Jewell Journeys: Oxford International Review
Alumni Spotlight: Rosson receives prestigious Mitchell Scholarship

Jewell Journeys: Oxford International Review

Jewell partnership with Oxford International Review enhances global learning opportunities

by Emily Wales ’07

OIR Scholar-Editor James Luce ’08 with his OIR Marshall Scholar Mentor Tom Isherwood (left) and His Imperial Majesty Reza Shah II (right).

When seeking an international experience, students often think only of study abroad programs. For students at William Jewell College, however, the global community just got a little bit closer to home.
 
William Jewell was recently named as the United States partner institution of Oxford International Review (OIR), an international affairs journal produced by Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright and Truman Scholars in residence at the University of Oxford and their counterparts worldwide. Professor Rachel Yould, OIR’s editor-in-chief, characterizes the journal as a unique vehicle for mentorship. “Above all, OIR is an inter-generational community of emerging and established leaders. We accord the process of mentoring our scholar-editors as much importance as we do the production of finalized publications with the hope that the OIR experience will help aspiring future leaders build skills and relationships that will enhance their ability to attain their goals.”

After almost 20 years of being circulated exclusively among its community of participants and supporters, OIR has recently launched into the public domain, a shift that attracted considerable attention. Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell offered his first print interview after leaving office to OIR for inclusion in its inaugural public edition. In his feature dedicated to OIR’s public launch, Harvard International Review editor-in-chief Ravikiran Raju wrote: “This year’s edition of OIR would suggest that the journal is likely to gain in the public domain the influence it has long enjoyed in narrower circles. It may well be destined to act as a leader in scholarship that grounds and enhances the monthly and quarterly journals that now populate the landscape of foreign affairs discourse.”

Expanding access to the global community

Liberty Mayor Robert Steinkamp ’67 (front row, second from left) joins OIR-Jewell Global Encounters Colloquium participants at a dinner hosted in the home of OIR Faculty Liaison Professor Gary Armstrong (back row,right).

Jewell President David Sallee is enthusiastic about the OIR partnership and the benefits it makes available to Jewell students. Says Sallee: “Our association with OIR provides a great opportunity for Jewell students to work directly with graduate and professional mentors and to benefit from formative intellectual and international experiences.”

As one benefit of the new OIR-Jewell partnership, selected Jewell students will be provided the unique opportunity to contribute to the international publication as the journal’s only undergraduate editors.

Many Jewell students have already reaped the rewards of participation. Jewell senior political science major James Luce worked alongside a Marshall Scholar mentor to prepare and execute an exclusive interview with His Imperial Majesty Reza Shah II, the son of the late Shah of Iran, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. James was also selected to take part in a six-week all-expense paid OIR internship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he worked with senior leadership of the newly established Emirates Foundation in the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce Building. “It was amazing,” says James. “In addition to traveling and working internationally, I had direct access to a whole community of mentors dedicated to my success.”

OIR contributions to the Jewell campus aren’t limited to experiences in far-flung locales. For participants in the college’s Oxbridge Honors Program, OIR provides a chance to work directly with U.K. graduate students and faculty during their overseas study in order to develop important research skills and to broaden their direct involvement in Oxford and Cambridge university life.

Students can also participate remotely from the Jewell campus. Student contributors can earn academic credit for their work with OIR, and there are plans for OIR participation to fulfill the Active Engagement component of the new Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major.

Bringing the world to Jewell

OIR is also committed to bringing events to the broader Jewell community. In November 2006, OIR hosted its first U.S. colloquium, “Global Encounters,” at the college. Fifteen Jewell international relations and political science students joined international scholars from Iraq, Lebanon and the U.A.E. for a week-long event that included political, religious and cultural discussions. The colloquium was co-taught by Professor Yould and Jewell Professor of Political Science Gary Armstrong, who also serves as the OIR faculty liaison on campus.

