Category Archives: Goldwater Scholarship

U at Buffalo Student Adds a Marshall Scholarship to His Goldwater Award

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Editor’s Note: The following post is by Marcene Robinson of the University at Buffalo.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Phillip Tucciarone, a University at Buffalo chemical and biological engineering student, has won a Marshall Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded annually to U.S. college students. 

Tucciarone is the first UB student to win a Marshall Scholarship since 1988 and is also a 2013 recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Up to 40 American students are awarded a Marshall Scholarship each year. 

The Marshall Scholarship will finance Tucciarone’s graduate study at a university in the United Kingdom, where he plans to study materials science.   Marshall Scholars now can be found among CEOs, Supreme Court justices, members of the U.S. Congress, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and members of the U.S. Presidential Cabinet.

“This feels incredible and is a wonderful surprise, to be honest,” said Tucciarone, who will leave for London in September. “The award secures an exciting academic future for me over the next four years and makes a statement about the value of public higher education.”

A senior, Tucciarone is from Washingtonville in Orange County, N.Y., and is a graduate of Washingtonville High School.

The Marshall Scholarship is widely considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, and works to strengthen the relationship between British and American citizens, and their governments and institutions. 

“The Marshall Scholarship is a mark of great distinction — these are not just some of the nation’s best and brightest young scholars, they are intellectually passionate, globally minded students dedicated to enriching the world around them,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “This is exactly the kind of student that UB excels in educating.

Inspired by a desire to become a professor of materials science, Tucciarone will use the Marshall Scholarship to pursue a doctorate degree in materials science at either the University of Oxford or the Imperial College of London. He plans to join the groundbreaking research currently underway on graphene, one of the crystalline forms of carbon.

Graphene is considered the material of the future, Tucciarone said.  It has the potential to make electronics much faster, for example, and its most immediate use can be found in transistors, radio frequency devices and computer chips.

“If copper is your grandma’s Buick, then graphene is the new Ferrari,” he said.

Tucciarone has devoted much of his undergraduate research to nanomaterials and the development of methods of non-toxic bio-imaging, which play a role in cancer treatment. He has also co-authored and published two academic papers on his research in ACS Nano and Nano Letters, both monthly, peer-reviewed, scientific journals published by the American Chemical Society.

“In my 20-plus years teaching at UB, I’ve never seen such a display of leadership in one of my students,” says David Kofke, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “It is heartening to see this in an engineering student, where the workload promotes immersion in coursework without allowing time to take in the larger picture in life, let alone participate in it.”

A UB Honors College scholar, Tucciarone is president of the Honors Student Council, and works with inner city public schools through UB’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership, funded by the National Science Foundation, which seeks to improve science education in Buffalo Public Schools.

As a junior, he founded an annual volunteer service trip to the Dominican Republic through the Honors Student Council, where he and other UB students helped teach English to children.

Tucciarone said he was inspired to pursue a career in higher education by his experiences at UB, combined with his volunteer work in Buffalo Public Schools and the Dominican Republic.

“The faculty at UB is incredible,” said Tucciarone. “I never felt disconnected from them and they engaged me from day one in the classroom and as personal mentors.

“Education is the strongest mechanism for change in the world,” he added.  “I want to bridge the gap between the United States and U.K. as a diplomat, gain experience, and work as a bridge for bilateral research and higher education.”

Education and science are just a few of Tucciarone’s many passions. He is starting winger for UB’s rugby team, and hopes to play for the Oxford Blues, the University of Oxford’s rugby team, when he moves to England next fall.  A jazz enthusiast, Tucciarone played trombone and bass in a swing band, and bass in a blues/rock band, Blank Check, in Washingtonville.

The highly competitive Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was founded in 1986 with the goal of alleviating the critical shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

MSU Honors Student Nominated for Three Major Awards

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Editor’s Note:  The story below was originally published on the Michigan State University Today site on November 13, 2013…

Craig Pearson, an Honors College senior majoring in neuroscience, biochemistry and molecular biology in the College of Natural Science and English in the College of Arts and Letters, has been selected to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship and has been nominated for the Churchill Scholarship.

Pearson is from Bloomfield Hills and graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School.

If awarded, he would become MSU’s 18th Marshall Scholar, its 17th Rhodes Scholar and its 17th Churchill Scholar.

