Jewell Students on the Fast Track for Prestigious Fellowships

Story by Nathan Weinert ’08

By her own admission, Emily Wales has dabbled in a lot of activities during her years at William Jewell. This spring, the college helped her convert her experiences into a Truman Scholarship.

For Chris Rosson, a member of USA Today’s 2006 All-America Academic First Team, studying at Oxford alongside Rhodes and Truman Scholars and students from top American universities provided conclusive evidence that Jewell students could compete for top scholarships against students from any American college.

The encouragement of faculty members who assisted in conducting research provided a competitive edge for Jenilee Morrison, who was recently awarded a Goldwater Scholarship. The common denominator for these three winners of some of the nation’s most prestigious scholarships is the supportive academic environment and individual attention they have enjoyed at William Jewell College.

Playing with the big boys

In recent years, Jewell students have been among the most successful in the country at winning prestigious scholarships, and the 2005-06 academic year was no exception. Rosson, a senior economics and business administration major, won a spot on USA Today’s All-America Academic First Team and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Wales, a junior communication, political science and Spanish major, captured the Truman Scholarship, and Morrison, a junior Oxbridge molecular biology and bioethics major, was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship.

As this issue of Achieve went to press, other Jewell students were still waiting for the results of their applications, including Lilia Toson, junior communication and political science major,who was a finalist in Glamour Magazine’s “Top Ten College Women” competition. William Jewell students have also applied for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, the Simon Fellowship and the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. The liberal arts advantage“A liberal arts education is always an advantage in applying for one of these highly competitive awards because so much breadth and depth is expected from the students,” said Dr. Lois Anne Harris, professor of communication. “What they’re looking for is a student who can carry on a conversation about Aristotle’s Poetics and Catharsis and then go back to the lab and continue doing research.” Dr. Harris directs William Jewell’s Prestigious Fellowships Program,
which provides assistance to students competing for national awards.

“For me, attending Jewell made all the difference in the Truman process,” Wales said. “The college has allowed me to dabble in all my interests— from theatre to the newspaper—and has been essential in helping me find challenges for my time off, like interning for Senator Debbie Stabenow and Democracy Radio last summer.”

Rosson credits the close relationship between Jewell students and faculty members for his success in the national scholarship sweepstakes.“There is an intimate environment between professors and students. I was able to talk to a number of professors in a lot of different areas,” Rosson said. “Those are all helpful perspectives you don’t get at bigger schools.”The Hall Family Foundation provided money for Rosson to go to Israel and the West Bank between his junior and senior years, an experience he termed “life-changing.” That experience was a valuable bonus in Rosson’s scholarship applications.

For Morrison, faculty encouragement to perform research was crucial in her successful bid for a Goldwater Scholarship. “I don’t think I could have gotten the Goldwater if I hadn’t had research experience both inside and outside of Jewell,” she said.“But I think the more important aspect of a Jewell education is that the faculty not only encourage you to do research—they expect it from you.”

Establishing successful student-faculty partnerships

Setting high expectations for students is a key part of the Jewell experience, according to Dr. Dan Heruth, professor of biology,
who has helped three William Jewell students become Goldwater Scholars and two others become finalists in the last four years.

“By the time our students begin working on the Goldwater application, they have completed several semesters of research, written and discussed their research on many occasions, and perhaps most importantly, had the time to think critically about their research,” Dr. Heruth said. “What we have learned is that the key to a successful Goldwater Scholarship application is a partnership between the student and a faculty mentor.”

The breadth and depth of Jewell’s strong liberal arts education produces students who are highly competitive in the national scholarship arena.“One of the things I love about Jewell is that we don’t put students in boxes,” Dr. Harris said. “A student can come to Jewell on a football scholarship, be involved in football one semester and have a lead in the play the next semester.

You’re encouraged to find and develop as many talents as possible, and that’s special to Jewell.”Now finishing her first full year as director of the Prestigious Fellowships program, Dr. Harris has met with more than 100 interested students since February. She has worked with the students on developing resumes, finding internships, starting service projects, and applying to graduate schools. She has also developed materials to help students focus on different aspects of scholarship competitions.

All for the cause

All three prestigious fellowship winners agree that the support of the college has been crucial to their success. “Jewell’s personal touch is something that’s hard to describe,” Wales said. “I’m sure not all Truman finalists had 15 members of the faculty and administration from across campus willing to serve on mock interview panels, and sending last minute e-mails of encouragement.”

Rosson agreed that the support offered at Jewell was invaluable:“After I had become a finalist, Dr. Harris set up a number of mock interviews on campus that were actually more difficult than the final Rhodes interview,” Rosson said. “The process at Jewell helps you get connected with other students who have received prestigious fellowships. Now students who are looking to apply in the next year or so are contacting me.”