According to participants, no topic was too controversial to address in this forum.  Remarks colloquium participant Nathan Weinert: “The colloquium was a good opportunity for students from both William Jewell and the Middle East to come together and seek a greater understanding of each other. The event gave all of the participants a greater appreciation for one another, for the common ground we share, and for the challenges the Middle East faces.”

OIR Scholar-Editor Emily Wales ’07, pictured here in the U.A.E., interned with OIR as a Harry S.Truman Scholarship Foundation Fellow following graduation.

While the Jewell-OIR partnership is a relatively new one, leaders at both academic communities are excited about what the future holds. President Sallee affirms: “We look forward to seeing OIR evolve into an integral part of the Jewell experience.” The OIR community is equally upbeat about the relationship’s prospects. Says University of Oxford Professor Gordon L. Clark, who serves as OIR’s senior faculty member in addition to heading Oxford University’s School of Geography and Center for the Environment: “We consider William Jewell to be one of America’s best kept secrets. The college’s emphasis on student development and the striking capabilities of the Jewell student body made it clear that William Jewell would be the perfect home for OIR’s U.S. activities.”

Editor’s Note: Emily Wales, a communication, political science and Spanish major from the William Jewell College class of 2007, is now working as an Oxford International Review scholar and editor. She received the college’s Faculty Award in 2007, a recognition presented to a graduating senior who exhibits the highest ideals of a liberal arts education.

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Alumni Spotlight: Rosson receives prestigious Mitchell Scholarship

Christopher Rosson, a member of the William Jewell College class of 2006, was recently selected as one of 12 recipients nationally for the prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship.

Chris Rosson ’06 (right) celebrates being named a Mitchell Scholar with selection committee member Anthony Lake, former national security advisor.

The George J. Mitchell Scholarships are awarded annually to 12 Americans, under the age of 30, to pursue a year of post-graduate study at any university on the island of Ireland. The awards are named after former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell who spearheaded the historic Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which produced peace in Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship program recognizes outstanding young Americans who exhibit the highest standards of academic excellence, leadership and community service. The program seeks to link future American leaders with the island of Ireland.

The 12 new Mitchell scholars were selected after a rigorous application process that drew more than 300 applications from 139 different schools. “These Scholars already are leaders in fields ranging from national security to intellectual property, ubiquitous computing, human rights, and neuroscience,” said Mary Lou Hartman, Director of the Mitchell Scholarship program. “As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the historic Good Friday Agreement, these young leaders are the perfect heirs to Senator Mitchell’s legacy.”

Rosson is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He will use the Mitchell Scholarship to study at Queen’s University Belfast, with a focus on violence, terrorism and security issues.

The George Mitchell Scholarship places a unique emphasis on integrating the educational program with an intensive leadership program. Throughout the year, Mitchell scholars have the opportunity to meet and brainstorm with leaders of Irish government, business, culture, and the arts and to fully immerse themselves in the most important events throughout the island.

This year’s Selection Committee included former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake; National Book Award winner Alice McDermott; former State Department official and internet health leader Chris Schroeder; Ireland’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Collins; Dr. Robert Clarke, a leading cancer expert; former head of Amnesty International William Schulz; and Irish venture capitalist Gerry McCrory. For more information on the Mitchell Scholarship, go to
http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=2 

Rosson, a business administration and economics major at Jewell, is a first-generation college student. He was a 2005 and 2006 finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and was a member of USA Today’s Academic All-American first team in 2006. While studying at William Jewell, Rosson won a research grant to travel to Israel and the occupied territories, including Palestinian refugee camps. His resulting thesis on Israeli-Palestinian economic relations caught the eye of the planners of a national conference on the Middle East, where Rosson presented the keynote address. He also received the Gilman Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education. Rosson used the Gilman award to study in William Jewell College’s Oxford Overseas Study Course at Oxford University during the spring 2005 semester. He was a member of William Jewell’s basketball team during his first two years on campus.