Pearson was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2012 and he served on MSU’s 2013-14 Homecoming Court.

Stemming from a high school volunteering position in which he worked with students who have visual impairments, Pearson wants to develop treatments for blindness and visual impairments.

“In the past, going from blindness to sight has seemed practically unthinkable,” he said. “But in today’s climate of groundbreaking scientific research, this phenomenon is not merely possible, but a realistic goal. With dedication and rigorous research, we can restore vision and change lives. I want to be part of that phenomenon – to be there when someone opens his or her eyes and experiences the unimaginable rush of new sight.”

Pearson entered MSU as an Alumni Distinguished Scholarship recipient and now serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and an undergraduate lab manager and lead undergraduate researcher for the Digital Humanities and Literary Cognition Lab.

He has served as a clinical volunteer at the MSU Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology. Pearson also is the student managing editor for ReCUR, the Red Cedar Undergraduate Research Journal, and is the founder and managing editor of Exceptions: The Art and Literary Journal for Students with Visual Disabilities.

“Craig has impressed us with his academic talent and service to others and we’re hopeful that he’ll be just as impressive during his interviews,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the MSU Honors College.

– See more at: http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/msu-senior-nominated-for-prestigious-scholarships/#sthash.s2Odq0x1.dpuf

Craig Pearson, an Honors College senior majoring in neuroscience, biochemistry and molecular biology in the College of Natural Science and English in the College of Arts and Letters, has been selected to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship and has been nominated for the Churchill Scholarship.

Pearson is from Bloomfield Hills and graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School.

If awarded, he would become MSU’s 18th Marshall Scholar, its 17th Rhodes Scholar and its 17th Churchill Scholar.

Pearson was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2012 and he served on MSU’s 2013-14 Homecoming Court.

Stemming from a high school volunteering position in which he worked with students who have visual impairments, Pearson wants to develop treatments for blindness and visual impairments.

“In the past, going from blindness to sight has seemed practically unthinkable,” he said. “But in today’s climate of groundbreaking scientific research, this phenomenon is not merely possible, but a realistic goal. With dedication and rigorous research, we can restore vision and change lives. I want to be part of that phenomenon – to be there when someone opens his or her eyes and experiences the unimaginable rush of new sight.”

Pearson entered MSU as an Alumni Distinguished Scholarship recipient and now serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and an undergraduate lab manager and lead undergraduate researcher for the Digital Humanities and Literary Cognition Lab.

He has served as a clinical volunteer at the MSU Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology. Pearson also is the student managing editor for ReCUR, the Red Cedar Undergraduate Research Journal, and is the founder and managing editor of Exceptions: The Art and Literary Journal for Students with Visual Disabilities.

“Craig has impressed us with his academic talent and service to others and we’re hopeful that he’ll be just as impressive during his interviews,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the MSU Honors College.

UGA Center Is Incubator for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

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The track record of the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) at the University of Georgia makes the center a model of “high-impact” practices that allow students of exceptional promise to engage in faculty-mentored research almost from the day they arrive at the Athens campus. 

Founded in the late 1990s, CURO allows undergraduates, including non-honors students, to

  1. “create a self-selected research career, allowing them to earn credit hours which can count towards degree program completion.
  2. “gain access to presenting (Symposium); funding (Summer Fellowships) and publishing (JURO, the Journal of Undergraduate Research) opportunities.
  3. “form a mentoring relationship focused on conducting research and professional development.
  4. “develop a deeper understanding of their chosen field by working closely with a research faculty mentor.”

As evidence of the center’s success, UGA can point to the involvement of all of the university’s Goldwater scholarship winners in CURO since the center’s inception, and to the fact that CURO has “figured prominently in the programs of study” for 5 Rhodes Scholars,  5 Gates Cambridge Scholars, 4 Marshall Scholars, 3 Mitchell Scholars, 5 Truman Scholars, 5 Udall Scholars, and Fulbright Student Scholars.

We believe that the Goldwater awards are a strong indication of the level of undergraduate support and mentoring at a given institution, and UGA and CURO offer two special programs to augment the already impressive features of the center:

Summer Fellowship Program–In this extremely intensive program, students submit research proposals for 30 fellowships each summer.  If selected, students spend 320-400 hours over the summer working closely with one or more faculty mentors on the research project that the student has self-selected.  The summer fellowship program has “led directly” to 4 Goldwater  and 2 Udall Scholarships.

