Fellows program.
UM integrates public service into student life from orientation activities like the Big Sky Experience through graduation. Many students pursue degrees in fields focused on service. The university emphasizes collaboration with local and regional organizations as part of its core values.
“That is a very strong message telling people that we care about this place deeply,” said Andrea Vernon, executive director of Experiential Learning and Career Success at UM. “As a result, we’re an institution that partners in many collaborative ways with local, regional and state organizations. It’s an important distinguishing factor that sets us apart.”
Faculty members focus on building partnerships between campus and community to address needs at multiple levels while offering students practical learning opportunities.
Students can participate in various public service initiatives ranging from course-based projects to volunteering during school breaks.
“I think we have students who come to the University who are very community-minded and public service-oriented,” Vernon said. “It’s nice to be able to capitalize on that value system that they already have and say, ‘Wonderful, we have lots of ways to help you prepare for careers in these fields.’”
UM supports students interested in joining the Peace Corps early in their academic journey by helping them prepare competitive applications.
The university’s Peace Corps Prep Program provides training aligned with different areas such as environment, health, youth development, community development, agriculture or education.
“Students do an experiential learning component that gets them working with people and doing the kinds of projects they would be doing in the Peace Corps,” Sabol said. “So it’s a great experience where they’re already doing on-the-ground work.”
Even those who do not join the Peace Corps gain skills valuable for careers after graduation through participation in these programs.
Sabol shared her own experience volunteering in Jordan from 1998-2000: “Throughout my career I have been told that the reason I landed the job is that I had that Peace Corps experience, which showed that I could be really adaptable to a variety of situations and that I could communicate well with a variety of people across cultures,” she said. “I feel like it really set me up for success.”
She added: “It helped me articulate what I wanted, what I was interested in doing and what my values are… It shaped my whole life. I ended up later doing a master’s in Middle Eastern studies because I was so interested in the culture.”
Sabol encourages interested students to contact UM’s dedicated recruiter for guidance on pursuing similar paths via peacecorps@mso.umt.edu.
