International Interests
Ohio Wesleyan Selects 20 First-Year Students as 2021-2022 Palmer Global Scholars
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University is welcoming 20 first-year students into its Thomas W. Palmer ’69 and Susan Palmer Global Scholars Program in recognition of the students’ potential for high academic achievement and passion for international issues.
The selective four-year program is part of Ohio Wesleyan’s Global Studies Institute, a hub where faculty and students from the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and fine arts come together to explore issues from all academic disciplines and work toward real-world solutions.
Ohio Wesleyan’s 2021-2022 Global Scholars are:
- Natalie Buravlov of Aurora, Colorado
- Abby Charlton of Newark, Ohio
- Joey Egleston of Akron, Ohio
- Kelly Farran of Haymarket, Virginia
- Emmy Fellenstein of Aurora, Ohio
- Wes Horton of Columbus, Ohio
- Aniya Johnson of Roanoke, Virginia
- Grey Kennedy of Marengo, Ohio
- Marvella Kurniawan of West Jakarta, Indonesia
- Brooke Lenigan of Massillon, Ohio
- Camila Morales of Chicago, Illinois
- Timothy Page Jr. of Harper Woods, Michigan
- Maizy Pratt of Columbus, Ohio
- Andrew Staley of Columbus, Ohio
- Josie Stark of Castalia, Ohio
- Ella Teather of Woodbury, Minnesota
- Digvijay Tekade of Pune, Maharashtra, India
- Amelia Thrasher of Delaware, Ohio
- Kennedy Watkins of Blacklick, Ohio
- Greyson Wells of Columbus, Ohio
All new Global Scholars participate in a team-taught course during their first semester in which they explore a single issue in depth.
This year’s seminar, “A World of Food: The Political Economy, Science, and Culture of Food,” is being co-taught by Global Scholars co-directors Mary Ann Lewis Cusato, Ph.D., associate professor of Modern Foreign Languages, and Jeremy Baskes, Ph.D., professor of History and past program director.
The seminar will introduce Ohio Wesleyan students to a variety of global topics connected to the production and consumption of foodstuffs. While it might seem a simple issue, students will come to see how food is central to understanding the world; it affects culture, religion, international relations, the environment, and many other core issues central to global studies.
The Global Scholars also take as a group the university’s first-semester course, “The OWU Experience.” This year, the course is taught by Nathan Rowley, Ph.D., another program co-director and associate professor of Environmental Studies.
In “The OWU Experience” course, the scholars learn about the liberal arts, the role of education in shaping both skills and character, and how to make the most of their educational experience over the next four years.
In their junior or senior year, the Global Scholars receive a $4,000 university grant to pursue an approved international research or study project of their choice.
As seniors, the Global Scholars complete a faculty-supervised thesis or capstone project, which they present to one another in a year-end conference. Students who successfully complete all of the requirements of the Global Scholars Program graduate with a Global Studies Institute certificate noted on their transcripts.
The Global Scholars Program is endowed with $2 million in gifts from Ohio Wesleyan graduate and university Trustee Thomas W. Palmer, Class of 1969, and his wife, Susan Palmer.
“This program not only enables experiences of global connection for those directly involved but also for others in sharing interaction,” the Toledo, Ohio, couple said. “In this, OWU continues to differentiate itself as a university dynamic in affording distinctive learning opportunities.”
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Global Scholars Institute at owu.edu/globalscholars.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature program, The OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at owu.edu.