Utah State can now boast seven Rhodes Scholars
Utah State University administrators stumbled upon a pleasant surprise after digging through school records in the Special Collections section of Merrill Library.
When alumna Lara Anderson won a Rhodes Scholarship in November, she was hailed as the second Aggie Rhodes Scholar in history, the first being Jim Butcher in 1982.
“After some research, with some attention to the history of the school, we actually learned that Lara and Jim were two of seven USU Rhodes Scholars,” said USU President Kermit L. Hall.
The first was James Morrison Christensen in 1921. Christensen attended when the school was the Utah Agricultural College and served as student body president. Then came Karl E. Young, G. Fred Somers, George Pirian and William S. McEwan.
The discovery has prompted Hall to refer to USU as “the cradle of Rhodes Scholars,” partially to “drive the people in Salt Lake crazy.”
Hall spoke at the unveiling of the “Wall of Fame” Thursday, where a row of plaques on the first floor of the Merrill Library now honors USU students who have won national and international fellowships, including Rhodes Scholarships.
Some of the names on the plaques include Eric Hilleman, who studied in Egypt through the National Security Education Program, and recent Goldwater Scholarship recipients Stephanie Chambers and David Hatch.
Hall reminded those in attendance of USU’s commitment to “academics first.”
“This Wall of Fame is meant to symbolize that priority,” Hall said.
Hall quoted Aristotle, who said dignity is not in possessing honors, but in deserving them.
“There’s a genuine value in awards,” Hall said. “Most importantly, they remind us that competition is an essential element of excellence.”
Hall said blank spaces were left on the plaques because they were certain other students will earn a place on the Wall of Fame.
“We are nothing if not optimistic,” Hall said.
Hall applauded the faculty and staff members who nurtured the honored students.
David Lancy, director of USU’s Honors Program, said USU has been putting more effort over the years into helping students apply for prestigious fellowships and scholarships. The Honors Program is talking about them to prospective and current students, he said.
Lancy said it is important to have good letters of reference and social skills to win these honors. The Honors Program has even hosted “mocktail” parties for scholarship applicants to practice mingling, he said, because during the application process interviewees also must attend a fancy dinner and social.
It’s worthwhile for students to apply for scholarships even if they don’t win them, Lancy said.
“What I stress is, if you set [a scholarship] as a goal, it puts less lofty goals within easy reach, like grad school,” Lancy said. “Students who set their sights that high end up with really rich, detailed letters of reference on their behalf.”
USU Rhodes Scholar Jim Butcher spoke to Honors students after the wall of fame ceremony about leadership. Butcher said we live in an uncertain world and certain leadership skills are essential.
“The leaders I’ve worked with and admired are those that know themselves,” Butcher said. “I know that sounds corny, but unless you have a deeper sense of who you are, you can’t inspire others in your path.”
-heidithue@cc.usu.edu
President Kermit L. Hall speaks to students and faculty about the scholarly tradition at USU during the unveiling of the Wall of Fame, where plaques honor USU students who have won national and international fellowships.