Inside Oxford
INSIDE OXFORD
Receiving an offer to study at Oxford is already a life-altering opportunity; being awarded the Rhodes Scholarship brings an additional honour and responsibility. On Monday in Beijing, the Rhodes Trust announced that the Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and most prestigious post-graduate award in the world, will expand into China. The historic announcement was launched with a press conference and a gala dinner at the Park Hyatt that was attended by over 250 distinguished guests.
907 students from China and Hong Kong are currently studying at Oxford, making it the University's second-largest group of international students, after the United States. While one Rhodes Scholar from Hong Kong has been selected each year since 1986, and Rhodes scholarships for other territories have been awarded to scholars of Chinese origin, this launch means that for the first time, students from mainland China will now be eligible to apply. The first cohort of 3 to 6 Chinese Rhodes Scholars will be selected in 2015, joining over 83 students from more than 30 countries around the world in the Rhodes class of 2016.
Famously competitive, the Rhodes attracts more than 12,000 applications each year, with a 0.7% acceptance rate. Its uniqueness, however, lies in its innovative selection criteria, which recognises outstanding leadership qualities and commitment to service as much as intellect. To date, the programme has produced over 8000 scholars who have become some of the most prominent leaders in public service, the sciences and arts, medicine, business and education, fulfilling the legacy of the founder, British business pioneer Cecil Rhodes more than a century ago. Celebrated Rhodes Scholars include former US President Bill Clinton and Lord Howard Florey, Nobel Prize-winner for the making of penicillin.
Rhodes, who studied at Oriel College and believed that Oxford’s collegiate system fostered broad views and personal development, hoped to secure world peace by educating potential leaders of the world. Under his will, 57 scholarships per year were created: 32 for the USA, 20 for what was then countries from the British Empire, and 5 for Germany. The object, he said, was to create leaders who would be driven to serve their community, to ‘fight the world’s fight’.
The nature of the fight may have changed over time, but through different eras, the Rhodes Trust has been able to adapt its statutes to changing circumstances. Increased number of scholarships from broadened geographies, the opening up of scholarships to women, the establishment of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation which provides undergraduate scholarships for African students in South Africa, have all reflected the Trust’s desire to cultivate increasingly diverse groups of young people who could become leaders in their countries.
The launch in China is the first step in the Rhodes Scholarships’ second century of international expansion, as announced at its 110th anniversary in 2013. As part of his gift, Second Century Founder John MacCall McBain included a challenge donation to expand the Scholarships into new geographies. With lead donations from philanthropists from Hong Kong and mainland China, including the Li Ka-Shing Foundation as well as contributions from the University of Oxford, a fund has been set up for the Rhodes Scholarships in China that is separate from the Rhodes endowment. Each scholarship covers all University and College fees, living expenses, health insurance and travel costs, with a total value of more than £50,000 per annum. The Rhodes Trust continues to seek donations to increase the number of China scholarships, which can each be funded in perpetuity with a £5 million donation. Eventually, it is hoped that 32 Chinese scholars could be selected annually, equal to the number chosen from the United States.
The Rhodes Trust will set up a selection process in line with the procedures and criteria employed in other eligible countries, and will also establish an infrastructure in China to administer it. This includes an independent selection committee, an advisory committee and a National Secretary. Its Programme Director has already been named as Meijie Tang. While the Rhodes China programme will focus its initial outreach efforts on five universities - Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Zhejiang University - it will accept applications from any Chinese students studying within China or overseas who meet the selection criteria.
While the launch of the scholarships in China will not come without its challenges, the principles at the heart of the programme will help the Rhodes Trust navigate in this new territory. As Charles Conn, Warden of Rhodes House and former Rhodes Scholar from the United States, said, “If the Rhodes Trust is good at anything, it’s selecting energetic and ethical young people.” Designed to have a profound impact on the lives of young leaders and through their leadership, their communities and wider societies, the Rhodes’ expansion into China will help develop the skills that are necessary to address the increasing challenges that the world faces.
“China has an important international role to play in the 21st century, “ said Charles Conn, “and we wish to reflect that in the global footprint of the Rhodes Scholarships. The new Chinese Rhodes Scholars will contribute significantly through sharing their skills, knowledge and energy to the class cohort and we look forward to welcoming them to Rhodes House.”\
For the press releases of the Rhodes Scholarships for China launch in Chinese and English, please click here.
For the press releases of the Rhodes Scholarships for China launch in Chinese and English, please click here.
Written in April 2015