Michigan State University Nominates Six for Rhodes Scholarship

Michigan State University has put forward six candidates for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, with winners to be announced in November. In a separate development, the application window is now open for the 2027 Echidna Global Scholars Visiting Fellowship, which provides a substantial stipend for research focused on gender equality in education.

Rhodes Scholarship Nominees

Michigan State University has nominated four undergraduate students and two recent alumni for the U.S. Rhodes Scholarship. The results of this highly competitive process, which annually selects 32 American scholars for fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, will be determined in November. The university's Distinguished Student Awards Office provides support to its nominees throughout the rigorous application period.

The nominees are all from the Honors College and represent a diverse range of academic disciplines. Anastasia Breen is a fourth-year student majoring in international relations and theatre. Kaylin Casper, a 2026 alumna, studied sociology, humanities pre-law, and women’s and gender studies. Lily Dixon, a fourth-year student, is pursuing arts and humanities and public policy. Jerome Hamilton, a 2025 alumnus, majored in political science. Eleanor Pugh, a fourth-year student, is focusing on international relations and Russian. Ashlin Stover, also a fourth-year student, is an international relations major. Michigan State has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars in its history.

Echidna Global Scholars Fellowship

Applications are now being accepted for the Echidna Global Scholars Visiting Fellowship 2027, with a deadline of December 1, 2026. The program, run by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, offers a $26,500 stipend to support local leaders from the Global South who are working to advance gender-transformative education. The six-month fellowship is designed to develop research and leadership skills with a focus on improving outcomes for girls, young women, and gender-nonconforming people.

The fellowship is structured in four distinct phases. It begins with a kickoff retreat in April 2027 for research design. A pre-residency period from June to July 2027 involves virtual workshops and in-country data collection. The core residency in Washington, D.C., runs from August to December 2027, where scholars analyze data and develop policy briefs. A two-year post-residency phase follows, supporting scholars as they implement impact projects in their home countries and participate in a research and policy symposium.

Selected fellows receive financial support to cover living costs during the pre-residency and residency periods. The program also covers costs for visa processing, round-trip airfare to Washington, D.C., and health insurance during the residency.