This past weekend, Blackstone founder and philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman announced a $100 million personal gift to build and endow an elite scholarship program in China inspired by the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship program created in 1902 by British statesman Cecil J. Rhodes.
The Schwarzman Scholars program will support 200 students from around the world annually for a one-year master’s program at Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious universities.
Washington University Provost Edward S. Macias, who serves as a member of the program’s Academic Advisory Council, was on hand for the announcement at Tsinghua University, a member institution of WUSTL’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy.
“The Schwarzman Scholars program offers a magnificent opportunity for students from around the globe to study and learn together at Tsinghua University, one of the world’s great universities,” Macias said. “The experience these students will have at Tsinghua and the time they will spend in China will be extremely valuable throughout their lives. I am proud to be a part of making the Schwarzman Scholars program a reality and look forward to helping to make it a great success.”
A simultaneous fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $200 million will make the program the largest charitable effort in China’s history with funds coming largely from outside the country.
The first class of students is slated for 2016, upon the completion of Schwarzman College, a residential building designed specifically for the program. The admissions season will open in 2015. Students will hail predominantly from the U.S., but also from Europe, South Korea, Japan, India and other areas of the globe. Students will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures by heads of state, traveling throughout the country, and developing a true understanding of China.
Students will have a choice of four academic disciplines: public policy, international relations, economics and business, and engineering. Additional disciplines will be added in future years.
For more information or to read the full press release, go to: http://schwarzmanscholars.org/. To view a video about the program, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic2HjB3hvN4&feature=youtu.be