DR ERNEST L RANSOME III SCHOLARSHIP TRUST
Previous Scholar biographies
Michael Adams
I am now a university graduate. After four years of late nights in the library, late nights in the pub, and far too few rounds of golf, I have to move on from what have, to date, been the best years of my life. During my time in St Andrews I was given an incredible opportunity to study in one of the most unique learning environments in the world. Yet it wasn’t until I returned to the United States that I truly began to understand just how lucky I had been.
I recently began my 1L year at the University of Maryland Law School. During the orientation program it is customary for all of the students in a class section to go around the room and introduce themselves and say where they had done their undergraduate studies. In my section, we had students who had attended to Harvard, Princeton and Georgetown, but when I said “St Andrews…in Scotland” people sat up and took notice. After class the other students asked me questions like I had just returned from some great adventure. “How could you stay away from home for so long?” “What are the people like?” “Why would you ever go so far away for school?”. It was then that I really began to understand what an incredible opportunity I had been afforded by the Ransome Scholarship.
I was able to not only receive a first class education, but I was able to learn about the world in ways that cannot be taught in the classroom. While I was studying at St Andrews I traveled to Italy, Spain, Hungary, France, Greece, Tanzania, Malta, and Germany. I learned to feel comfortable traveling, meeting new people, and embracing new surroundings. Not only did I travel extensively, but when I returned I felt completely at ease in the United Kingdom. I was invited into people’s homes, met their parents, I did everything from shoot pheasant to paint sheds. I saw the good and the bad of Great Britain. I now feel like I truly know another culture; I was lucky enough to be invited into it, not simply be a tourist. This type of intimacy is not possible on a simple vacation or even a study abroad. I can speak with confidence about Great Britain, not just because facts I read in a book or learned on a group tour, but from living in and experiencing that country.
I have the Ransome Scholarship Trust to thank for this incredible adventure. The freedom from financial burden that the Ransome Scholarship provided allowed me to focus solely on my education and not wasting a single opportunity throughout my four years. For that I am extraordinarily grateful.
I truly hope that I have lived up to the expectations of the Ransome Scholarship Trust. The Scholarship and the University both hold very special places in my heart, as I believe they have influenced and changed me in ways I am only beginning to understand. I will always look back at the time I spent in St Andrews with fond memories and a sense of gratitude to all the people who had an impact on my time there. The Ransome Scholarship Trust is a truly remarkable program, and I owe it a great debt. If there is anything I can do to help the Trust or the University in future please let me know, and I thank you all again for your incredible generosity and kindness.
Max Adler
When I got the phone call I’d been awarded the Ransome Scholarship, I was driving west to my older brother’s house in Tennessee, all my possessions stacked to the roof in the backseat. I’d graduated from Washington & Lee University in Virginia two days prior, an art major with no certain prospects, and figured I’d try to land free rent and a job at a golf course while I pursued what I’d recently decided I wanted to become; a writer.
I pulled off the shoulder lest I get too excited and slam into oncoming traffic. This was the most life-changing news I’d ever received. I’d never been to Europe and now I’d have a launch pad to explore “the continent.” I could devote myself to reading and writing without the pressure of making a living, as well as have one of the most highly reputed English Schools in the world to guide me.
I spent two postgraduate years at St Andrews, in the end gaining a Master of Letters in English Studies, and in between played on the university men’s golf team as well as worked as a caddy on the Old Course. As a golfer, my life was full of “pinch-me” moments; like playing a match against the University of Aberdeen at Royal Aberdeen, or sitting inside the Royal & Ancient clubhouse for the awards ceremony after the city amateur tournament, The Gold Medal. As a writer, I met people from all over the world and the Scottish weather provided many days in which the best option was to put on another sweater and hole up in front of the computer.
When it was all winding down, the two dream years of my life, I found myself interviewing with the editor-in-chief of Golf Digest magazine, Jerry Tarde. Telling him about what I’d been up to, Mr. Tarde responded, “Oh sure, I know Ernie Ransome.” Just one of many moments where I realized that anyone who’s anyone in the world of golf knows Ernie Ransome.
I’m now a staff editor at Golf Digest and a contributing writer for Golf World. This past spring I published my first book as the head editor of the story collection, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: the Golf Book.” My best assignment of the year was traveling to New Zealand to write a profile on the then reigning U.S. Amateur Champion, Danny Lee. I even got to tee it up with him.
I can’t imagine where I’d be now if it weren’t for the Ransome Scholarship. All I know is that when I pulled into Tennessee that summer I couldn’t even find a job cleaning clubs.