CURO Honors Scholarship Program–Honors students in their very first semester at UGA may begin their participation in this program, which focuses on developing the writing, presentation, and other professional skills necessary to clarify and develop their research, and to make it as persuasive as possible.  To date, 7 honors scholars have gone on to win Goldwater scholarships.

Please go to this link for more information on CURO eligibility.


Western Kentucky Honors College: Regional Excellence, International Impact

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The Honors College at Western Kentucky University came to our attention while we were doing our regular review of the number of prestigious national scholarships won by public universities, such as Truman, Goldwater and Fulbright awards.  For this and other reasons, the honors college at WKU is the third we will profile from among the increasingly important regional state universities.

We follow Goldwater awards closely because they are awarded to undergraduates only, and only to students in the STEM subjects.  The undergraduate focus points to the level of research and faculty support that students receive in order to win the highly competitive Goldwater scholarships.

Since 2008, WKU students have earned 15 Goldwater scholarships or honorable mention.  This would be a high level of achievement even for a top flagship university.

We also commend the honors college at WKU for its extensive curricular offerings, along with the association of the college with the Chinese Flagship Pilot Program, one of only 11 such undergraduate programs in the nation and the only one centered in an honors college.

Students in the Chinese Flagship Program receive intensive language instruction, regardless of major, and achieve very high levels of fluency.  In addition, the college reports that “in the past 3 years, our Flagship students have received 2 Fulbright Grants to China, 9 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships, 2 David L. Boren Scholarships, 3 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, and 3 Foundation for Global Scholars Awards.”

The college is also affiliated with the Gatton Academy of Math and Science, the only state-funded residential high school in Kentucky for students in the STEM subjects.  This unique partnership allows gifted STEM students to take as many as 70 hours of college credit while they are in the academy, including many honors courses.  Graduates are able to pick and choose among top colleges in the nation, and about one-quarter decide to remain at WKU for the remainder of their undergraduate work.

Freshman entrants to the college are required to complete 33 hours of honors work, including a six-hour capstone experience/thesis.  A slightly different track is also available, requiring the same 33 hours but substituting honors seminars for the capstone/thesis.

Transfer students with 45 or fewer hours can still complete the 33-hour requirement.  Those with more than 45 hours of work behind them are eligible for the 18-hour honors in the major option, which includes a thesis.  All transfer students must have at least a 3.5 GPA.

Freshman applicants compete for 300 places in the college.  The minimum requirements are a 27 ACT or a 1210 SAT or high school graduation in the top 15 percent of the class.  But the average entrant has an ACT score of 29, SAT score of 1300, and a 3.86 high school gpa.

Another strong feature is the structure of the honors college.  It is our opinion that honors colleges and programs work to their fullest and best extent when they are also the focal point for mentoring students with the potential to win national prestigious scholarships.  The Office of Scholar Development at WKU is a part of the honors college and has three full-time staff members involved in the recruitment and support of high-achieving students.

The college has three honors residence options.  Freshmen may live in Minton Hall, a traditional, corridor-style facility that is the only coed freshman hall on campus (with gendered floors).  Bates-Runner Hall is a hotel-style dorm for sophomores and juniors, with shared rooms and private baths, while McLean Hall is a similar facility for juniors and seniors.  All three halls are centrally located.

There is also the brand new WKU apartments on Kentucky Street, each with a private room and bath.

Another benefit for honors students is priority registration for classes and, even more important, students can actually design their own majors with help from small faculty committees.  Class size is limited to 25 students, and many have 16 students or fewer.  Continuation requires maintaining at least a 3.2 gpa.  About 55 percent of honors students also study abroad, many in England and China.

In January 2014, the college will break ground for a new Honors/International Building, a $22 million, 67,000 square foot complex that will cement the relationship between the honors college and the university’s heightened focus on international studies.

As for financial aid, “all WKU students who are awarded the university’s top two scholarships: ‘Henry H Cherry Presidential Scholarships’ and the ‘1906 Founders Scholarships’ are required to be in the Honors College.

“On average, the 300 Honors College first year students are awarded over $2 million in renewable scholarships for WKU… over 66% of our incoming first year student are awarded at least a renewable tuition scholarship.”

