December 23, 2009

Regis University senior wins Rhodes Scholarship

Regis University senior William D. Gohl was one of 32 students nationwide and two in Colorado to be named an American Rhodes Scholar for 2010.

Gohl, a Colorado Springs native and graduate of St. Mary High School, becomes the second Regis University student to receive the prestigious honor; MaryAnn Lehmkuhle O’Hara, was recognized as an American Rhodes Scholar in 1988.
Regis University is the only Catholic Jesuit university in the United States with a recipient for 2010.  In addition, Regis University and the Air Force Academy are the only two universities in Colorado to have recipients for 2010.  

According to the Rhodes Trust, which administers the award, the Rhodes Scholarship is given in 15 international jurisdictions for study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The scholars are selected based on academic achievement, character and leadership potential.

Gohl is a senior majoring in English and politics, with minors in business administration and Spanish.  His thesis is on Roman Catholic social teaching and capital punishment.  He is also a Boettcher Scholar, a program which grants 40 merit-based scholarships to superior young persons from Colorado high schools.  He is active in Regis University ministry, is the university student body president, has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office, and has counseled victims of domestic violence. 

Gohl intends to do the master of studies in English language and literature at Oxford.  He will enter Oxford in October 2010.

Rhodes Trust pays all college and university fees, provides a stipend to cover necessary expenses while in residence in Oxford as well as during vacations, and transportation to and from England.  The total value of the scholarship averages approximately $50,000 per year or up to as much as $175,000 for scholars who remain in Oxford for four years.

Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer.