Thouron Award
Encyclopedia
The Thouron Award was established in 1960 by Sir John R.H. Thouron, K.B.E., and the late Esther du Pont Thouron
.It was created to strengthen the "special relationship" between the United States
and the United Kingdom
through educational exchange between British universities and the University of Pennsylvania
. Through the programme the Thourons sought to nourish and develop Anglo-American friendship by ensuring that, in the years to come, a growing number of the leading citizens of these two countries would have a thorough understanding of their trans-Atlantic neighbours. In the years since its founding, the Thouron Award has sponsored programs of graduate study
for more than 650 fellows, known as Thouron Scholars.
Graduates of British universities receive support for up to two years of study – in any degree course – at the University of Pennsylvania, and Penn graduates may study at any university in the U.K. with up to two years of support. The Award, among the most generous exchange fellowships in the world, pays tuition and a stipend that covers room, board, and such extras as entertainment and travel.
The Exchange Programme was set up to bring young people of exceptional ability from each country into contact with the ideas and peoples of the other country. The experience of sharing different ways of life, of studying in a new academic and cultural environment, and of confronting viewpoints and assumptions that have long and varied pasts, fosters personal enrichment and maturity and contributes to deeper understanding of the people and the traditions of each country.
The founders of the Award believed that recipients of the Award should be chosen as much for their personal abilities and leadership potential as for their scholastic ability. Accordingly, Thouron Scholars are chosen on the basis of their "ambassadorial qualities" as well as their ability to succeed in their chosen academic programs. A primary goal in selection is find individuals who are deemed ready to represent their home country while being open to the different perspectives of the country in which they conduct their academic program.
One aspect of the Thouron Award which somewhat differentiates it from other fellowships is the close involvement of a specific family - the Thouron family, beginning with Sir John R.H. Thouron, continuing through his son Tiger and now his grandson Rupert. The family has welcomed every Thouron Scholar into what they deem to be their "extended family" by inviting them into their homes, entertaining them, and maintaining long-term contact with them. This extended family, due to the diverse geographical spread of its constituents, is very much a global entity.
and a classicist to Balliol College, Oxford
, as the first Fellows from the United States. Since that time over 500 Fellows have been selected.
Thouron Fellows have pursued degrees in a wide variety of fields. British Fellows have studied in all of the graduate and professional schools of the University of Pennsylvania. American Fellows have attended some 53 British educational institutions, with Cambridge
, Oxford
and the University of London
attracting the majority of the Penn students. In the 40 years of its existence, the Thouron Award has played an influential role in the lives and careers of its alumni. As new Thouron Fellows cross the Atlantic each year to take up or continue their studies, it seems that the program of cooperation is growing and strengthening.
, and UPenn, with typically three students selected from each university. The students receive a full scholarship to travel and spend two months studying at the University of Cambridge in the Pembroke-King's Programme. The Thouron Prize covers the full cost of the program, and includes a travel stipend of roughly $2000 for recipients. In addition, recipients are given two seminar series from Sir Roger Tomkys
, a former Master of Pembroke College, as well as from historian Alan Dawson. Competition for the prizes is often fierce, and the universities typically have their own mechanism for initial nomination. Nominees are then passed onto the consideration of members of the Thouron family, who personally hold interviews with all the nominees before coming to a final decision. The Thouron Prize is sometimes seen as the sophomore/junior analog of the Rhodes or Marshall Scholarships; however, the latter can only be applied to during one's senior year and typically cover two years of graduate study rather than one undergraduate summer. Similar to the goals of the other British fellowships, the Thouron Prize endeavors to give undergraduates "an understanding of both shared and differing aspects of British and American culture." At least one student who won the undergraduate Thouron Prize later went on to win the graduate Thouron Award as well.
Esther D. du Pont
Esther Driver du Pont was an American philanthropist who created the Thouron Award with her husband, John R. H. Thouron....