WKU is located in Bowling Green, the third largest city in Kentucky behind Louisville and Lexington.  The campus is on top a large hill overlooking the city of about 60,000 people and the entire Barren River Valley.   There is a GM assembly plant in the city, making Bowling Green the home of the Chevrolet Corvette.  WKU is the second largest university in the state and has the only honors college in the state.

UNC Chapel Hill Honors Students Win Eight Major Awards in 2012-2013

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Editor’s Note: The following is from UNC Chapel Hill:

The 2012-2013 academic year has been fruitful for students who participated in Honors Carolina offerings and pursued national scholarships. Honors Carolina student Rachel Myrick won the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship last fall, and seven other students joined her this spring as winners of distinguished scholarships and awards.

Will Leimenstoll is one of UNC’s two 2013 Luce Scholar Program winners. His Honors Study Abroad semester in Cape Town, South Africa played a key role in fostering an interest in urban planning that he will continue in Asia. Henry Ross is UNC’s second 2013 Luce winner. He is an Honors Carolina student studying classics and criminal law who hopes to learn more about legal systems in Asia during the coming year.

Kelsey Jost-Creegan is a 2013 Humanity in Action Fellow. She is an Honors Carolina student who explored her interests in migration and human rights through Honors Carolina courses.

Akhil Jariwala was selected as a 2013 Udall Scholar. He plans to utilize the experiences gained as an Honors Carolina student studying business and environment to integrate clean technology solutions across the globe. Patrick Short is the 40th Goldwater Scholar from UNC. He is an Honors Carolina student who served as a coordinator for ten classes in Honors Carolina’s C-START program and is double majoring in applied and computational mathematics and biology.

Will Lindsey recently became UNC 30th Truman Scholar. He is an Honors Carolina student and a history and political science double major who studied Shakespeare during his Honors Summer in London and Oxford. Will seeks to attend graduate school for public policy and law.

Alex Caprara is the 2013 UNC winner of the Beinecke Scholarship. He is an Honors Carolina student who discovered his love for classics in an Honors seminar. Alex will delve further into the field with this graduate award.

These eight students discovered and stoked their interests with the support and resources offered by Honors Carolina.

University of Georgia Honors Students: High Achievement in Prestigious Awards

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In reviewing honors programs, we maintain stats on “prestigious scholarships”–Rhodes, Marshall, Gates, Truman, Goldwater, Udall, among others–which are won by students of leading state universities.  Often, we cannot tell how many of those awards are earned by honors students at the schools, even though we know that many of them do win awards.

In the case of the outstanding honors program at the University of Georgia, we do know that a very high percentage of the many recent awards won by UGA students have gone to students in the honors program.  UGA as an institution has also established a strong record overall.

Below is a list of the awards won by UGA honors students, just in the past two years.  Bear in mind that only a very small number of Rhodes, Marshall, and Truman awards are granted in a given year–32 Rhodes, 40 Marshall, and 62 Truman scholars, nationwide, in the most recent year.

We also believe that a high number of Udall and Goldwater scholarships is a marker for institutional or program support for undergraduate research.  UGA honors, working with the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) at the school, has been highly successful in recent years.

Rhodes–1

Marshall-1

Truman–1

Goldwater–5 (plus an honorable mention)

Udall–5 (plus two honorable mentions)

Boren–5

Fulbright–10

See also these posts on our site:

Goldwater Scholars 2013: Public University Leaders

Udall Scholars 2013: Univ of New Mexico Leads, Georgia Best Last Two Years


 

Arizona, Montana State and Minnesota Lead in 2013 Udall, Goldwater Awards Combined

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Each year we recognize public universities that have the most winners of the two most prestigious undergraduate awards: Goldwater and Udall Scholarships.  The former is valued at $7,500 and goes to STEM students in their sophomore and junior years, and the later, valued at $5,000, is primarily for undergrad environmental research.

We consider the awards to be especially noteworthy because they are indicators of undergraduate research opportunities and mentoring, so important for postgraduate awards and careers.

In 2013, the University of Arizona, Montana State University, and the University of Minnesota each had five students who won either Goldwater or Udall awards.

North Carolina State, Pitt, and Wisconsin each had four students who earned one of the awards.  North Carolina State has been especially strong in this area for two years running.

Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon State, South Carolina, UT Austin, and Washington State all had students who earned three prestigious awards.  Georgia, like North Carolina State, is building a strong record of achievement in this area.

