Schwarzman Scholars Launches Recruitment Efforts
NEW YORK, October 15, 2014 – Schwarzman Scholars, the elite international scholarship program, was proud to host the first of four official recruitment launch events yesterday evening at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. The event served to officially introduce the program, inspired by the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, to universities fellowship offices ahead of the application’s launch in the spring, and to celebrate the program’s progress since its announcement in April 2013. Further launch events will be held in Palo Alto, London, and Singapore.
Last night’s event attracted representatives from the fellowship offices of leading universities and colleges from around the country. Other guests in attendance at the event included donors and other supporters of Schwarzman Scholars. The program’s founder, Stephen A. Schwarzman, delivered keynote remarks.
Beginning this month, Global Director of Admissions Rob Garris is leading a series of Schwarzman Scholars campus information sessions, 12 of which have already been held. 22 further domestic visits have been planned so far, and the program’s outreach is expanding daily. Internationally, 38 campus visits have been planned, including to colleges and universities in São Paulo, Mexico City, Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, and Shanghai, reflecting the international make-up of each class of scholars. At these events, Rob is joined by representatives from the Institute for International Education, the leading international education and training organization, which recently partnered with Schwarzman Scholars to help administer its admissions operations.
“We are proud to begin in earnest our recruitment of the world’s brightest and most ambitious students,” said Stephen A. Schwarzman, the program’s founder. “The development of our rigorous academic and extracurricular program, the construction of Schwarzman College, and fundraising toward the program’s historic endowment are all on track. These future leaders will have unprecedented exposure to China, where they will come to understand the nuances of its history, culture, and aspirations. In this environment, Schwarzman Scholars will able to forge bonds of true understanding – between individuals and nations – for years and generations to come.”
The program is designed to educate future world leaders about China. Each year, 200 students from around the world will be fully funded by the program’s endowment to complete coursework for a one-year Master’s degree at Schwarzman College, the academic and residential building being constructed at Tsinghua University in Beijing for the program. 45% of each year’s class will join the program from the United States, 20% from China, and 35% from the rest of the world.
Schwarzman Scholars continues to see exciting progress on all fronts. In July, the program announced that it reached its initial $300 million endowment goal, as it continues to fundraise toward $350 million. Offices have been opened in New York and Beijing, and the construction of Schwarzman College is on schedule to accept the first class of scholars in 2016.
About Schwarzman Scholars:
Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $250 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year Master’s Degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and an indispensable base for the country’s scientific and technological research. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China. Admissions will open in 2015, with the first class of students in residence by the summer of 2016. Learn more at www.schwarzmanscholars.org
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