Phone: (405) 522-2100, FAX: (405) 522-1623, www.occeweb.com

Contact: Kevin Knutson

Rhodes Scholar Selection Committee Chair Denise A. Bode said, "On behalf of the Oklahoma selection committee, I am pleased to congratulate Stephanie and Jason on their selection today. The Rhodes Scholar is selected not just for his or her scholastic achievements and athletic endeavors but also for strength of character and leadership abilities. These students are more than ‘bookworms’- they are active, caring young people just as Cecil Rhodes would have wished. I believe all the nominees we interviewed met those qualifications. My only regret is that we could choose only two to represent us."

"Oklahoma has a great future ahead of us with young people like this leading the way," Bode continued. " I was particularly pleased to see so many promising candidates from Oklahoma schools of higher education. It demonstrates that the hard work of our educators is paying off. Now, we must all redouble our efforts to make sure that we build a state where the right kind of jobs are available for them, so that they can be whatever they want to be and do it right here in Oklahoma."

The regional selection of four The Rhodes Scholars will be made this weekend in Houston, Texas. The Oklahoma candidates will compete with 14 other candidates from Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. A total of 32 Rhodes Scholars will be selected nationally.

Add 1 – Rhodes Scholar Candidates Chosen for Oklahoma The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and now bring outstanding students from 18 countries to the University of Oxford. The first American Scholars were selected in 1902. Rhodes a British colonial pioneer and statesman dreamed of promoting international understanding and peace by bringing together future leaders who were motivated to serve their contemporaries.

1. literary and scholastic attainments;
2. fondness for and success in sports;
3. truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
4. Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

Underlying these standards is the aim that Scholars be physically, intellectually, and morally capable of leadership, in the words of Cecil Rhodes, people who will "esteem the performance of public duties as [their] highest aim." The selection committees assign the highest importance to a blend of character with intellect. Applicants are judged on intellectual excellence as well as integrity of character, interest in and respect for their fellow beings, and the ability to lead and the energy to use their talents to the fullest.

Members of the Oklahoma selection committee are chair Denise A. Bode, vice chairman on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and former Rhodes Scholars; secretary of the committee David L. Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma; Paul Rahe, professor of history at the University of Tulsa; Brian C. Griffin, secretary of environment for the State of Oklahoma; Brad R. Carson, an attorney with the law firm of Crowe and Dunlevy; and Deacon Turner a financial advisor for Sanford C. Bernstein in Dallas Texas.

The scholarship consists of full tuition fees and maintenance allowance for two years of study at the University of Oxford in England.

Finalists for the Oklahoma competition included: Mandi Bozarth from Hydro, Oklahoma State University; Jennifer Campbell from Colleyville, Texas, Oklahoma Baptist University; Melissa Ann Cox from Tulsa, University of Tulsa; Tobi Edwards from Midwest City, George Washington University; Stephanie Anne Lipe from Tulsa, The University of Oklahoma; Jeffrey Wayne Moles from Oklahoma City, The University of Oklahoma; Adam Ian Muchmore from Edmond, The University of Oklahoma; Jeff Oldham from Glendale, Arizona, University of Tulsa; Jason Sanders from Norman, The University of Oklahoma; John Peter Stevenson from Tulsa, United States Naval Academy; Stephanie Troyer from Norman, Georgetown University; Alisabeth Wolfgram from Marlow, Oklahoma City University.

Candidates may apply in the state where they are legally a resident, or where they have attended a university for at least two years.

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