Wake Forest Magazine, March 2007 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

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programs for Americans has risensubstantially in recent years, but theRhodes is still the gold standard, ifnowhere else than in public perception.Established in 1902 from theestate of Cecil Rhodes, a legendaryBritish-born South African businessman,mining magnate, and politicianwho founded the monopolistic diamondcompany De Beers and colonized thestate of Rhodesia (now Zambia andZimbabwe), the program each yearawards full-cost scholarships to thirtytwoAmerican college seniors for twoyears (with the possibility of a thirdyear) of study at Oxford University inEngland, the oldest university in theEnglish-speaking world and amongthe most esteemed anywhere on Earth.“Intellectual distinction is a necessarybut not sufficient condition forelection to a Rhodes Scholarship,” itsofficial description states. “Selectioncommittees are charged to seek excellencein qualities of mind and in qualitiesof person which, in combination,offer the promise of effective serviceto the world in the decades ahead.”Each of sixteen regional committeeschooses two recipients from amongthose nominated by colleges and universitiesfrom all fifty states. Each year,roughly twelve hundred scholasticstars apply for the Rhodes, but thatnumber fails to account for the hundredsof additional bright and accomplishedstudents who covet the scholarshipbut don’t bother to apply becausethey feel they have no chance of winning.The very application process canbe daunting—a grueling and stressfulordeal that includes soliciting eightletters of application; writing an eighthundred-wordessay that not onlymust be composed impeccably butalso must articulate distinctiveness ofvision and fervency and authenticity ofpassion; and a harrowing and pressurepackedinterview by a committee thatincludes past Rhodes Scholars and towhich the applicants must demonstratedepth of reflection on whyOxford and its programs are an idealfit for them.“[At Oxford] I cameto see the whole globalpicture of my academicdiscipline, and to firstget a sense of whereI fit into it. The worldwas much widerthan it had seemed inWinston-Salem.”—RICHARD CHAPMAN (’86)“The process requires vast resourcesof will and energy,” says James Barefield,professor emeritus of history whomentored the earliest of the school’srecent Rhodes winners. “In writingtheir essays, they have to get themselvesinto eight hundred words—what they’re really about. It can’t besurface stuff. You can’t fake it. Theonly way they’ll get the scholarship isif the person [the committee members]see on paper is the one in frontof them. And there is so much luckinvolved. Who else from your schoolhas applied that year? What sort ofquestions does the committee ask inyour interview? Everything has to gojust right.”But the few who prevail are rewardedwith an experience unlike any other:total immersion in the one-of-a-kindintellectual and social ambience thatis Oxford. The student body aloneaffords an unrivaled opportunity forcultural enrichment: more than 130nationalities are represented in itsstudent body of over 18,000. And few,if any, universities in the world offerricher options for study or a morevenerable faculty than the nine-hundredyear-oldinstitution. Discipline, selfmotivation,and independent scholarshipare the Oxford way; studentsmight go weeks without consultingtheir mentors. But for those withvision, ingenuity, and a penchant forhard work, the outcomes can far surpassthe credential. They can includethe attainment of wisdom and lifelonghabits of entrepreneurial endeavorand achievement.“[At Oxford] I came to see thewhole global picture of my academicdiscipline, and to first get a sense ofwhere I fit into it,” Chapman recalls.“The world was much wider thanit had seemed in Winston-Salem.”Robert Esther (’91), who became WakeForest’s fourth modern Rhodes winner,says his time in Oxford “mostly reinforcedmy own predisposition to drawon different disciplines. As a historymajor at Wake Forest, I valued theopportunity to work intensely in thesciences and humanities. The historycurriculum at Oxford was very openand exposed me to different academicareas and new approaches to askingand answering questions.”Maria Merritt (’87), who extendedher scholarship for a third year, attributesher decision to forego medicalschool to pursue a doctoral degreeand an academic career in philosophyto the example of her mentors atOxford. “The experience,” she says,“made me a much more independentand self-motivated thinker.” CharlotteOpal (’97), whose favorite pastimeat Oxford was taking winter walksthrough Port Meadow, a pasture20 WAKE FOREST MAGAZINE
owned jointly by the “Commoners ofWolvercote” for over a millennium,to the Trout pub to drink mulledwine, feels privileged to have studiedat Oxford with “super achievers” fromall parts of the world. “I feel a specialresponsibility to ensure that I utilizethis privilege to the fullest,” she says.“I am constantly evaluating my work.Am I functioning at my highest potential?Am I achieving all that I can?”Three years after the scholarshipwas founded, Wake Forest receivedits first Rhodes, awarded to HarryTrantham (1905). The next arrivedthirteen years later, when Robert LeeHumber (’18, LLB ’21) of Greenvillewon. Known for his sophistication anderudition, Humber became an internationallawyer of renown and resided inParis for a number of years. Perhaps asa result of having come of age duringWorld War I, he helped found and wasactive in the World Federalist Movementand lectured widely on worldpeace. In North Carolina, he was bestknown for his role in founding anddeveloping the State Art Museum inRaleigh. A lifelong Wake Forest benefactor,Humber served a term as chairof its Board of Trustees and urgedmany of its brightest students over theyears—including an exceptionallypromising lad from a small North Carolinatown named Edwin G. Wilson, Jr.(’43)—to apply for the Rhodes. Butvery few did. “Wake Forest always hadstudents who could have been RhodesScholars,” Wilson says, “but there wasnot a concerted effort to encourage it.”But during Wilson’s early years asdean and provost, events transpiredthat changed the climate. First, in theearly sixties, he facilitated the creationof an interdisciplinary honors programto engage superior students. Then,in 1968, alumnus Guy T. Carswell(’22, LLD ’62) bequeathed half of hisA P R O G R A M F O R S C H O L A R SHE WAKE FOREST SCHOLARS PROGRAMTseeks to identify and assist recent graduatesas well as students who are qualified for andinterested in post-graduate scholarships, fellowships,and service programs.Created in 2003, the office strives to matchone’s gifts, interests, and achievements withpossible funding in a wide range ofdisciplines and programs for potentiallylife-changing domestic and internationalresearch and academic experiences.Recent graduates with strong undergraduateacademic and extracurricularrecords and strengths of experience ingraduate and professional schooling,business, education, and other pursuitsare urged to contact program directorThomas O. Phillips (’74, MA ’78) atphillito@wfu.edu to note their interestin possible funding. Among the largeroster of awards available for domesticor international study are scholarshipsfor alumni ages 24 and 35.For more information, go to www.wfu.edu/scholars.Thomas O. Phillips (’74, MA ’78)MARCH 2007 21
Page 1 and 2: M a r c h 2 0 0 7DreamSEASONThe Qua
Page 3 and 4: 14 Rhodes RunBy David FytenThe dram
Page 5 and 6: Discovery: Atala’s team makeshist
Page 7 and 8: Phillipsgender studies program in 1
Page 9 and 10: true for Wake Forest football and i
Page 11 and 12: ©BRIAN WESTERHOLTconference teams.
Page 13 and 14: The death of the younger brother of
Page 15 and 16: One journalist called it “Wakesto
Page 17 and 18: MARCH 2007 15
Page 19 and 20: Meet the RhodesWake Forest’s ten
Page 21: ROB JUDGESRhodes Scholar” in term
Page 25 and 26: an awful lot over the years,” Bar
Page 27 and 28: A great runIn academics and athleti
Page 29 and 30: P R O F I L EThe Hermit in the Wait
Page 31: Louisville, Kentucky, and has beena
Page 51: Sign of the TimesANGIE HUFFMAN EVAT

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