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MSU Class of 2013 Graduate Joins 128 Elite Inductees for Year-long Study Opportunity in China
Morgan State University is proud to announce alumnus Oladotun Opasina’s acceptance into the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars program, Class of 2018. Oladotun, who graduated from Morgan with honors in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering, joins 128 other exceptional men and women representing 30 countries and 75 universities selected to participate in the master’s degree program founded by Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman. This is the second class of Scholars to be presented with this unique opportunity to expand their education through a year of study that includes cultural immersion, lecture and travel at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
“We have experienced at Morgan the importance of our students’ being globally competent and being in a position to understand the world and to lead it. This is a high honor for Oladotun to have been selected for this very prestigious fellowship,” said Morgan President David Wilson. “As the former president of the HBCU-China Scholarship Network, I have been aware of this program since its inception, and, having dialogued along the way with its executive director, I know of the tremendous benefit this designation can have for this young man.”
The 129 Schwarzman Scholars were selected through a rigorous evaluation process designed to assess leadership experience and potential, strength of character, and intellectual and academic ability, including the capacity to understand emerging trends, design solutions and inspire others to a vision. The applications were reviewed by a distinguished team of readers from around the world, and 300 semi-finalists were invited for in-person interviews in Beijing, Bangkok, London or New York before international panels composed of CEOs, former heads of state, university presidents, nonprofit organization executives, journalists and other leaders. Expenses for each Scholar are fully funded by the program.
“Having the opportunity to become a Schwarzman Scholar would not have been possible (without) the preparation I received and the foundation that was laid during my experience as an undergraduate student attending Morgan State,” said Oladotun. “As a Nigerian in America for the first time, I found Morgan to be a great place to further my education and nurture my passion for engineering as well as assist with my cultural assimilation and development of leadership skills that I still use today. I’m very grateful for the experience and (for) the relationships I continue to maintain since my time as a student.”
Many members of the Morgan community, from Oladotun’s former classmates and faculty to those in administration, are proud of his achievement and wish him continued success in his future endeavors. As a representative of the University, he has created a pathway for others who may find inspiration in his example of accomplishment.
“I hope this is the beginning of a trend in which many Morgan students will be selected for elite fellowships. I know that our students can compete with anyone, anyplace, if granted an opportunity to do so,” added President Wilson.
President Wilson recently named OluwaTosin Adegbola, Ph.D., as the new special advisor for student leadership and engagement. In Dr. Adegbola’s new role at the University, she is responsible for raising Morgan’s profile as a top producer of nationally recognized scholarship program participants. Her efforts are centered on increasing the University’s number of elite scholars by marketing coveted opportunities such as the Schwarzman, Rhodes, Marshall and Truman scholarships, throughout the campus community and preparing students to be successful in their participation.
About Schwarzman Scholars
Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $350 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The $450-million endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year master’s degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and an indispensable base for the country’s scientific and technological research. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling and developing a better understanding of China. Admissions opened in the fall of 2015, with the first class of students in residence in 2016.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified Doctoral Research Institution offering more than 70 academic programs leading to bachelor’s degrees as well as programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. As Maryland’s Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. More information about the university is available at www.morgan.edu.
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