.It was created to strengthen the "special relationship" between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
through educational exchange between British universities and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Through the programme the Thourons sought to nourish and develop Anglo-American friendship by ensuring that, in the years to come, a growing number of the leading citizens of these two countries would have a thorough understanding of their trans-Atlantic neighbours. In the years since its founding, the Thouron Award has sponsored programs of graduate study
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
for more than 650 fellows, known as Thouron Scholars.
Graduates of British universities receive support for up to two years of study – in any degree course – at the University of Pennsylvania, and Penn graduates may study at any university in the U.K. with up to two years of support. The Award, among the most generous exchange fellowships in the world, pays tuition and a stipend that covers room, board, and such extras as entertainment and travel.
The Exchange Programme was set up to bring young people of exceptional ability from each country into contact with the ideas and peoples of the other country. The experience of sharing different ways of life, of studying in a new academic and cultural environment, and of confronting viewpoints and assumptions that have long and varied pasts, fosters personal enrichment and maturity and contributes to deeper understanding of the people and the traditions of each country.
The founders of the Award believed that recipients of the Award should be chosen as much for their personal abilities and leadership potential as for their scholastic ability. Accordingly, Thouron Scholars are chosen on the basis of their "ambassadorial qualities" as well as their ability to succeed in their chosen academic programs. A primary goal in selection is find individuals who are deemed ready to represent their home country while being open to the different perspectives of the country in which they conduct their academic program.
One aspect of the Thouron Award which somewhat differentiates it from other fellowships is the close involvement of a specific family - the Thouron family, beginning with Sir John R.H. Thouron, continuing through his son Tiger and now his grandson Rupert. The family has welcomed every Thouron Scholar into what they deem to be their "extended family" by inviting them into their homes, entertaining them, and maintaining long-term contact with them. This extended family, due to the diverse geographical spread of its constituents, is very much a global entity.
History of the Award
In the autumn of 1960, three British students, a geologist, an economist and a landscape architect, began their courses of study at the University of Pennsylvania as the first Thouron Fellows. In 1961, two graduates of the University of Pennsylvania arrived in the United Kingdom, an economist to the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and a classicist to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, as the first Fellows from the United States. Since that time over 500 Fellows have been selected.
Thouron Fellows have pursued degrees in a wide variety of fields. British Fellows have studied in all of the graduate and professional schools of the University of Pennsylvania. American Fellows have attended some 53 British educational institutions, with Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
attracting the majority of the Penn students. In the 40 years of its existence, the Thouron Award has played an influential role in the lives and careers of its alumni. As new Thouron Fellows cross the Atlantic each year to take up or continue their studies, it seems that the program of cooperation is growing and strengthening.
Thouron Prize
The Thouron family has also established a Thouron Prize for Summer Study at Pembroke College in the University of Cambridge for undergraduate students. The award is granted to eight or nine rising juniors and seniors from Harvard, YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, and UPenn, with typically three students selected from each university. The students receive a full scholarship to travel and spend two months studying at the University of Cambridge in the Pembroke-King's Programme. The Thouron Prize covers the full cost of the program, and includes a travel stipend of roughly $2000 for recipients. In addition, recipients are given two seminar series from Sir Roger Tomkys
Sir Roger Tomkys
Sir Roger Tomkys KCMG, is a retired British diplomat, and former Master of Pembroke College, at the University of Cambridge.He graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1960....
, a former Master of Pembroke College, as well as from historian Alan Dawson. Competition for the prizes is often fierce, and the universities typically have their own mechanism for initial nomination. Nominees are then passed onto the consideration of members of the Thouron family, who personally hold interviews with all the nominees before coming to a final decision. The Thouron Prize is sometimes seen as the sophomore/junior analog of the Rhodes or Marshall Scholarships; however, the latter can only be applied to during one's senior year and typically cover two years of graduate study rather than one undergraduate summer. Similar to the goals of the other British fellowships, the Thouron Prize endeavors to give undergraduates "an understanding of both shared and differing aspects of British and American culture." At least one student who won the undergraduate Thouron Prize later went on to win the graduate Thouron Award as well.