Courchesne named 2017 Rhodes Scholar

Laura Courchesne became one of 32 students in the U.S. to be named a Rhodes Scholar, receiving the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award in the world:

Courchesne, an Honors Program student and Foundation Fellow from Fair Haven, New Jersey, is majoring in economics and religion in the Terry College of Business and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, respectively. Her studies focus on the emerging field of behavioral approaches to conflict; her primary research interest is the link between non-state armed groups and civilian populations.

She is the 24th UGA student to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Recipients are nominated by their colleges and universities and are selected through a process spanning the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. The 2017 scholars will begin their various courses of study at the University of Oxford in October.

For Courchesne, her move to Oxford to pursue master's degrees in social anthropology and politics research will extend the relationships she's already built at that institution. She previously attended Oxford during its Trinity Term in 2014 and 2015 and conducted research with the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology. This past June, she completed Oxford's executive leadership course on the changing character of armed conflict.

Fantastic news for Courchesne, the university and the Franklin College. Her research focus is an exemplary expression of the liberal arts. Congratulations and best of luck at Oxford.