The University of Michigan has maintained its top-five ranking among colleges and universities producing the highest numbers of Peace Corps volunteers, according to a university news release.

Michigan has 97 alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, three more than last year. For the 12th year in a row, the university has placed on the Peace Corps’ top-5 list of large universities nationwide producing volunteers. Since the organization was founded in 1961, 2,458 U-M alumni have served, making it the No. 4 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers, according to release.

The Peace Corps can be traced back to U-M when at 2 a.m. Oct. 14, 1960, then-Sen. John Kennedy addressed students on the steps of the Michigan Union. In his speech, he challenged the students to give two years of their lives to help people in countries of the developing world. In March 1961, Kennedy, as president, signed the Peace Corps into existence through executive order, the news release said.

Click here for more information on the Peace Corps. Click here to see how other universities ranked.