Jeremy Armstrong
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, I earned an MLitt in Ancient History from St Andrews in 2004 (with Distinction on the Dissertation) and completed my PhD in Ancient History in 2008, also at St Andrews, with a thesis entitled 'Warlords and Generals: The Development of the Early Roman Army'. My wife and I have since moved to New Zealand where I accepted a position as a Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Auckland.
The support which the Ransome Scholarship trust offered me, during both my MLitt and PhD, was absolutely crucial to my success at St Andrews. The process of moving to a new country and starting an intensive postgraduate program at a top University can be a difficult and stressful one; however, with the generous support of the Ransome Scholarship, I was not only able to excel in my chosen program but also enjoy my time living and studying in one of the more beautiful university towns in Europe. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity the Ransome Scholarship afforded me and look forward to continuing my connection with this worthwhile program.
Hannah Brooks-Motl
I received a Ransome Scholarship to attend the University of St Andrews for an MLitt in creative writing. Before moving to Scotland, I had been living and working in the Czech Republic, which was a great experience though not quite a financially successful one. I had learned first-hand how difficult it is to write and hold a full-time job, even in as stimulating a city as Prague. The Ransome Scholarship allowed me to pursue writing without worry, stress or constant budgeting. It freed me in unimaginable ways. In a very real sense, it gave me my experience at St Andrews: long hours reading in the library; longer walks on West Sands and the Coastal Path; trips to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London to see the museums and theatre; time to discuss poetry, theory and life with the very good friends I made in the program and beyond. It gave me the opportunity to focus on both writing and research because it gave me the freedom to see both of those things as central to my life. After graduating from St Andrews, I returned to the US to work with the Poetry Foundation, based in Chicago. I am currently enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
(J Edward) Ned Conway IV
Dr Ernest L Ransome III Scholarship recipient: 2007-2008
Programme: MLitt in Middle East & Central Asian Security Studies
Current Employment: Counter-insurgency Analyst, US Department of Defense
The year spent at St Andrews as a Dr Ernest L Ransome III postgraduate scholar was a time both to reflect on past experiences and prepare for the future. The scholarship played a central role in providing me an operational pause from which to re-assess my career development a few years out of undergraduate study, significantly increase my knowledge base of Middle East and Central Asian politics, and re-align my career objectives with the appropriate employment path.
When I arrived in St Andrews in the fall of 2007, I was fresh off of a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I went quite literally from the dust and depression of Baghdad to the green, small town community charm of St Andrews and the University in a period of about 72 hours. St Andrews very quickly became for me the ideal location from which to conduct an introspective de-brief of my career thus far in both counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency. It was a time to recognize my successes and failures and draft a plan from which to regroup and plan for the future. And of course it goes without saying that the perfect environment for doing so was a round of 18 holes in the morning with fellow international relations students and then the post-lunch croquet match in the garden of Deans Court before diving back into the books and journals. You simply cannot put a price on the conversation and debate that takes place among a Norwegian humanitarian aid worker assigned to Azerbaijan, a Canadian who taught English in Taiwan, an Irish banker employed in Japan, and the Yank from the Department of Defense—that was my foursome, almost everyday, on the New Course, Jubilee, Eden and the Old.
That is not to say that the academics were not also of great value—as an individual who considered himself to have a solid base of practical experience, if I were to sum up my time in the lectures and desk side tutorials of the International Relations Department, it would be this simple: theory matters. Particularly fantastic was the opportunity to study under Dr. Ali Ansari, an academic widely accepted across the world as an expert on Iranian foreign policy. The small classroom setting—just 8 of us, meeting in his office twice a week—was a time for him to push us to think critically on our reading, but also to pick his brain on the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of Iran’s at times confusing history. Studying Farsi as well as regularly meeting with Iranian foreign nationals and top UK and US policymakers passing through Ansari’s office rounded out the experience.
One component of my year that stands as a particular tip of the hat to the Ransome Scholarship was a month-long trip to Kazakhstan fully paid for by the trust. Criss-crossing from city to city and town to town, I went horseback riding in the Ugam Mountains, photographed the abandoned cargo freighters sitting on the dried sea bed of the drained Aral Sea, ate the traditional Kazakh meat—horse—in an overnight train car with a commuting Kazakh oil worker, and drank vodka late into the night with my host family in rural Shymkent discussing US presidential politics.
