University of Arkansas Student Is One of Only 40 in Nation to Receive Marshall Scholarship

This is the second consecutive year that a UA student has earned a Marshall Scholarship

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas is off to another great year in national scholarship competitions. Ben Hood, a senior Bodenhamer Fellow, was just selected as a Marshall Scholar.

Last year was the best on record for U of A students winning national fellowships. With a Rhodes Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, three Barry Goldwater Scholars, a Morris Udall Scholar, two National Science Foundation Fellowships, and a James Madison Fellow, the University of Arkansas had one of the best records in the country. "But this morning's release of the new Marshall Scholars makes it clear that the University is not willing to rest on last year's laurels," said Suzanne McCray, director, Office of Post-Graduate Fellowships

"Ben Hood hit our campus running," announced a jubilant Chancellor John A. White, praising the University of Arkansas' sixth Marshall Scholar and second consecutive Marshall Scholar. "His performances, academic and collegial, have realized that initial promise and more. His academic record is impressive in its ambition and its breadth of course-work. Ben is sharp, he is curious, he makes connections across disciplines and he is tireless," White said.

Additionally, White added, Ben puts his energy to good use outside the classroom as well. He has a long list of campus and community service activities. He was instrumental in the success of the University’s first Martin Luther King, Jr. Read-In -- an all day program which included eight sites across the campus where students, faculty and staff read continuously from the works of Martin Luther King, Jr. He initiated an annual campus Hunger Banquet in order to raise funds to fight world hunger and to raise student awareness. It was both a financial and a spiritual success.

NASA research scientist Robert Welch had similar comments on Ben's contribution during a summer internship. "His native intelligence was immediately apparent in his ability to pick up in short order the procedural details and theoretical rationale of our research program.

"One of his duties as an Astrobiology Academy member was to make mid-term and final presentations of his research to the rest of the Academy," Welch said. "I attended both of these talks and was most pleased by his ability to explain the research in a clear and interesting manner. I have worked closely with hundreds of very bright undergraduate and graduate students and can state unequivocally that Ben ranks in the top five percent of this group."

Hood, son of Melinda and Ted Hood of Bryant, Arkansas, will receive two degrees in May, one in computer science engineering and one in physics from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Also among his academic awards, Hood was selected as a Barry Goldwater Scholar, for his outstanding accomplishment in physics and engineering, and he was twice recognized by the Tylenol Scholarship Foundation. Hood came to the University in 1998 after receiving one of the institution’s top academic awards, the Bodenhamer Fellowship.

"Ben has been a dynamic presence in our college since he arrived," said Otto Loewer, Dean of the College of Engineering. "This award comes as no surprise, and we are delighted to be sending forth such an outstanding student representative from our college."

Randall Woods, Dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences also praises Hood’s accomplishments. "Ben is planning to pursue a career in Astrophysics and this scholarship will allow him to study at St. Andrews in Scotland which has one of the premier programs in this field in the world. It is a wonderful opportunity for Ben, and we know from past experience that he will make the most of that opportunity," Woods said. "These kids make it look so easy that we have to fight the temptation to take these successes in stride. After all, only 40 students in the country were selected for this award. It is a truly exceptional recognition for a truly exceptional student."

Hood said he actually enjoyed the Marshall interview: "It was fun. I really did not expect to be able to say exactly that, but everyone on the committee was supportive and friendly, and each person asked questions calculated to allow me to put my best foot forward. It would have been a great experience even if I had not won.

"I was lucky to have a great support team headed by Dr. Suzanne McCray at the University," Hood said. "The mock interviews I survived on campus were actually harder than the real thing. I felt ready and relaxed. Now I am looking forward to the next three years at St. Andrews."

The Marshall Scholarships were established in 1953 as a British gesture of thanks to the people of the United States for the assistance received after the Second World War under the Marshall Plan. Financed by the British Government, the Scholarships provide an opportunity for American students, who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership potential, to continue their studies for two or three years at a British University. Long regarded as one of the highest undergraduate accolades, the Marshall Scholarships cover tuition costs, books, travel and living expenses while in the United Kingdom.

Over a thousand young Americans have been awarded a Marshall Scholarship since the program began in 1953. Prominent former Marshall scholars include the United States Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Breyer; U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt; New York Times foreign affairs columnist, Tom Friedman; and the scientist/inventor, Ray Dolby.

Ben Hood is the sixth University of Arkansas to receive the Marshall Scholarship. Previous recipients include John Edie, History, 1960; Lisa Pruitt, Journalism, 1989; Charles King, History, 1990; Warwick Sabin, Political Science, 1998; and Megan Ceronsky, International Relations, 2001.