Pitt Senior Wins Prestigious Marshall Scholarship Pitt Students have won Marshall scholarships during five of the past six years, a record unmatched by any other public university in America

December 6, 2002

PITTSBURGH—The British Embassy has announced that University of Pittsburgh senior and Chancellor's Scholar Cynthia Kinnan has been named one of 40 Marshall Scholarship winners nationwide for 2003. Majoring in economics and mathematics in Pitt's Honors College, Kinnan was selected from more than 950 candidates nominated by more than 50 institutions throughout the United States.

The British Parliament created the Marshall Scholarship in honor of General George C. Marshall as an enduring gesture of thanks from the people of Britain for assistance received from the United States after World War II. The Marshall Scholarship is one of the most competitive and prestigious merit scholarships available to graduating American seniors. Twenty-one U.S. colleges and universities are represented in this year's list of scholars.

"Cynthia is the ideal Marshall Scholar," said Alec Stewart, dean of the University Honors College and Pitt's Marshall representative. "She has vast intellectual scope that enables her to read, write, think, and talk across the disciplines. Proven in research as well as in the classroom, Cynthia sees economics as a beneficent discipline for mankind, a vision that would surely gratify General Marshall."

According to Stewart, the Marshall is often compared to the Rhodes Scholarship, and both emphasize character as well as intellect. More flexible than a Rhodes Scholarship, which restricts study to Oxford University, the Marshall has emerged as the gateway scholarship to higher education in Britain, Stewart said. The scholarship guarantees access to any British university for two or three years of funded study toward a degree.

For two decades, University of Pittsburgh honors students have won more Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships than any other college or university in Pennsylvania, private or public. Pitt students have won Marshall Scholarships during five of the past six years, a record unmatched by any public university in America.

Kinnan's double major in economics and mathematics also has encompassed studies in a wide range of disciplines, including physics, Chinese, philosophy, neuroscience, and English literature. A leading debater during each of her four years at Pitt, she was selected as a Debate All-American for 2002 and has served as a president of the Amnesty International chapter on campus. Kinnan is particularly interested in the economy and culture of China, where her research of economics in Shanghai and Nanjing last summer with Professor Thomas Rawski reinforced her long-term career goals of teaching, research, and consulting.

"An understanding of economic principles is a crucial component of successful reform efforts," Kinnan says. "I want my professional life to help provide this understanding to governments, activists, and others who wish to bring about change, a goal that is best served by a career in academia."

Kinnan plans to use her Marshall Scholarship to earn a Master of Science degree in global market economics at the London School of Economics. A graduate of Golden Senior High School in Golden, Colo., she is the daughter of Neil and Kathryn Ramsey.

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