British university scholarship From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kennedy Scholarships provide full funding for up to ten British post-graduate students to study at either Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[1]Susan Hockfield, the sixteenth president of MIT, described the scholarship program as a way to "offer exceptional students unique opportunities to broaden their intellectual and personal horizons, in ways that are more important than ever in an era defined by global interaction.".[2] In 2007, 163 applications were received, of which 10 were ultimately selected, for an acceptance rate of 6.1%.[3]
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Following wide consultation, Franks wrote to the Prime Minister to recommend that the memorial should be in two parts: a living memorial, in the form of a scholarship to attend either Harvard or MIT, and a permanent memorial site in Runnymede, England, the site of the Magna Carta. This location was chosen because it was regarded as the birthplace of the freedoms which President Kennedy promised to uphold. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Act 1964 was passed into legislation to enact and manage the two memorials.
The Kennedy family have been strong supporters of the British Kennedy memorial since its creation. Prior to the United States' entry into the Second World War, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. served as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 1965, Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom unveiled the memorial at Runnymede. It consists of a Portland stone memorial tablet within natural woodland and meadow, where the visitor is invited on a journey, resembling that in Pilgrim's Progress; the journey through what is seen is mirrored by a deeper one into the unseen landscape of life, death and spirit. The stone is inscribed with the famous quote from Kennedy's Inaugural Address given on 20 January 1961:
Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.
SenatorEdward Kennedy described the program as the most ambitious of all the memorials to his brother, and he was a passionate supporter of the Kennedy Scholarships until his death in August 2009.[5]
Since 1964, all UK Kennedy Memorial Trust trustees have been appointed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[6] Various prominent individuals have previously served as trustees. These include:
Professor Tony Badger (chairman) – former master of Clare College, Cambridge and Paul Mellon Professor of American History, Cambridge University (chairman 2010–2015)
Professor Emma Rothschild – (chairman 2000–2009), honorary professor of history and economics University of Cambridge, director of the Center for History and Economics and professor of history, Harvard University
Professor Anthony Saich (representing Harvard) – director of the Ash Centre for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Tilly Franklin – former Kennedy Scholar, chief investment officer of University of Cambridge Endowment Fund
Professor Maya Jasanoff (representing Harvard) – X.D. and Nancy Yang Professor, Coolidge Professor of History, and Harvard College Professor, Harvard University
Professor Fiona Macpherson – former Kennedy Scholar, head of philosophy and director of the Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, Glasgow University.[8]
More than 550 individuals have been awarded a Kennedy Scholarship. Selection follows a national competition which begins each autumn. A long-list and short-list are chosen and then around twenty-five individuals are invited to London for interview by the trustees.
When evaluating applications and interviewing candidates, the trustees take into consideration candidates':
intellectual attainment
readiness and ability to express themselves
the suitability of their proposed course of study at Harvard or MIT.
They may also look for: originality of mind, commitment to public service, potential to make a mark in public life and the ability to overcome adversity
The selection aims, criteria and standards are comparable to the Rhodes Scholarship program.[9]
David Edwards FMedSci (neuroscientist) – professor of paediatrics and neonatal medicine and director of the Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London.
Mark Ford – professor in English, University College London
