OXFORD, Miss. – After demonstrating their academic excellence at the
University of Mississippi, nine students have earned prestigious
scholarships to continue their studies around the globe.
“During my 10 years here, a number of our students have won
international fellowships and scholarships, but I believe these are the
most such scholarships we’ve had in a single year,” said Michael
Metcalf, associate provost for international affairs. “Of course, we’re
extremely proud of them.”
The award winners and their scholarships are:
– Jessica Beck, a senior international studies major from Houlka, received both the Ann Kade (International Student Exchange Program) and the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarships for study in Germany. For more about the scholarships, visit: http://www.isep.org and http://www.daad.org.
– Richard Whitehouse, a junior international studies major from Brandon, received a Boren Scholarship to study in China during spring semester 2009. For more, visit: http://www.iie.org/nsep .
Four students received Benjamin A. Giliman International Scholarships (http://www.iie.org/Gilman ). The students and their destinations are:
– Rhiannon Black, a senior linguistics major from Pascagoula minoring in Russian, will study in Russia.
– Kevin Dodez-Ball, a senior international studies and Chinese major from Ocean Springs, will study in China.
– Eduardo Lopez, a sophomore journalism major from Greenville, will study in Japan.
– Alicia Ragsdale, a junior journalism major from St. Louis, will study in Australia.
“There is really no substitute for studying a foreign language in a country where it is spoken,” said Donald Dyer, chairman of the modern languages department. “Doing so increases proficiency exponentially, because the student must devise and develop strategies for effective communication. Significant gains are also made in cultural understanding while studying ‘in-country.’
“All the languages represented in this group are viable in a variety of future careers,” Dyer continued. “Strong, second-language skills are always a plus with employers.”
Besides the success of these six undergraduates, three more won prestigious national scholarships in support of their international studies:
– Kyra McDonald, a junior international studies major from Madison, is among 30 students nationwide selected for a fellowship with the Institute for International Public Policy.
– Deeaneaus Polk, a junior international studies major from Pascagoula, was also selected for an IIPP fellowship. For more about McDonald’s and Polk’s IIPP fellowships, go to http://www.web20.olemiss.edu/news/wordpress/index.php/2008-News-Releases/May-2008/croft.html .
– Megan Rogers, a 2008 graduate in international studies and Chinese language major from Brandon, received a Language Flagship Fellowship for two years to pursue her M.A. in Chinese at Ohio State University. For more info, visit: http://chineseflagship.osu.edu.
“Megan began our Chinese program not having studied the language before,” Dyer said. “Remarkably, she has progressed from no ability in Chinese as a freshman to superior proficiency in only four years. Megan is one of the stars of this program and we are very proud of her accomplishments.”
For more information about the Croft Institute for International Studies, visit http://www.croft.olemiss.edu, or call 662-915-1500. For more about the UM Department of Modern Languages, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/modern?languages/ or call 662-915-7298.