Public Service Leader: University of Montana Earns Major Honor

This is becoming routine. And students and faculty alike would no doubt tell you it never gets old.

UM News Service tells us that the University of Montana recently was distinguished as one of the Peace Corps' 2025 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges among medium-sized colleges (between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates).

With an emphasis of public service as a cornerstone, UM has been honored as the top college in the country for community AND national service for three years in a row, thanks in part to its close connection with the Peace Corps, among other factors.

UM Associate Director for Experiential Learning, Karey Sabol, was quoted in the release as saying, “This isn't the first time we've gotten this kind of a recognition from the Peace Corps, as well as other organizations. It shows this through line of service throughout UM's history, and I think that’s a really powerful draw.”

Karey Sabol is a Peace Corps alumna herself.

WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW

Listed as No. 22 in the medium college group, six Grizzlies are serving in five countries around the world, including Albania and Montenegro, Eswatini, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, and Sri Lanka, according to a Peace Corps’ news release. More than 830 UM alumni have served since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961. The University also supports returned Peace Corps volunteers pursuing graduate school through the financial support of the Coverdell Fellows program.

UM's Peace Corps Prep Program certificate developed in partnership with the Peace Corps, trains students to become effective volunteers and equips them for international service. Students can focus their certificate classes on different Peace Corps services areas, including the environment, health, youth in development, community development, agriculture or education.

Congrats to all those humanitarian Griz! More details on the program and recognition can be found here.