In addition to football, UF also takes the No. 1 ranking in Peace Corps volunteer recruitment for the Southeast, having sent 53 alumni overseas last year.
On-campus recruiter and UF graduate student Amy Panikowski said UF has held the No. 1 spot in the Southeast for the past four years.
"This generation is a generation of service," Panikowski said. "A lot of Florida students had to volunteer in high school, and these kids have continued to serve."
Nationally, UF is ranked at No. 15, Panikowski said. UF has received high rankings in the past nationally, she said, adding she would like to see its current status improve.
Panikowski said UF's national ranking might rise if more students take advantage of programs at UF that prepare participants well for the Peace Corps, such as the teacher training program in UF's College of Education.
She said UF's current rankings might stem from specific programs offered at UF to help students gain the skills they need in order to do well in the Peace Corps, such as language and agriculture programs.
"Students can find tangible skill sets here," she said. "Everyone has something to offer."
UF linguistics junior Zak Rinehart plans to join once he graduates. He hopes to teach English as a second language in Asia or Eastern Europe.
"I really want to serve my country and the military isn't for me," he said. "This will make an impact on other people."
Another reason for the increase seen in Peace Corps volunteers could be the current state of the economy and job market. However, Rinehart doesn't think that a struggling economy should be the driving force behind students' decisions to join.
"It's not a way to get out of working," Rinehart said. "This is not something to be taken lightly."
Panikowski agrees. She said the Peace Corps is not for people who want to delay getting into the work force.
"The Peace Corps is for people who are tired of reading about the problem and want to be part of the solution," she said.
She also said that the 27-month nonstop commitment sets Peace Corps volunteers above others when applying for jobs or to graduate schools.
"You're not losing anything by spending two years overseas," Panikowski said.
