by Colette Gunn-Graffy
In
his 1877 “Confession of Faith,” the 23-year-old Cecil Rhodes proclaimed
that, the “chief good in life” was “to render myself useful to my
country” (Flint 1877, 248). At the time, he envisioned himself
posthumously creating a secret society dedicated to the expansion of the
British Empire; however, in Rhodes’ last will, written nearly a quarter
of a century later, this vision had been refined to the provision of
education for “young Colonists at one of the Universities in the United
Kingdom” in order to “[give] breadth to their views for their
instruction in life and manners and [to instill] into their minds, the
advantage to the Colonies as well as to the United Kingdom of the
retention of the unity of the Empire” (quoted in Kenny 2001). That this
education should take place at Oxford University was no surprise.
Rhodes was fascinated by the prevalence and prestige of Oxford graduates
in British public life. An Oxford man himself, he believed the
university’s residential college system played a vital role in the
personal and social development of the student. Rhodes believed it
essential the Scholarship be given to those who would “esteem the
performance of public duties [their] highest aim” as opposed to mere
bookworms.
At
his death in 1902, Rhodes had provided for 52 Scholarships per year: 20
to be allotted to countries that were (then) part of the British Empire
and 32 to the United States (two every three years for each then
existing State). In a codicil to his will, Rhodes allotted an additional
five Scholarships to Germany, it being his belief that “an
understanding between the three great powers [would] render war
impossible and educational relations make the strongest tie” (Kenny
2001, 5). The terms of the will called for an award of £300 per year to
be awarded to Scholars for three consecutive years of study at Oxford.
In 1903, the first twelve Scholars from Germany, Rhodesia and South
Africa arrived at Oxford. The following year, all constituencies were
represented.
Much discretion was left to the Scholarship trustees as to how the selection of Scholars should be regulated, and whether new Scholarships could be created. Since 1904, the list of Scholarship jurisdictions has grown to include India, Pakistan, Kenya, Hong Kong, Bermuda
and the Commonwealth Caribbean. The Scholarships originally granted to
the former country of Rhodesia have been reallocated to present-day
Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Scholarship was opened to women in 1977.
Scholars are now able to pursue graduate degrees. The typical term time
for a scholar is two years, although, depending on the degree program chosen, the
Scholarship may also be held for one or three years. The Rhodes Trust
pays the entirety of each scholar’s educational and travel costs, as well as a maintenance allowance to support the scholar both during term time and over vacations.
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