Upon graduating in November of 2008, it was just two months of desk work in Washington, DC before heading back out to Iraq in January 2009 for my second deployment to Iraq. The country was different, and I was different—humbled from my time in St Andrews but standing on a more solid base of academic and cultural understanding of the Middle East. I will be forever indebted to Dr Ernest Ransome III and to the trustees of the scholarship. I look forward to repaying that debt through public service over the length of my career.
Marissa Fenech
I received the Earnest Ransome scholarship in 2002, to complete the MLitt in International Security Studies with a focus on international terrorism. The most immediate benefit to the scholarship was the freedom it gave me. Being debt-free upon graduating, I could look for a job without worrying about how to repay student loans. I took an entry-level job with the US Intelligence Community and saw firsthand how friends and colleagues struggled to repay their education debt. The Ransome Trust gave me the flexibility to take that government job in the first place, which was the best move for me professionally, and freed me from worrying about meeting financial commitments. That first job for the US Government started me on the path I'm on today, and my career wouldn't have been the same without the scholarship.
However, as I've moved and changed jobs, having left the government as a senior analyst after almost seven years of service for the private sector, where I am the Deputy Director of an intelligence group for a global investment bank, the Ransome Trust and the scholarship to St Andrews has benefitted me in other ways. The Trust gave me confidence in my abilities and showed me that I could succeed in a challenging academic and working environment. I'm still touched that people connected to the program saw that in me before I saw it in myself. In almost every job interview I've been, the interviewer has asked me about the scholarship, and I'm able to say with pride that the Trust believed in my abilities enough to fund my graduate studies and set me on a path to success.
At this point in my life, my graduate debt would have been long repaid, had I had to. However, I doubt I'd be able to repay the Ransome Trust for the opportunity it gave me, for the confidence it instilled, and the sense of accomplishment that has carried into every role I have had since then. I think some people need a jump-start, an encouraging pat on the back, a champion who believes in them. I was fortunate to have all of those through the Ransome Trust.
John Goldasich
I graduated from St Andrews in June 2004 with an M.Litt. in Management, Economics and International Relations. After being awarded distinction on my dissertation titled, "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: A Post-Enron Reassessment of U.S. Corporate Governance," my wife and I moved back to the United States to start our careers. We currently live in Birmingham, Alabama where I work for Arlington Partners, a boutique investment bank and private investment firm. There, I specialize in buy and sell-side M&A advisory and direct private equity investments. I cherished my time in St Andrews and am forever grateful to the Ransome Trust for facilitating my experience there.
Elizabeth Gulledge
Studying at the University of St Andrews as a Ransome Scholar has accorded me the opportunity to not only earn a first rate post-baccalaureate degree but also to pursue my own interest in Scotland its rich cultural traditions. I have developed a love for Scotland, its people, and its history. From Sir Walter Scott’s “brown heath and shaggy wood” to Robert Burns’ “cup o kindness” and Scottish fellowship, I have come to know Scotland and St Andrews as an enchanting and remarkable place.
The interaction with other students and the tradition of close collaboration with faculty members is one of the defining qualities of a St Andrews education from which I have benefited. After graduating from Duke University as a Political Science Major, I embarked on the MLitt program in International Security Studies at St Andrews. The interdisciplinary nature of study at St Andrews introduced me to new research streams and the work of academics in a range of fields. I became interested in organization theory and began a PhD with the School of Management.
I am currently a final year doctoral student in the process of completing my dissertation which examines theoretical issues through reference to the changing nature of the book publishing industry.
It is a unique opportunity that is available here at St Andrews - to have important research to work on and to be offered the chance to be a collaborator in a number of university projects and present papers at conferences across Europe and the US. The Ernest L Ransome Scholarship Trust that has made it possible for me to study at St Andrews has given me a marvelous gift. My academic career and life experiences have been profoundly and positively enriched and inspired by the scholarship.
Brook Hartzell
Four photographs decorate my office in the market research department at the headquarters of Seagate Technology in Scotts Valley, California. Included with three iconic views of St Andrews and the Old Course, is a photo taken with Mr & Mrs Ransome and my fellow Ransome scholars at the ceremony for the Driving in of the Captain. This image is representative of the first of countless unique moments; all of us associated with the Ransome scholarship Trust have been privileged to experience.
As graduates of St. Andrews and Ransome scholars, we are linked through history with the traditions of scholarship and athleticism. We share a privileged history with the University, the town, and most importantly the founders who instituted this trust in honour of Ernie Ransome.
