From the UA News Center | John Richardson, a May 2024 graduate of The University of Alabama, was one of four in the nation to be named an Eisenhower Global Scholar. Richardson, a native of Birmingham, is the first UA graduate to receive the award which will allow him to continue his studies at the University of Oxford.
The Eisenhower Fellowship was founded in 1953 as a gift to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The program’s mission begins with identifying outstanding ascendant leaders who share Eisenhower’s belief in the powerful possibilities of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. Its work transcends national boundaries, linking outstanding international leaders with their counterparts in the United States to enhance international understanding and provide rich opportunities for collaboration within the influential Eisenhower Fellows global network.
The Eisenhower Global Scholars Program sends four American university graduates abroad annually for an academic year of postgraduate studies at two prestigious European universities, the University of Oxford and IE University in Madrid, Spain.
A former UA Honors College student, Richardson studied history, with a concentration on law and legal studies, and political science with a dual minor in social innovation and leadership, and sales. He was involved with the Dr. Robert E. Witt Fellows Program, Blackburn Institute, College of Arts and Sciences Ambassadors and Student Government Association. Additionally, he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and selected as a Rhodes Scholar finalist his senior year.
“Joining the community of global leaders contained within the Eisenhower Fellowship is a great opportunity, and I look forward to stewarding those relationships and lessons to produce positive solutions to problems facing the world,” Richardson said. “With this spirit in mind, I hope my time at Oxford will be focused more on the people than the place.”
Through the Eisenhower Fellowship, Richardson will research nuanced policy solutions and constituent relations with a desire to use that perspective to help solve issues facing the state of Alabama. He plans to attend law school in the U.S. after earning his master’s degree at Oxford.
“This scholarship would not have been possible without the incredible generosity and support of my community in Tuscaloosa,” Richardson said. “I could not have achieved anything without the great effort of many people throughout my four years on campus. A sincere thank you to each of you.”
The UA Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships assists students in the pursuit of national and international awards. Students interested in applying for awards that require an institutional endorsement can learn more on the External Scholarships and Fellowships website.