Peace Corps director moves on

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As Gaddi H. Vasquez packs his bags to take on a new assignment for President Bush, he leaves behind a mixed record after four years as director of the Peace Corps.

Mr. Vasquez, the 16th Peace Corps director and the first Hispanic to hold that position, will be sworn in Sept. 7 as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. Mr. Bush has nominated Ronald Tschetter, a Montana financial services executive and a 1960s Peace Corps volunteer, to succeed Mr. Vasquez.

Early in his administration, Mr. Vasquez convened a diversity task force to determine how to boost Peace Corps recruitment among minorities. The result has been information kits and public service announcements in Spanish, cooperative agreements with minority organizations and minority recruitment efforts. Still, the number of minority volunteers remains less than half their percentage in the U.S. population.

Today, minorities make up slightly less than 16 percent of the 8,000 volunteers, an increase of 1 percent since 2002 and a gain of less than 2 percent since 1996. The percentage of blacks and Hispanics has remained stable at 3 percent each, and the number of Asian-Americans has ranged from 4 percent to 5 percent. Last year, minority groups accounted for 33 percent of the nation's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Minorities seek jobs

Economics is the most significant reason for the relatively low number of minority volunteers, Mr. Vasquez said during an interview at Peace Corps headquarters. He cited himself as an example. After his parents struggled to help him become the first in his family to graduate from college, Mr. Vasquez said his first priority was to "go out and get a job." He became a policeman in Orange County, Calif., where he rose to become county executive before resigning in 1994 when risky investments by the treasurer put the county in bankruptcy.

Mr. Vasquez frequently speaks to minority audiences and stresses the value of having the Peace Corps on one's resume when seeking employment at the State Department and government and private development agencies.

Besides a living allowance paid to volunteers while they are in the field, the Peace Corps gives them $6,000 on completion of their two-year service. Volunteers can earn credits toward graduate degrees at participating universities, their federal student loans can be deferred, and up to 30 percent of their Perkins loans may be forgiven after two years of service. The agency also offers job-placement services.

Another hindrance to minority recruitment is education. All but 4 percent of volunteers have a college degree. Mr. Vasquez said the agency has begun recruiting at community colleges because they have more student diversity, including older volunteers who return to school for special training. An associate degree and relevant work experience can qualify an applicant for admission to the Peace Corps. The agency can afford to be picky: It has room for only a third of applicants.

Demand grows