Samantha Hufford
I was privileged to be selected as a Ransome Scholar for my graduate studies during the 2008/2009 academic year. I earned an MLitt in Management: Marketing “with Distinction” from the University of St Andrews. Aside from receiving a first-class education from an elite University with professors at the forefront of their fields, I was able to travel to new places and make lifelong friends from all over the world.
My time at St Andrews was nothing short of incredible. I feel so lucky and am extraordinarily grateful to Dr Ransome and the Trust for providing me this once in a lifetime opportunity. Not only was the cultural experience at St Andrews eye opening, the academic experience was life altering.
I sincerely hope all future Ransome Scholars have the same quality of experience that I was fortunate to have.
Andrew C Mutch, PhD
With each passing year my gratitude to the Administrators, Trustees, and the many contributors to the Ransome Scholarship Trust becomes more profound for enabling my experience of living and studying in St Andrews. I have worked as a golf curator for more than 20 years, and it is therefore impossible to overstate the significance of my tenure as a Ransome scholar, both academically and professionally.
I continue to use the knowledge and experiences that were gained at University and during my time in Scotland through my company, Golf Curator, Inc., which provides archival, preservation and exhibition design services to country clubs.
On a personal level, the privilege of living in Scotland will remain among the strongest and most happy memories in my life. As I relocated to St Andrews with my young son during much of the timeframe of my scholarship, I have noticed the same positive and lasting impact on him. Hardly a day passes where we do not recall some aspect of our time on St Andrews, whether it be romping on the Old Course, combing the beaches, or leaning against the gales. We have returned to St Andrews on many subsequent occasions not only to relive our fondest memories but to create new ones.
Samantha Rose
Could there be a more idyllic town in the world than St Andrews? After having spent my Junior year abroad at the University of St. Andrews, there was no doubt in my mind that St. Andrews was where I wanted to return after graduating from college. In 2005, the Ernest Ransome III Scholarship Trust afforded me the opportunity to spend another wonderful year at St Andrews and for that, I will forever be grateful.
I loved my time in St Andrews as a Ransome Scholar. I spent that year studying the Middle East, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, playing water polo and soccer on the University’s teams, traveling, working on my golf game as well as taking part in the University’s many traditions.
In 2006, I graduated from St Andrews with an MLitt in Middle Eastern History. My dissertation focused on Arab and Israeli National Myths and the current Arab-Israeli conflict’s impact on Arab and Israeli children.
After graduating from St Andrews, I was awarded a 15 month US Fulbright Fellowship to continue working on my Arabic Language skills at the American University in Cairo. After my Fulbright ended, I stayed in Cairo and am now in my third and final year as a CASA (Center For Arabic Study Abroad) Fellow at the American University.
I am looking forward to returning to the US in May 2010 and pursuing a career that will allow me to apply my knowledge of the Middle East and to continue to use and improve my Arabic.
Stephen Shipp
I do not think I will ever succeed in repaying in full the debt of gratitude I owe to the Ransome Fellowship Trust. Without a Ransome Scholarship, I would not have been able to go to St Andrews. The memories I now share with my wife—memories of one of the best years of my life—would not exist. On the academic front, I would not have been able to earn an MLitt from the School of Classics. Consequently, I wouldn’t have enjoyed all the distinctive traits of this top university: the independence of study and flexibility to explore my interests, the personal attention by leading professors, the expectations to produce high-quality scholarship, and, not least, the university’s uniquely beautiful location. It is likely I would not be as confident as a scholar. It only makes sense that, aside from my personal development, the reputation of the University and the prestige of the Ransome Scholarship helped me to secure candidacy in the doctoral program of my choosing. There are the human goods as well. Without the Ransome Scholarship, I would not have had the chance to reside in St Andrews for a year, much less travel Europe. I cannot express how deeply I came to love this lovely little town. What is more, living outside my country gave me a chance to immerse myself in another culture. Of course, there are dear friends I would never have met—friends who, again, took me outside what I was used to."
Ashley Wellington
Though I only studied at St Andrews for a year, it was one of the most memorable and significant experiences of my life. I loved hiking along the Fife coastal path, looking out across the water and jotting down poems for my Creative Writing program. The town was truly a special place, and it felt surreal to have classes across the street from the ruins of a 12th century cathedral. Interestingly, the school attracts students from over 100 countries, so when I wasn’t immersed in Scottish culture, I had the chance to spend time with fellow students from Uzbekistan, Norway and New Zealand.
