The following is a guest post by James Kariuki, Counsellor and Head of Politics, Economics and Communications Group at the British Embassy in Washington.
Educational exchange is one of the most powerful forms of cultural diplomacy. It changes lives—and sometimes it can change history. Had a young Kenyan man not been given the opportunity to study in Hawaii over 50 years ago, the US would have a different President today. My own father left Kenya around the same time, in his case to study at Cambridge, as part of a generation of Africans preparing their countries for independence. Many future leaders and administrators of newly independent Commonwealth countries had their formative education experiences in post-Second World War Britain.
Since arriving at the Embassy in July, administering the Marshall Scholarships programme has been one of the most rewarding elements of a wide portfolio which, at its heart, is about understanding, engaging and influencing American politics, economy and society. So the announcement this week of the Marshall scholars for 2013 is a fitting subject for my first blog.
Next year sees the sixtieth anniversary of the Marshall Scholarships, which have brought over 1,700 of the brightest young Americans to Britain for postgraduate study. The programme was founded as an expression of gratitude to the United States for its support in the post-war reconstruction of Europe, and it is named after US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who oversaw those efforts. Established by an Act of Parliament, the scholarships are fully funded by the British Government. That has turned out to be a sound investment. Marshall Scholars have included leaders in every field: business innovators and scientists; educators and health specialists; journalists and authors; government officials, politicians and judges.
The class of 2013 comprises thirty-four exceptional students, selected from hundreds of applicants across the country. The award reflects their leadership potential and ability to serve as transatlantic cultural ambassadors, as well as their academic excellence. I had the honour of serving on the Washington committee and interviewing twenty finalists earlier this month. All of them were impressive and talented; but our four winners demonstrated absolute excellence across the three criteria. Aditya Balasubramanian is committed to the cause of international development, a field in which he is already accomplished. Alex Baron plans to apply his exposure to the UK education system to his career as a teacher and policy maker in the US. Hillary Hurd is pursuing her academic passion for conflict prevention and international relations in preparation for a career in diplomacy or journalism. And Spencer Smith is already advising the White House on tax policy, his (newly fashionable) area of expertise.
For some, the idea of a British-American scholarship programme may conjure up the image of privileged young white men swapping Ivy League blazers for Oxbridge boaters. But as both our countries experience social and demographic change, we need to be confident that our scholarship programmes—like all our diplomatic activity—will keep pace. Future leaders will no longer be drawn from a narrow demographic band. We need to attract a diverse set of candidates from the best universities and colleges; and the best candidates from a more diverse set of backgrounds. So I was delighted that our Washington area finalists were drawn from a wide variety of institutions and reflected the diversity of their country in terms of religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Some 49,000 American students study in the UK every year. Aside from the Marshalls, some of the best among them enjoy generous support from the Rhodes, Gates, Mitchell, Fulbright and other programmes. However they fund their study, all are part of a thriving transatlantic higher education relationship, based on the excellence of our institutions and the collaboration between them. According to the latest Times Higher Education rankings, our two countries possess all of the top ten universities in the world: seven in the US and three in the UK.
I would like to express my thanks to all those who make the Marshall Scholarships possible, most of whom are volunteers giving up their free time for this cause. They include the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, run by John Hughes; the US Association of Marshall Scholars, led by Bob Gray; the Embassy and Consulate General staff who support the operation; and the Selection Committees and regional associations across the country, which depend on the dedication of many alumni.
This week in California I had the chance to meet some of the San Francisco-area Marshalls and compare notes on what we can do to further strengthen links between alumni associations and our Embassy and Consular network in the US. Back in Washington next week I’ll co-Chair the annual Ambassador’s Advisory Council that takes stock of this year’s developments and looks forward to 2013. Most of all, I’m looking forward to hosting our Washington area Christmas party and meeting dozens of new friends in the Marshalls community.