Senior wins Marshall scholarship

For the second consecutive year, a Penn student has received the prestigious Marshall scholarship, one of the top undergraduate academic awards in the nation. College senior Ari Alexander was named as one of 40 students to receive the prestigious scholarship shortly before Thanksgiving break. "I kind of see this as something that will help me help people," said the American History major, who will use the award to study world ethnic conflict in the United Kingdom. The scholarship, named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, was established in 1954 by Great Britain in thanks for the economic aid the country received from the United States throughout World War II. There were over one thousand applicants this year. Last year, College alumnus Andrew March became the first Penn student to win the coveted Marshall award since 1989. Though Alexander had planned on applying for a post-graduate scholarship, it wasn't until he spoke with a Penn administrator that he decided to set his sights on awards like the Marshall and the Rhodes Scholarship. "My original plan was to just do the Fulbright," said Alexander. But when he talked to Clare Cowen, associate director of the Center for Undergraduate Research Fellowships, she convinced him to apply for many more. "When he first came to me in the summer, he seemed to have the qualities that would make him a very good candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship," Cowen said. Cowen went on to describe the qualities that seemed special in Alexander. "I think with Ari there is something very honest and serious, and yet he can laugh at himself, and he's intellectually very strong, and he has a great concern for others," she noted. This concern for others is one of the driving forces in Alexander's life, leading him to choose the Queen's University of Belfast -- a city famous for its bloody divisions between Protestants and Catholics -- as the site of his first year of study as a Marshall Scholar. Alexander would like to work with non-government organizations promoting peace after his education is completed. He says the privatized approach to diplomacy interests him far more than the political theater. "As of now, I don't think that's worked out," he said of the political approach to diplomacy, referring to the government-backed peace process in Israel. "I'm much more interested in working with people on a grass-roots level." Alexander will be working for a master's degree in Comparative Ethnic Conflict while in Belfast. He also said he plans to pick up a second degree, but is undecided on the area of study. Alexander also noted that he might leave Belfast for another part of the United Kingdom during his second year of study. CURF Director Art Casciato dismissed the idea that there is a stereotypical type of student to land the prestigious Rhodes or Marshall awards. Instead, Casciato cited Alexander's courage to go through the rigorous application process as one of the main reasons for his success. "He's not afraid to show himself to others," said Casciato. Casciato, while effusing praise of Alexander's abilities, also said that his success is a testament to the quality of Penn's students in general. "I think that Andrew March and Ari Alexander are representative of the student body," he said. University Provost Robert Barchi agreed with Casciato's assessment of Alexander. "I think that this is a tremendous honor for Ari Alexander, and we're all tremendously proud of him," Barchi said. Alexander becomes the fourth Penn Marshall scholar since the program's inception. Seven other Penn students applied for the award this year.