Graceland 2004 graduate Brett Jagger has been admitted to the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Oxford/Cambridge Scholars Program (OXCAM) for the incoming Class of 2008. This is an honor that very few American university graduates receive and now a recent Graceland alumnus has joined their ranks. You may remember Brett as an extremely active student during his years at Graceland. He was a successful Biology major but also found time to be Speaker of the Senate. He was a member of our Honors Program and authored the original Prestigious Honors Scholarship which has become the most significant academic scholarship GU awards an incoming freshman each year.
Brett, who hails from LaPorte, Indiana, was also one of three 2004 graduates who received the esteemed Student Life Award at baccalaureate that year. VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Tom Powell had great things to say about Brett, including that he would "go far in the world and make Graceland proud." Those were prophetic words given this recent news about Brett's acceptance to OXCAM.
As an OXCAM scholar, Brett will pursue an accelerated program in collaborative, interdisciplinary biomedical research training that leverages the resources of one of the world's premier research universities with those of the NIH, the world's largest biomedical research center. Mentors at both NIH and Cambridge will assist Brett in choosing a research project and will work closely with him as he endeavors to achieve his research goals.
The Scholarship provides full financial support for students who spend two years at Cambridge and roughly the same amount of time at the NIH in pursuit of the Doctor of Philosophy. This prestigious program is highly selective in choosing Scholars from a large pool of applicants who include Marshall, Rhodes, Churchill, Fulbright and Gates scholarship recipients.
While at Graceland Brett was also active in pursuing solutions to GU's parking challenges. He worked on blood drives and student work days around our campus. And, he was an integral part of planning for changes and renovations at the Swarm Inn.
Congratulations Brett for continuing your path of excellence. We look forward to hearing more about your future achievements. You have the support of all Gracelanders.
