In a recent front page article regarding the identity of his father (the choice was apparently between Frank Sinatra and Woody Allen) 'The Times' said that Mia's son Ronan Farrow was a former 'Rhodes Scholar', without any further explanation as to what that might be.
It perhaps says something about 'The Times' that the paper assumed we all knew what it was talking about. Well, perhaps we did concerning Mia Farrow and her family's goings-on, but what is a Rhodes scholar?
The Rhodes Scholarships were established just over a hundred years ago by Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes had made a lot of money in South African diamonds. Not only did this bring him power - he became Prime Minister of South Africa - but it gave him the idea that all future world leaders should receive the same kind of education that he had enjoyed. Rhodes had been an undergraduate at Oriel College (which also educated that other swashbuckler Walter Raleigh), so his thought was why not bring these future leaders to Oxford?
To administer his scheme, Rhodes set up the Rhodes Trust to pay for his scholars to come to Oxford. It is run to this day from Rhodes House in South Parks Road. If you in the area, it's worth a visit. It remains a meeting place for current Rhodes Scholars, and has lovely gardens.
From his late 19th Century viewpoint, Rhodes believed that the important people who needed an Oxford education were young men who might rise to power in the British Empire, the USA or Germany. About 100 scholarships are still awarded a year. America has about 30, and the six Australian states one each.
Although selection is left to the countries of origin, the Trust laid down certain criteria they were supposed to follow. These included in particular that the applicants had to be good at sport, that they should have demonstrated some leadership skills and that they should be good academically. This meant that almost always they are already graduates in their home countries. Scholarships generally last for 2 years, after which the scholars normally take a (second) undergraduate degree. The idea is that they will have broadened their experience of life rather than be mere academics.
Bill Clinton is the most famous recent scholar, while the election of Tony Abbott in Australia the other day makes him the second Rhodes Scholar to be Prime Minister there. So it seems to work.....
Kit Villiers
