Mason Students Receive National and International Scholarship Recognition

December 6, 2007

By Dave Andrews

Receiving a national or international scholarship is an extraordinary accomplishment for any student. And the number of Mason students who become finalists and winners of these awards is increasing each year.

For 2008, multiple finalists and winners have already been named, and more are sure to come. Among the most notable, a Marshall Scholarship was recently awarded to Patrick Rumley, a senior government and international politics major.

Patrick Rumley Photo courtesy of Patrick Rumley

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. At least 40 scholars are selected each year to study either at the graduate or undergraduate level at a UK institution in any field of study. Each scholarship is held for two years.

“In addition to empowering students with a world-class education, I also think the Marshall Scholarship carries with it the burden of expectation,” Rumley says. “In a world where millions are faced with spiraling social devastation, our challenge is to redefine what can be considered morally defensible and to work towards real change.”

Rumley’s studies at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies will focus on Islamic law and development policy with reference to Central Asia.

Rumley was a finalist for the 2007 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, another national program that provides funds for graduate study. He also went to Armenia on a study abroad program as a National Security Education Program/David Boren undergraduate scholar.

The Marshall Scholarship covers university fees, cost of living expenses, an annual book and thesis grant, research and daily travel grants and fares to and from the United States.

Mona Singh Photo courtesy of Mona Singh

Malkit (Mona) Singh, a senior majoring in sociology, won a Truman Scholarship earlier this year and was named a Marshall Scholarship finalist. She also is Mason’s first Rhodes Scholarship finalist. The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international fellowship and provides for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. American Rhodes Scholars are selected by regional selection committees who choose 32 scholars each year.

“The competition for the Rhodes Scholarship is very intense and involves the most talented students in the country,” says Richard Rubenstein, a professor at Mason's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a Rhodes Scholarship representative.

“Just to be selected as a finalist among thousands of other well-developed and academically diverse applicants is a tremendous accomplishment.”

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