Kennedy Scholarships provide full funding for up to ten British post-graduate students to study at either Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[1] Susan Hockfield, the sixteenth president of MIT, described the scholarship program as a way to "offer exceptional students unique opportunities to broaden their intellectual and personal horizons, in ways that are more important than ever in an era defined by global interaction.".[2] In 2007, 163 applications were received, of which 10 were ultimately selected, for an acceptance rate of 6.1%.[3]

White House portrait of President John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler.

The creation of the Kennedy Memorial Trust

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Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, set about creating a national British memorial in his memory. He consulted with Harold Wilson (the Leader of HM's Loyal Opposition), Sir David Ormsby-Gore (British Ambassador to the United States), Dean Rusk (United States Secretary of State) and the Kennedy family. It was agreed that Douglas-Home would establish a committee, chaired by Lord Franks (former British Ambassador to the United States of America), to make recommendations on the form of the memorial to President Kennedy.[4]

Following wide consultation, Franks wrote to the Prime Minister to recommend that the memorial should be in two parts: a living memorial, in the form of a scholarship to attend either Harvard or MIT, and a permanent memorial site in Runnymede, England, the site of the Magna Carta. This location was chosen because it was regarded as the birthplace of the freedoms which President Kennedy promised to uphold. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Act 1964 was passed into legislation to enact and manage the two memorials.

Kennedy family

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JFK Memorial designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe

The Kennedy family have been strong supporters of the British Kennedy memorial since its creation. Prior to the United States' entry into the Second World War, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. served as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 1965, Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom unveiled the memorial at Runnymede. It consists of a Portland stone memorial tablet within natural woodland and meadow, where the visitor is invited on a journey, resembling that in Pilgrim's Progress; the journey through what is seen is mirrored by a deeper one into the unseen landscape of life, death and spirit. The stone is inscribed with the famous quote from Kennedy's Inaugural Address given on 20 January 1961:

Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.

Senator Edward Kennedy described the program as the most ambitious of all the memorials to his brother, and he was a passionate supporter of the Kennedy Scholarships until his death in August 2009.[5]

Former trustees

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Since 1964, all UK Kennedy Memorial Trust trustees have been appointed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[6] Various prominent individuals have previously served as trustees. These include:

Trustees

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The current trustees[7] are:

Patrons

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Selection

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More than 550 individuals have been awarded a Kennedy Scholarship. Selection follows a national competition which begins each autumn. A long-list and short-list are chosen and then around twenty-five individuals are invited to London for interview by the trustees.

When evaluating applications and interviewing candidates, the trustees take into consideration candidates':

  • intellectual attainment
  • readiness and ability to express themselves
  • the suitability of their proposed course of study at Harvard or MIT.

They may also look for: originality of mind, commitment to public service, potential to make a mark in public life and the ability to overcome adversity

The selection aims, criteria and standards are comparable to the Rhodes Scholarship program.[9]

Notable Kennedy scholars

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Prominent former scholars include:

Politics, government and civil service

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The Right Honourable Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (2011–2015)
 
The Right Honourable Yvette Cooper, the current Home Secretary. She was the first woman and the second Kennedy Scholar to hold the Cabinet post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury
 
The Right Honourable Alan Duncan, Minister for International Development (2010–2015)
 
The Right Honourable David Miliband, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2007–2010), one of four Kennedy Scholars in the Cabinet of Gordon Brown.

Economics and finance

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Journalism

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Arts

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Academia

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Quigley-Jones, Jennifer (October 21, 2013). "Think Harvard's too hard to get into? Think again". The Independent. No. Monday. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  2. ^ "MIT and Harvard to expand Kennedy Scholarship Program". MIT News. 13 April 2007.
  3. ^ "Seven Cambridge students named as Kennedy scholars". 8 July 2008.
  4. ^ "Kennedy Memorial Trust". kennedytrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on Jul 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Kennedy Scholarship Program to expand". News.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  6. ^ "Kennedy Memorial Trust (Emma Rothschild)". Number10.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  7. ^ "About the Trust - Kennedy Memorial Trust".
  8. ^ a b "Kennedy Memorial Trust appointments". Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  9. ^ "JFK's legacy". News.bbc.co.uk. 6 January 2006. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
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