For Second Year Straight, Pitt Student Named Rhodes Scholar

PITTSBURGH--For the second year straight, a University of Pittsburgh senior has been named a Rhodes Scholar by the Rhodes Trust. Daniel Armanios, a Pitt Honors College student from Marietta, Ga., majoring in mechanical engineering and political science, yesterday was chosen as a 2007 Rhodes Scholar.

A 2004 Goldwater Scholar in engineering, science, and mathematics, and a 2005 Truman Scholar for leadership as an undergraduate, Armanios is the fifth Pitt Honors College student to win a Rhodes award since 1983 and the first Pitt student to win three such prestigious awards.

Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest of the international study awards available to U.S. students, provide two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England.

"My first opportunity to meet with Daniel and to discuss his work came in 2004 when, as an outstanding sophomore engaged in innovative engineering research, he was chosen to be a Goldwater Scholar," said Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. "Daniel's exceptional leadership in public service earned him a prestigious Truman Scholarship the following year, and his selection as a Rhodes Scholar-which is a tribute to his qualities of mind and person-is one of the highest honors available to an undergraduate student and one which Daniel undeniably deserves."

With the Rhodes, Armanios will study for Master of Science degrees in management research and drylands science and management. He is a member of Pitt's Model United Nations; a founder of Session Middle East, an undergraduate forum for debating the Arab-Israeli conflict; and an exchange and events editor for the Oxford International Review, working with the U.S. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates to institutionalize an exchange program connecting young American and Emirati scholars. A Pitt Henderson Scholar in engineering, Armanios was a member of the USA Today 2006 All-USA College Academic second team and was a 2005 American Helicopter Society Vertical Flight Scholar. His ultimate goal is to pursue a Ph.D. degree in engineering systems and graduate work in public policy and resource management.

"Armanios is a remarkable individual who already has unusual experience in both the technical and policy worlds," said Alec Stewart, Pitt Honors College dean and Rhodes institutional representative. "It is no surprise that he was offered the Rhodes Scholarship this year and is one of the few undergraduates ever to win three major national scholarships. He is ideally positioned for his knowledge and wholesome ambition to make future leadership contributions in both government and academe."

This year's U.S. winners-32 students from 21 institutions of higher learning-came from a pool of 207 interviewees from 94 colleges and universities. Pitt was one of only five public universities to have a Rhodes Scholar chosen for 2007. Pitt is the only Pennsylvania school-public or private-to win, and the only public university in the nation to win in both 2006 and 2007. Those chosen will enter the University of Oxford next October.

Rhodes Scholarships are the legacy of British colonial pioneer, statesman, and philanthropist Cecil J. Rhodes, who died in 1902. Although intellectual distinction is a necessary requirement for selection as a Rhodes Scholar, it is not sufficient. The selection process seeks excellence in qualities of mind and of person, which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in decades ahead. Thus, winners are chosen on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential, and physical vigor, among other attributes.

The value of the Rhodes Scholarship varies depending on the academic field, the degree (bachelor's, master's, doctoral), and the Oxford college chosen. The Rhodes Trust pays all college and university fees, provides a stipend to cover necessary expenses while in residence at Oxford as well as during vacations, and transportation to and from England. The total value averages approximately $45,000 per year.

Pitt's other four Rhodes Scholars are David Frederick (CAS '83), 1983; Donna Roberts (CAS '85), 1987; Nathan Urban (CAS '91, FAS'96, '98), 1991; and Justin Chalker (A&S '06), 2006.

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11/19/06/scl