Living in St Andrews also provided me with ample opportunities for inexpensive travel, and I often ventured to new places on weekends. I’m currently writing a novel about people I’ve met in Morocco, Egypt and Scotland, and this project wouldn’t have been possible if not for my experience at St Andrews. I wanted to have a unique, inspiring adventure after I graduated from college, and the Dr Ernest Ransome III Scholarship gave me such an incredible gift. I could not be more grateful for the generosity of the board of trustees.
I’m now living in New York City, but I keep my memories of Scotland close to my heart. A collection of original poetry, most of which I wrote for my MLitt program at St Andrews, was just selected for publication. I continue to make progress on my novel, and I constantly use techniques I learned during my year abroad. Douglas Dunn and Don Paterson were fantastic professors, and they definitely helped me improve my writing. I miss St Andrews very much, and I hope to make it back to visit in the near future.
Michael Woolslayer
The Ransome Scholarship gave me an unforgettable experience that I would not have been able to enjoy otherwise. The scholarship allowed me to grow intellectually through study with distinguished scholars and interaction with a wide variety of students from the far-reaches of the globe. I broadened both the width and depth of my knowledge of politics in general and international relations in particular over the year of study. I made close friends that I will have for the rest of my life. The atmosphere of St Andrews, both the University and the town, facilitated these studies like few other places in the world, while also providing amazing opportunities for breaks from the academic grind. I was able to participate in the University Boxing Club, the International Politics Association, the European Society, and the Postgraduate Society. Of course, I enjoyed the rich history, and became part of the town’s long sporting tradition on the golf course.
The Scholarship also provided me with the means to travel throughout the year. I was able to explore the Greco-Roman ruins and magnificent culture of Turkey with another Ransome Scholar, and I took in the wild Scottish Highlands while driving on the “wrong” side of the road. These trips gave me the chance to discover a very different culture, and also to get a better sense of the country in which I was a guest for a year.
The Ransome Scholarship gave me a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. The scholarship also helped me develop the tools necessary to succeed and hopefully make a positive impact on this world. I will forever be grateful to Dr and Mrs Ransome, the Ransome Trust, and all of the donors for the wonderful gift of this scholarship.
Cameron Whitehead
During the autumn months of my senior year of high school I was browsing university pamphlets in the student advisors office when I ran across one for the University of St. Andrews.
I will say this with all honesty; it wasn’t exactly a captivating piece of literature. It was filled with the same quotes as every other university advertisement I had seen in the previous months, but here was the hook, it was literally on the doorstep of some of the best golfing in the world and right at that moment, when the New England snow was threatening to shut down the local country club for another 6 months, a never ending supply of golf seemed like a pretty good option.
So that evening while working at the student newspaper, instead of editing the sports column I filled out the St. Andrews application, and threw it all in the post box before driving home for the evening. For the next few months I hardly thought of St. Andrews until the acceptance letter came, which caused quite a stir in the house, for about a minute, until I learned that the UK had no financial aid for overseas students. However in the acceptance pack was the Ransome Scholarship application, so that evening I got down to writing the essay, filled out the paperwork and mailed it off, being a bit resigned to my fate of missing out on a great opportunity.
However that summer when I had already accepted a place at Tufts University and was working construction to somewhat ease the massive loans I was sure to need; I received a phone call from my dad. “Call your mother, don’t ask why just call your mother”. I thought I must have left the dog outside or something similarly annoying to my mother, but instead she read me the Ransome Scholarship acceptance letter. Within a week of hanging up the phone I had quit my job, got my passport and spent the next four years realizing why that boring pamphlet did not do St. Andrews justice at all.
It is quite literally a perfect place to spend some of the best years of your life. A small coastal town on the rough coast of Scotland, where you are cut off from the rest of the world, and strangely that’s just the way everyone there likes it. The quality of the teaching, the quality of the people, and the quality of the golf was incredible. I reminisce daily about the cobblestone streets, the ocean breeze, and knowing just about every person I saw in the street.
I firmly believe that no other place could have so profoundly affected my life. It still blows my mind that but for the generosity of the Ransome Trust my life would be on a completely different and most definitely less exciting path.
After university I was given a training contract with the London office of a major US law firm, and spent two years studying law in Manchester, England, followed by a move to London where I now work for White & Case LLP as an intellectual property solicitor.
When I wasn’t cramming for legal exams or travelling the length and breadth of the Europe, I managed to squeeze in getting married to my now wife, who I met in my first year at St. Andrews, and yes you guessed it, we got married in St. Andrews. I can’t seem to get enough of the place. My wife and I also just brought into the world our newborn daughter and if I have my way about it, I know just where she will be spending her university years.