Three University students were recommended for the Rhodes Scholarship, and four students were named as nominees for the Marshall Scholarship by the University Selection Committee.
Fourth-year College students Catherine Neale, James Kennedy and Ryan Fleenor were endorsed by the University Selection Committee to compete for Rhodes Scholarships.
Fourth-year College students Lee Skluzak and Chat Hull, as well as Kennedy and Fleenor, were endorsed for Marshall Scholarships.
The Rhodes Scholarship offers 32 American students the opportunity to receive two fully-funded years of post-graduate study at England's Oxford University, said Nicole Hurd, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research.
The Marshall Scholarship is similar but allows for study at any institution in the United Kingdom, Hurd said.
The students had to write a personal statement outlying their planned course of study if chosen to go abroad, according to Hurd.
"I would like to pursue a master's degree in higher education," Neale said. "The long-term goal is to work in administration at the university level."
Fleenor said he would like to get his master's degree in modern American history and specifically study the affect of trans-Atlantic evangelical revivals on the abolitionist movement.
Kennedy said he would like to take the opportunity to continue undergraduate research he created.
"This past summer, I completed a project on the role of intellectuals in public life," he said.
Kennedy said he thinks his course of study is important because he believes being educated and not engaging with the public can be self-indulgent.
Skluzak said he applied for the Marshall Scholarship because it would allow him to get a dual technical/law degree in energy economics specific to the University of Dundee in Scotland.
The students now face up to two more phases in the fellowship selection process. They have to submit applications and then may be called for an interview before finding out if they have been selected, Hurd said.
"These students have worked very hard, but the process begins long before a student's fourth year," Hurd said. "I begin working with students in their first and second years, planning a curriculum and community involvement."
She said while the competition was stiff, students should not be discouraged from looking into a fellowship program.
"Initially, I cast a wide net and try to get as many people excited and interested about it as possible," she said.
Religious Studies Prof. Heather Warren, who is a member of the University Selection Committee and was a Rhodes Scholar in 1982, said the Committee looks for applicants who show dedication to human welfare.
"We want people that will go to Oxford and come back and exercise their commitment to making the world a better place," Warren said.
The purpose of the University endorsement as well as the Center for Undergraduate Excellence is to select students who best display the criteria laid out by the Rhodes Scholarship organization, Warren said.
According to Hurd, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence seeks to help students make the most out of their undergraduate career.
"The Center has had great success since it was founded in 2001," she added. "Last year alone, 19 University students won eight different fellowships. This shows how great our students are and how well our programs compliment each other."
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