Schwarzman Scholars

Schwarzman Scholars (also Chinese: 苏世民学者, pinyin: Sū shì mín Xué zhe), is an international scholarship program announced on April 2013, designed to "educate the next generation of global leaders." The program was founded by American financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, co-founder and chairman of asset management firm, Blackstone Group, ^[1] The program is intended to launch in June 2016, upon completion of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University (THU), located in Beijing, China.^[2][3] The college was designed by Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of the Yale School of Architecture and will host 200 elite scholars annually from the US, China and other countries around the world for a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University.^[4]

Modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University, the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University will compete with the Yenching Scholars program at Peking University in China and other similar scholarship programs around the world.^[5]

Mission

Schwarzman Scholars is designed to help future leaders better understand China and provide them with the firsthand knowledge and relationships necessary to foster collaboration and cooperation between nations. Given that China is poised to become the largest economy in the world within the next decades, Schwarzman believed it was necessary for future leaders to better understand China, its history, culture, economy and motivations. Schwarzman’s stated goal is to help prepare future leaders to interact and relate with greater sensitivity and knowledge. By fostering greater cooperation between the East and West he hopes to forge future geopolitical stability. ^[6]

Program

Schwarzman Scholars will study for a one-year Master’s Degree in Public Policy, International Relations, Economics & Business at Tsinghua University. Scholars will live in Beijing for a full year of study and cultural immersion, traveling the country, engaging with world leaders and developing a better understanding of China and its people through first hand experiences.

Eligibility requirements and selection criteria

Eligibility requirements

Applicants for the scholarship must be have completed their undergraduate or first degree before starting the scholarship program.^[7]

• Undergraduate degree or first degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent
• English language proficiency (Chinese language proficiency is not required)
• At least 18 but not yet 28, as of 30 June of the year of starting the program
• Marital status is not considered (however spouses or partners will not be funded by the scholarship or accommodated in the college)
• No citizenship requirements

Selection Criteria

The scholarship is seeking the "world’s next generation of leaders — high-caliber individuals with open minds and limitless potential."^[8]

• Excellent academic record
• Outstanding leadership potential

Allocation

Approximately 45% of the participants will come from the U.S., 20% from China and 35% from the rest of the world. Further details on composition are not fixed. Students will apply directly to the program and will not require a nomination from their university. The Institute of International Education in the US, which administers the Fulbright Scholarships, will initially be responsible for the international and American selection processes. ^[9]

Recruitment

In 2014, Schwarzman Scholars held four recruitment launch events in New York (at the Morgan Library & Museum), Singapore (introduced by National University of Singapore President Tan Chor Chuan), London (at the Tower Bridge introduced by Oxford University Vice-Chancellor Andrew Hamilton), and Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area (on the campus of Stanford University).^{[10][11][12][13]}

Schwarzman Scholars Admissions Director stated that the leadership program is looking to attract future leaders. "Schwarzman Scholars are risk takers. They're people who see how the world is changing and are willing to do something different to shape that change."^[14]

In 2015, the program will be visiting campuses around the world to host information sessions.

In North America, the program will be visiting Harvard University, Yale University Princeton University, Columbia University, Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Tufts University, Rochester University, Spelman College, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Howard University, Vassar College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, the Claremont Colleges, the State University of New York, the City University of New York, the College of Staten Island, the University of Virginia, the University of Washington, the University of Georgia, the University of Kansas, the University of Nebraska, North Carolina State University, and the United States Naval Academy.

In Latin America, the program will be visiting Universidad Anáhuac.

In Europe, the program will be visiting Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics, the University of Saint Andrews, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Glasgow, Sciences Po, Erasmus University, the University of Leiden, the Free University of Berlin.

In Asia, the program will be visiting St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, IIT Kharagpur, the University of Hong Kong among others.

Additionally, there will be young professionals events in Washington, New York, London, and Mumbai.^[15]

Scholarship Founder

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone Group, now one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers with $210 billion assets under management.^[16] Schwarzman has been involved in all phases of the firm's development since its founding in 1985. He is also an active philanthropist, with a history of supporting education, schools, and universities.^[17]

See also

• Tsinghua University's Schwarzman College
• Yenching Scholars at Yenching Academy of Peking University
• Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University
• Gates Scholarship at Cambridge University

References

External links

• Schwarzman Scholars website
• Donald Markwell, 'The Rhodes Scholarships of China?',^[1] reprinted in "Instincts to lead": on leadership, peace, and education (2013)^[2]

1. ↑ http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2013/04/22/Schwarzman-Scholarships-The-Rhodes-Scholarships-of-China.aspx?COLLCC=1921561794&
2. ↑ http://www.connorcourt.com/catalog1/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=256