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By Jason A. Vrtis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 10, 1996
In the past six years, UA students have won 24 national and international scholarships under the direction of one man.Richard Cosgrove, history professor and campus coordinator of scholarship competitions, is in charge of seven scholarships and of preparing student applicants for the rigorous application processes.
The seven scholarships are the Churchill, the Goldwater, the Luce, the British Marshall, the Rhodes, the Truman and the Udall. The Goldwater, Truman and Udall scholarships are available to undergraduates, while the other four are offered to graduate students.
Each of these scholarships has different criteria for eligibility, and all of them are extremely competitive, Cosgrove said.
"These scholarships are not for the timid," Cosgrove said. "Any student interested has to be willing to give 100 percent to the application process, because any student who doesn't will not be competitive."
The Churchill and the Goldwater Scholarships are for students pursuing careers in science and mathematics.
The Luce Scholarship is for students pursuing a career in Asian affairs, and the Truman is for students interested in government and public service.
The Rhodes and British Marshall Scholarships are open to students of all interests.
All students are eligible to apply for these scholarships, but Cosgrove said that students with a grade point average under 3.7 are pushing it.
"These are so competitive because they provide such wonderful opportunities," Cosgrove said.
These opportunities translate to thousands of dollars in tuition at prestigious national and international institutions.
For example, the Rhodes Scholarship awards approximately $20,000 per year per person. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, and room and board at Oxford University in England, and includes an allowance and travel expenses, Cosgrove said.
The Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship gives about $15,000 to $18,000 per year for tuition and fees at Churchill College at Cambridge University. It also includes a living and travel allowance.
Cosgrove said the number of total scholarships given out nationally are: 32 Rhodes Scholarships, 250 to 275 Goldwaters, 10 Churchills, 18 Luces, 40 British Marshalls, 80 Trumans and 55 Udalls.
"Because a lot of money is given away, the application process is not done in an hour," Cosgrove said.
Cosgrove spends most of his time as campus coordinator advising students on the application process for the various scholarships. He said he helps them fill out their applications properly and prepares them for interviews. He said he also reviews their applications to make sure they are ready and know what to expect.
His office is in the Honors Center at the Slonaker House.
"I really can't ensure that they are going to win, but I really try to make sure they won't lose because of some silly mistake," Cosgrove said.
During the spring, Cosgrove holds an informational meeting for students, letting them know what all the scholarships are about, who is eligible and what requirements are. He said he also sends out memos to deans of all appropriate colleges to make copies of applications for prospective students. Usually, about 100 students initially show interest, but the application process is so rigorous that many students cannot keep up with it all, he said.
For instance, the Rhodes Scholarship application requires students to have a high GPA, a significant degree of campus and community activities, a complete thousand-word essay and a one-page list of principal activities. Students must also compete in a state and regional interview.
Last year, 26 UA students applied for the seven scholarships.
One of those was Jonathan Schmitt, this year's student regent on the Arizona Board of Regents. Schmitt applied for, and won, one of 55 inaugural Udall Scholarships. These scholarships were established by the U.S. Congress in honor of Morris Udall, who represented Arizona's Second Congressional District for 30 years. The Udall Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate juniors who are pursuing careers in environmental public policy or tribal public policy.
Schmitt, an agricultural and resource economics senior, said it was a tremendous honor to win an award that honors his former congressman.
"Mo Udall has always been a role model and someone to look up to," Schmitt said. "The things he's done in environmental policy and conservation still affect us today."
Cosgrove advises students not to be outcome-oriented. He said that to compete, they have to be prepared to lose. He said the experiences gained from applying for these scholarships will be valuable to students in the future.
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