Today's college graduates were freshmen on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and post-9/11 grads have shown a greater interest in public-service careers, said John Bridgeland, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Bush



Today's college graduates were freshmen on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and post-9/11 grads have shown a greater interest in public-service careers, said John Bridgeland, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Bush

INVESTIGATORS ; INLAND NATIVE JOINS BATTLE AGAINST TERRORISM // CRIME ON ICE // Agency seeking new agents among post-9/11 graduates

Jun 1, 2005

Press-Enterprise Riverside CA

[Excerpt]

Today's college graduates were freshmen on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and post-9/11 grads have shown a greater interest in public-service careers, said John Bridgeland, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Bush.

Bridgeland was a creator of the U.S.A. Freedom Corps, parent agency of the Peace Corps, which has seen new graduates enroll in steeply increasing numbers, he said.

In 2001, 7,334 people in their 20s and 30s applied to become Peace Corps volunteers and 6,028 served, and that number has risen annually to 11,432 applications in 2004 with 7,081 serving, according to agency statistics.

The 9/11 college generation is also more likely to seek jobs protecting Americans in such agencies as the Department of Homeland Security, Bridgeland said.

"There are substantial recruitment needs relating to that department so it wouldn't surprise me if in the aftermath of 9/11 that young people who have a proclivity to serve are moving into those fields," Bridgeland said.

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 5, 2005: Special Events Vote in the NPCA Election for new board before June 15 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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May 28, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: Love and War in Afghanistan 28 May Sam Farr supports Coffee Growers in Colombia 28 May Elaine Chao wins Woman of Valor award 27 May Nebraska has strong ties with Afghanistan 27 May Arthur Orr to seek Alabama State Senate seat 26 May Murder of John Auffrey remembered in Liberia 26 May Bill Moyers says journalists should be filters for readers 26 May Linda Seyler spent two years in Thailand digging latrines 25 May Chris Shays blasts Bush on stem cell research 25 May George Wolfe to head Loudoun Academy of Science 25 May David Rudenstine heads Cardozo School of Law 24 May Mark Schneider says declaration is "pretty thin gruel" 24 May Robert Blackwill supports seat for India on Security Council 24 May Chris Matthews weighs Thomas Jefferson nomination 24 May Jim Knopf is expert on xeriscape gardening 23 May Mae Jemison receives honorary degree at Wilson 23 May Kenneth Proudfoot says dreams come true 22 May

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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