Sewanee's Rhodes Scholars

Kylene Monaghan, of the class of 2026, is the most recent example of this Sewanee tradition.

What is the Rhodes Scholarship?

The awards are made to 32 U.S. scholars each year, and provide all expenses for two or three years of study at Oxford University in England.

Ramona L. Doyle, C’81, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, noted that the Trust "seeks Scholars of exceptional character who are committed to making a profound difference in the world." Applicants are chosen on the criteria of academic excellence, ambition for social impact, and uncommon ability to work with others to achieve one’s goals. "A Rhodes Scholar should demonstrate exceptional character, empathy for others, and a commitment to making a profound difference in the world," said Doyle.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, candidates must be endorsed by their college or university, and as a representative of one of the states or the District of Columbia. Committees of Selection in each of 16 districts then invite the strongest applicants to appear before them for interview.

The value of a Rhodes Scholarship averages approximately $75,000 per year, depending on the academic field and the degree (bachelor's, master’s, doctoral) chosen.

Sewanee and the Rhodes Scholar Tradition

Kylene Monaghan, Sewanee’s 28th Rhodes Scholar, is a physics and mathematics double major from Blacksburg, Virginia. She plans to pursue an M.Sc. by research in engineering science as well as an M.Sc. in quantum technologies at Oxford. At Sewanee, Monaghan is ranked first in her class and has earned some of Sewanee’s top academic awards, including the Isabel Caldwell Marks Award and induction into Phi Beta Kappa. She is also the captain of the women's soccer team a set a school record on the track and field team as a member of the 4x400 relay. In summer 2025, she served as a CERN Summer Student in Geneva, where she conducted simulations for dijet analyses in the LHCb program, and previously completed an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in thermal engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

Monaghan is the fifth Rhodes Scholar from Sewanee since 2000. Klarke Stricklen, C’22, an American studies major and African and African American studies minor, pursued an M.Sc. in economic and social history as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. As an undergraduate, she was a student research assistant for the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation, and received the Davis Family Scholarship for leadership and community service and the Isabel Caldwell Marks Memorial Scholarship. Carrie Ryan, C’12, majored in cultural anthropology, was the president of the student body, and co-founded the campus diversity coalition. Katharine Wilkinson, a 2005 graduate, was named a 2006 Rhodes Scholar. Wilkinson, a religion major from Atlanta, graduated from Sewanee summa cum laude and was valedictorian of her class. Robin Rotman, C'04, of Chicago, who majored in geology with minors in environmental studies and mathematics, was also awarded the prestigious scholarship.

"They say they're investing in people rather than a program," Wilkinson said. "They're looking for candidates who will have an impact throughout the world."

At the time of her selection, Monaghan was the fourth Sewanee Rhodes Scholar residing in Sewanee, joining Professor of History emeritus Brown Patterson, Professor of English Jennifer Michael, and former University Chaplain Tom Ward. Seven of Sewanee’s 27 previous Rhodes Scholars have returned to teach at the University. That presence has helped sustain the school’s Rhodes Scholar success.

“I think it (having former Rhodes Scholars on campus) does make a difference. Success breeds success,” says Michael, who graduated in 1989 and attended the University of Oxford from 1989-91. “I was previously on the other side of the Rhodes selection process on the state committee. One thing we noticed was that every year, it was harder for students from non-Rhodes colleges to get advice and get a sense of what they needed to do to prepare for that competition. So, in practical terms, it’s good to have people around here who know how to prepare.

“But the fact that we’re Sewanee graduates also helps. This is a place where a number of alumni come back to teach and work in different capacities. If we’re careful about that, it’s a valuable thing because we have an institutional memory and awareness of history. Students value that.”

"This scholarship is as much a testament to Sewanee as it is to me," Ryan said. "My love of learning and commitment to social justice have been fueled by great mentors here." Stricklen agreed: "As the first African American to achieve this honor at the University of the South, I am thankful to every Black student, faculty, and staff member who came before me and paved the way for my success. Thank you to the University of the South and especially Vice-Chancellor Reuben Brigety for supporting my candidacy, continuously investing in my success, and pushing me to be a better leader."

“Sewanee’s strongest asset is how involved faculty get in the academic lives of the students, both on and off campus,” says Joel Cunningham, former vice-chancellor at Sewanee. “They [the faculty] are demanding, supportive, and yet intense mentors. It’s that special nurturing that I believe produces the kind of graduates who are attractive to the Rhodes Scholarship organization.”

Find out more about Rhodes Scholarships here.

The following alumni are Sewanee’s Rhodes Scholars:

Henry Markley Gass	1907
Frank Hoyt Gailor	’13
Carleton Goldstone Bowden	’14
George Malcolm Fooshee	’22
Edgar Elliott Beaty	’26
Clayton Lee Burwell	’32
George Baucum Fulkerson	’39
Thaddeus Goode Holt, Jr.	’52
William Brown Patterson	’53
William Webb White	’54
John Vincent Fleming	’58
Benjamin Bernard Dunlap, Jr.	’59
Joseph Daryl Canfill	’59
Joseph Levering Price	’63
Douglas Duane Paschall	’66
James Robert Sheller	’67
Thomas Reid Ward	’67
Jefferson Allen McMahan	’76
David Michael Lodge	’79
Ramona Loret Doyle	’81
Edward Wrenn Wooten	’86
Jennifer Paine Davis	’89
Anne Katherine Jones	’98
Robin Rotman	'04
Katharine Wilkinson	’06
Carrie Ryan	’12
Klarke Stricklen	’22
Kylene Monaghan	’26