Ivies producing fewer Rhodes scholars

No Penn student won a Rhodes scholarship this year, and the loss may be part of a larger decline of the Ivy League monopoly on major international awards.

While Penn succeeded in sending 4 students -- out of a total of 32 Penn applicants - to the finals of the U.S. Rhodes competition, it fell short of securing a place among the winners.

The names of 32 American Rhodes scholars, chosen from an applicant pool of 900 students, were announced Sunday. These students were selected for two years of study at Oxford University. The list of American winners included six recipients from Harvard University and four from Yale University- but none from Penn.

While Harvard upheld its longstanding dominance over the Rhodes Scholarships, the number of awards given to students in the Ivy League has declined, according to Elliot Gerson, American Secretary for the Rhodes Trust.

"Four decades ago, the Ivies made up 40 percent of the winners. In the last decade, the Ivies have made up around 25 percent," he said.

But Penn officials still thought at least one student deserved to win.

"This year was disappointing because we had the finest group of applicants we've had in the past seven years," said Art Casciato, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, which assists students applying for such awards.

According to Casciato, Harvard consistently dominates the Rhodes Scholarships due to a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Casciato cites the fact that most Rhodes committees are represented by Harvard alumni.

"It's the reality of the award," he said.

In the seven years of CURF's existence, there have been two in which one or more Penn students won a Rhodes.

The news fell especially hard since it followed one of Penn's most successful years in winning scholarships. Last year, Penn students won two Truman scholarships, one Marshall scholarship and one Rhodes scholarship.

Finalists from Penn this year included 2005 alumnus Matt Klapper and seniors Veyom Bahl, Steve Danley and Terra Gearhart.

Penn also has two international students vying for Rhodes Scholarships in their home countries. Senior Clara Chow is a finalist in Canada, and 2006 alumna Michelle Chikaonda is still in the running in Malawi, South Africa. The awards in those nations have yet to be announced.

Win or lose, "it is an incredibly valuable experience that really forces you to take a deep look at yourself, what you want to do with your life and who you want to be," Klapper said. He is currently a policy adviser for the mayor of Newark, N.J.

But officials at CURF remain optimistic about Penn's progress with such awards.

"We've been very successful in the past few years. In last seven years, we've begun to win our fair share of Rhodes," Casciato said.

Penn had three Rhodes scholars in the past seven years, but only one in the decade before that. Penn has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of students applying for the awards.

But Penn still has a long way to go to catch up to Harvard, which has 40 to 70 applicants per year.

However, Gerson warns against placing too much emphasis on comparing the numbers of Rhodes Scholars at different schools.

"Institutions have a tendency to make an issue of this and are proud of their numbers. But for us, where [the scholars] went to school is really not pertinent. It's more of an individual award," Gerson said.

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