Rice Establishes Wagoner Scholarships for Study Abroad

CONTACT: Philip Montgomery

PHONE:
713-831-4792

E-MAIL: pmontgom@ruf.rice.edu

RICE ESTABLISHES WAGONER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDY ABROAD

James T. Wagoner, who graduated from Rice in
1929, loved to travel, so he made provisions that after his death a study-abroad
scholarship for Rice students would be established.

This fall, Rice established Wagoner Foreign Studies Scholarships. Four
scholarships will be awarded the first year, and each recipient may study for a
full academic year at a university outside the United States. The award is
designed to be on par with the prestigious Fulbright Fellowships.

The initial award for the 1998-99 academic year will be $15,000 to each of
the four recipients, three of whom will be undergraduates and one of whom will
be a graduate student. Awards for subsequent years will be indexed to account
for the rise in the cost of study abroad.

“Mr. Wagoner’s bequest comes at a time in which we are encountering a measure
of success in our efforts to enhance international activities and programs at
Rice,” said Rice President Malcolm Gillis. “The Wagoner scholarships are truly
fine complements to our new faculty appointments in Latin America, the Middle
East, and Asia and to growing student interest in international topics.”

Wagoner scholars will be expected to make significant progress toward
completion of their degrees while on overseas study. Undergraduates will need to
have reached the level of first-semester junior at the beginning of their
scholarship year. Graduate students will have to demonstrate substantial
progress in pursuit of their degrees during their study abroad. All Wagoner
scholars must pursue studies abroad for a period of nine months to a year. The
program is designed to confer a high degree of academic distinction upon each
recipient.

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