Two from Boston College named Rhodes Scholars
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass (11-24-03) - Brett T. Huneycutt '03 of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Paul A. Taylor '04 of Elm Grove, Wis., have become the first Rhodes Scholars selected from Boston College.
The two from BC are among 32 Americans selected as Rhodes Scholars for 2004. They will enter the University of Oxford next October, on the 100th anniversary of the first class of American Rhodes Scholars.
The pair of Rhodes Scholarships crowns a year in which BC students won a school-record 14 Fulbright Grants, as well as a Marshall Scholarship, a Truman Scholarship, a Gates/Cambridge Scholarship, and a Goldwater Scholarship.
"Brett and Paul are a great embodiment of what Boston College is all about," said Professor of Political Science Donald Hafner, director of the University Fellowship Committee at Boston College. "They are superb scholars whose selection reflects our commitment not only to academics, but to academics with a heart."
Taylor is a senior Presidential Scholar double majoring in physics and classics. A Goldwater Scholar, he has won awards for excellence in science as well as in Latin. Captain of the fencing team, he has been New England foil champion and has competed nationally. He also holds a patent, was Volunteer of the Year at Haley House soup kitchen in Boston, and is a tutor in physics and calculus. He will pursue studies in theoretical physics or astrophysics at Oxford.
"There is still an air of unreality to it," said Taylor. "I've gotten calls and e-mails from friends and family members and people I knew from high school. It is very exciting."
Huneycutt was a Presidential Scholar at BC who ranked first in his class with a GPA of 4.0 when he graduated in May with a degree in economics. His senior thesis on the economic impact that immigrant workers in the United States have on the Latin American economy won an award from the Academy of Social and Political Science. He is now a Fulbright Scholar in El Salvador, where he is doing econometric research on the role of migrant remittances from the United States on the Salvadoran economy. At Oxford, Brett will do the M.Phil. in economics.
"All of my professors have taught me that academics do not take place in a vacuum, and that the issues we study in the classroom are always and inextricably linked to important, real-world issues," Huneycutt said earlier this year on winning the Fulbright.
"Underlying every topic of study, my professors have challenged me to ask, 'What is just?' They do not simply explain the scientific methods of their disciplines; rather, they go deeper to ask how these methods can be used to determine right from wrong and how they can effect greater justice in the world."
College of Arts & Sciences Dean Joseph Quinn said: "We have nominated many excellent students over the years who were Rhodes finalists, but who were not named Rhodes Scholars. We are very proud of Paul and Brett, and want to thank Don Hafner and his colleagues on the University Fellowship Committee who have been outstanding mentors for these students."
The students were selected from 963 applicants from a total of 366 colleges and universities. The scholarships provide two to three years of Study at Oxford University in England.
The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 through the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity and leadership potential, among other attributes.