Goldwater Scholarships 2013: Public University Leaders

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The most prestigious undergraduate scholarship is awarded annually by the Barry M. Goldwater Foundation to outstanding students majoring in mathematics, science, engineering, or computer science, and this year eight of the major universities we follow on this site won three awards each.

Public universities with three Goldwater scholars for 2013 are Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Oregon State, Pitt, UT Austin, Washington State, and Wisconsin.  The leader among all public universities is Montana State University, with the maximum number of scholarships allowed–four.  North Carolina State is the overall leader the past two years, with a total of seven Goldwater scholars.

The Goldwater awards are important indicators of the value of undergraduate research and the attention young scholars receive.  Out of 271 of the $7,500 scholarships awarded in 2013, a total of 159 went to science majors; 71 to engineering majors; 27 to math majors; and 14 to computer science majors.

Goldwater scholars are also highly represented among winners of graduate awards such as Rhodes, Marshall, and Churchill scholarships.  In recent years, 80 Goldwater winners have also won Rhodes scholarships; 118 have earned Marshall scholarships; and an extremely high number of 110 Goldwater scholars have gone on to win Churchill scholarships.

Below is a list of the universities we follow that have at least four Goldwater awards in the last two years.

North Carolina State: 2013 (3); 2012 (4)

Kansas: 2013 (2); 2012 (4)

Minnesota: 2013 (3); 2012 (3)

Nebraska: 2013 (2); 2012 (4)

Pitt: 2013 (3); 2012 (3)

UT Austin: 2013 (3); 2012 (3)

Colorado: 2013 (3); 2012 (2)

Oregon State: 2013 (3); 2012 (2)

Michigan: 2013 (3); 2012 (2)

Wisconsin: 2013 (3); 2012 (2)

Alabama: 2013 (2); 2012 (3)

Washington State: 2013 (2); 2012 (3)

Georgia: 2013 (1); 2012 (4)

Maryland: 2013 (3); 2012 (2)

South Carolina: 2013 (2); 2012 (3)

Clemson: 2013 (2); 2012 (2)

Illinois: 2013 (2); 2012 (2)

UMass Amherst: 2013 (1); 2012 (3)

Michigan State: 2013 (2); 2012 (2)

Ohio State: 2013 (1); 2012 (3)

Rutgers: 2013 (2); 2012 (2)

UC San Diego: 2013 (2); 2012 (2)

 

 

 

Kansas Honors Grads: Program is Great for Knowledge, Great for Careers

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The results of the annual exit survey of honors program graduates at the University of Kansas reveals both the personal and career value of pursuing an honors education.

Based on the responses of 49 honors graduates, the survey shows that 100 percent are either pursuing a career (50 percent); attending medical school (11.1 percent); going to law school (3.3 percent); or pursuing other graduate degrees (35.6 percent).  Of those attending graduate or professional school, 73.5 percent are receiving financial support from the institution.

Perhaps most important, 94.1 percent of students agreed with the following statement: “The University Honors Program provided many opportunities that enhanced my KU education.”

Below please additional comments from students:

“Entering college, I knew I wanted to do big things. But I never dreamed that I would be one of the top two Truman Scholarship Finalists for the state of Kansas! If the KU Honors program hadn’t spent countless hours encouraging me and preparing me, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today. The advisors in the Honors program are genuinely invested in my success, and they are mentors who I hope to stay friends with for years to come.”-Hannah Sitz, junior, Truman Finalist

“The Honors Program is about so much more courses. My honors advisor pushed me to really consider my passions, my goals, and my experience which lead to an internship on Capitol Hill. It was the best, most exciting time of my college career.”-Danielle Onions, senior

“The Honors Program has been the backbone of my education.  It makes the university feel like home. The staff invests in each and every student and exposes them to opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else.”-Natalie Scott, junior

“My work in lab has led to competitive summer internships and scholarships, and has given me a head start in my career path.  Unlike undergraduates at other universities, I am able to work on my own project and actually advance scientific knowledge.”-Rodi Torres-Gustavo, senior, Goldwater winner

“Without the KU Honors Program, I might have never had the incredible opportunity to travel to Switzerland for a truly international research experience at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.  The Honors Program gave me the financial support, advising, and connections I needed to make this dream come true.”-Brittany Krutty, senior, Goldwater winner

“The Honors Program provided me both the impetus for choosing to study abroad and part of the scholarships that made it feasible. My semester in Costa Rica was central to my undergraduate experience, and the Honors Program certainly helped facilitate it.”-Bailey Reimer, senior

“The superb instruction and personal attention from my professors in my Honors classes, especially during my freshmen year, were central to my success as a student. Without the extra challenges and resources that they provided, I’m not sure I ever would have felt like KU was a good fit for me.”-Bailey Reimer, senior

 

Public vs. Private Universities: Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, Etc….

