For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara K. Laskin
December 9, 2003 Doug Stone
(651) 696-6203

Macalester Student Named Rhodes Scholar

St. Paul, Minn - Simon Morrison, a 22-year-old senior at Macalester College in
St. Paul, Minn., has been named a Rhodes Scholar from his native Jamaica. He learned of the decision last Thursday after interviewing with the selection committee.

"It was great," he said. "But I was standing next to the other six finalists when I heard so I had to be reserved. My family has been more exuberant than I have."
Morrison said President Brian Rosenberg called Friday to congratulate him. Morrison is the 11th student from Macalester to win a Rhodes.

Thirty-two Americans were awarded a Rhodes this year. Morrison is the only student from Jamaica to receive the prestigious scholarship this year.

He will spend two years studying at Oxford University where he hopes to get a Master's in social and economic history. An English major at Macalester who has done much of his work on post-colonial literature, Morrison also enjoys theater, sports, politics, science and poetry. His adviser is Stephen Burt, English.

The Rhodes program was established in 1903 to provide students with opportunities for an international education. Each year students from 18 countries and five continents study at Oxford University in England. Rhodes Scholars are selected based on high academic achievement, integrity, unselfishness, respect for others, leadership and physical vigor.

Macalester College is a private liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,851 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, diversity and service to society.

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