University Times

Pitt senior and chancellor’s scholar Cynthia Kinnan has been named one of 40 Marshall Scholarship winners nationwide for 2003. Majoring in economics and mathematics in the University Honors College, Kinnan was selected from more than 950 candidates nominated by more than 50 institutions throughout the United States.

The British Parliament created the Marshall Scholarship in honor of General George C. Marshall as an enduring gesture of thanks from the people of Britain for assistance received from the United States after World War II. The scholarship is one of the most competitive and prestigious merit scholarships available to graduating American seniors. Twenty-one U.S. colleges and universities are represented in this year’s list of scholars.

“Cynthia is the ideal Marshall Scholar,” said Alec Stewart, dean of the University Honors College and Pitt’s Marshall representative. “She has vast intellectual scope that enables her to read, write, think and talk across the disciplines. Proven in research as well as in the classroom, Cynthia sees economics as a beneficent discipline for mankind, a vision that would surely gratify General Marshall.”

According to Stewart, the Marshall is often compared to the Rhodes Scholarship, and both emphasize character as well as intellect. More flexible than a Rhodes Scholarship, which restricts study to Oxford University, the Marshall guarantees access to any British university for two or three years of funded study toward a degree.

Pitt students have won Marshall Scholarships during five of the past six years, a record unmatched by any public university in America.

Kinnan’s double major in economics and mathematics also has encompassed studies in a wide range of disciplines, including physics, Chinese, philosophy, neuroscience and English literature. A leading debater during each of her four years at Pitt, she was selected as a Debate All-American for 2002 and has served as a president of Pitt’s Amnesty International chapter. Kinnan is particularly interested in the economy and culture of China, where her research of economics in Shanghai and Nanjing last summer with Thomas Rawski reinforced her long-term career goals of teaching, research and consulting.

“An understanding of economic principles is a crucial component of successful reform efforts,” Kinnan says. “I want my professional life to help provide this understanding to governments, activists and others who wish to bring about change, a goal that is best served by a career in academia.”

Kinnan plans to use her Marshall Scholarship to earn an M.S. degree in global market economics at the London School of Economics.