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In previous posts we have written about the dominance of elite private institutions when it comes to winning prestigious national awards, such as Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Gates Cambridge, and Goldwater scholarships.  There is no question that Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, and a few other elite schools dominate some of these awards, especially Rhodes scholarships.

But what about the performance of other leading private universities, including those in the top tier of the U.S. News rankings?  We have analyzed the record of 20 private universities ranked 24 to 83 in the 2013 U.S. News rankings.  The average ranking for the 20 schools is 54.4.  We then compared their performance with that of the 50 universities whose honors programs we evaluated.  The average U.S. News ranking of the 50 public schools is 74.16, down from an average of 72.82 in 2012.

The 20 private universities are the following: Notre Dame, USC, Wake Forest, Boston College, NYU, Case Western Reserve, University of Miami, Boston University, George Washington, Tulane, Fordham, Northeastern, SMU, Syracuse, American, Baylor, Denver, Marquette, Tulsa, and TCU.

We analyzed the full history of Rhodes, Truman, Churchill, Fulbright, Goldwater, and Udall awards, and we adjusted for size of undergraduate enrollment in the case of Fulbright Student Scholarships because of the high number of those awards (about 1,500) in a given year.  We also analyzed Marshall and Gates Cambridge awards from 2001 through 2012.  One point was assigned for each award.

On a scale with 25 being the highest score, the mean score for the private universities was 7.21 and for the public universities it was 11.86.  Below are some interesting specifics:

  • The University of Tulsa had the highest overall score for the private universities, mainly due to the impressive number of Goldwater awards for undergraduates studying STEM subjects (51), which would place Tulsa at number 9 among all 70 universities in this comparison.  The leaders in Goldwater awards (among our 50 public schools) are Illinois (63), Penn State (61), Virginia (59), Wisconsin (56), Arizona State and Minnesota (54), and Michigan and Washington (52).
  • Overall, the mean score for Goldwater awards (raw numbers) was more than twice as high for the public universities as it was for the private schools (33.7 versus 16.2).
  • The mean score for Rhodes Scholarships was likewise much higher for the public schools, 12.16 versus 5.25.
  • Tulane led private schools in total Rhodes Scholarships with 18, followed by Notre Dame (14), Wake Forest (13), Case Western (10), Boston University (8), USC (8), and Denver (7).  The leading schools among the 50 we reviewed are Virginia (46), North Carolina (41), Washington (39), Wisconsin (31), Kansas and UT Austin (27), and Michigan (25).
  • The four private schools that had a total scaled score that was above the mean for the 50 public schools were Tulsa, Tulane, Notre Dame, and NYU.
  • The strongest performance for private schools was in earning Fulbright awards, probably because of the adjustment for size of undergraduate enrollment.  The mean score for the private schools was 7.21 versus 3 .07 for the public schools.
  • The mean scores for Truman Scholarships were close, with private schools averaging 8.8 and public schools 9.3.  American University and Wake Forest led private schools with 15 Truman awards each, followed by USC (14), SMU (13), Boston College and Tulane (12), and Syracuse and Tulsa (11).  The leading public schools are North Carolina (32), UT Austin (26), Michigan and Virginia (24), Wisconsin and Arizona State (17), and Arkansas and Delaware (16).
  • The public universities in this comparison score significantly higher in earning Gates Cambridge and Marshall scholarships since 2001.  However, NYU students have won an impressive 8 Gates Scholarships, the only private university in this comparison to win more than 3.   Illinois has 10, Penn State 7, Rutgers and Florida 6 apiece, and Georgia, Georgia Tech, NC State, and Michigan 5 apiece.
  • The public universities dominate Udall Scholarships, although American University has 10 and Tulsa 9.   Arizona State has 29, Arizona 21, Penn State 20, Kansas 16, and North Carolina 15.