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PREFACE

Each year thirty-two seniors at American universities are awarded Rhodes Scholarships. These students then spend two or three years studying at the University of Oxford in Britain. The scholarships were founded by Cecil Rhodes, the British colonialist and entrepreneur, who died in 1902. This program has become the most famous academic scholarship in the world. It is the “glittering prize,” and the lucky students are “golden boys” (and, since 1976, “golden girls”) who reputedly have a “ticket to success” for the rest of their lives. Over the decades the winners have included scientists such as Edwin Hubble, writers such as Robert Penn Warren, jurists such as Byron White, and politicians such as J. William Fulbright and Bill Clinton. There have also been persons who later gained fame as entertainers, as did Kris Kristofferson.

The genesis of this book lay in Bill Clinton's election to the presidency in November 1992. During the election campaign and through the initial months of Clinton's first term in office, the British and American press were filled with hundreds of stories about Bill Clinton's days in Oxford and about the numerous Rhodes Scholars who served in his administration. This topic was of particular interest to us, for at that time we were serving as directors of the St. Bonaventure University summer program in Oxford. We spent most of each summer observing how our American students adapted to Oxford – and how Oxford adapted to them. We were curious to see if any detailed study had ever been done on Rhodes Scholars. Outside of the many short newspaper and magazine articles that have appeared regularly throughout the century, we found that there was no recent, thorough book on the subject. Indeed, the only books ever written on Rhodes Scholars were “in-house” products, written by British or American officials of the program. The most recent of these dated from 1955.

We therefore concluded that the time had come for an extended examination of this subject. What kinds of people have won the scholarships? What did these students do in Oxford? What did they achieve in their later careers? We believed that we were uniquely equipped to embark on such a study. Our experiences in both American and British universities and our supervision of American students in Oxford gave us first-hand knowledge of the topic. Moreover, we could bring to the project the impartiality of outsiders. Neither of us has ever received (or applied for) a Rhodes Scholarship.

If we had any doubts about the need for such a book, those worries quickly dissolved. Upon mentioning the project to a variety of friends, neighbors, and students, we received puzzled looks from many, who wondered why we were studying “roads” scholars. Other persons we met were better informed but still filled with a variety of misconceptions. One, for example, thought that the scholarships took American students to that “other” British university – Cambridge. When we began to interview Rhodes Scholars themselves we realized that many of them were also curious about the history of the program and eager to see what general conclusions we would reach.

As our research advanced, its scope widened. We could see that the finished product would be more than a volume about scholarships and the students who won them. In many ways the book has become a comparative history of British and American education and society over the past century.

We should also make clear what this book is not. It is not a guide on how to apply for and win a Rhodes Scholarship. Students who hope to do this should contact the institutional representatives appointed on every campus throughout the United States. It is likewise not a history of all Rhodes Scholars. We focus on American Rhodes Scholars, who have made up roughly 40 percent of the total. As far as we know, no one yet has done a thorough study of Rhodes Scholars from Canada, Australia, India, and the other countries participating in the program. We encourage anyone who is interested to follow our lead and produce similar books on these other nationalities. Finally, this is not a book filled with anecdotes about celebrities. Yes, we try to tell some interesting, amusing stories. And, yes, we write about the celebrities. But we also discuss the many scholars who happen to work in professions that have not made them household names.

We hope that Rhodes Scholars will forgive two small liberties that we take throughout the following pages. Among Rhodes Scholars, the sentiment is, “once a Rhodes Scholar, always a Rhodes Scholar.” One is never a “former” scholar. However, in order to avoid confusion, we use “former” when we refer to those who have completed their studies in Oxford and begun their careers. Also, among Rhodes Scholars, the proper way to identify oneself is to give one's state, Oxford college, and class year. Students who try for the scholarship have the option of applying to the selection committee in either their home state or in the state where they will graduate from college. Bill Clinton, for example, had the option of applying from Arkansas or, as a student at Georgetown University, from Washington, DC. He chose the former. In Oxford he studied at University College. Therefore his proper Rhodes Scholar identification is “Arkansas and University 1968.” For the sake of brevity, throughout this book we eliminate the state and college. At the first mention of a person we will give his or her class year.

One of the people who helped us most on this project was Frank Sieverts, a member of the Rhodes Scholar class of 1955. After he finished perusing the entire manuscript, he concluded, “You cover the subject, beauty marks and warts and all, as it should be.” We hope that other readers will agree.

This updated paperback edition includes a few corrections to factual or typographical errors that appeared in the original text, which was published in 1998. We have also been able to add the names of the most recent American Rhodes Scholars. The Appendix now includes all winners through the class of 2009.