The Robertson Fellowship program of scholarship and internship support for Bush School students at Texas A&M University has been extended through 2017-2018. The program was instituted at the Bush School in 2010 with a grant of $386,400 over four years from the Robertson Foundation for Government (RFFG) and is now complemented by an award of $405,700 to the School.
The additional funding will support twelve more students during their graduate program. When combined with School resources, each Robertson Fellow will receive an award equivalent to the full cost of attendance, including summer internship support, during their two years of study.
Established by the family of the late philanthropists Charles and Marie Robertson and named in their honor, the Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the United States by supporting educational and training programs for men and women who will enter government service.
Robertson fellowship funds are in addition to funds normally provided to Bush School students. The goal is to provide a mix of resources that will cover approximately all expenses associated with completing a master’s degree over two years. Fellowship recipients also receive additional enhancements, such as subsidized health insurance and internship expenses, assistance in securing federal employment, working with Robertson alumni on internship and career opportunities, and meetings with the Foundation staff.
In establishing the Robertson Fellows program, the Bush School agreed to recruit high-caliber students to study in the School’s master’s degree programs in international affairs and public service and administration. Eligible students must be US citizens, academically qualified, demonstrate and state a compelling interest in working in the US federal government, and exhibit strong leadership qualities.
“We’re very pleased that the Robertson Foundation has extended its generous support for the fellowship program at the Bush School,” said Sam Kirkpatrick, executive associate dean. “As in the past, each of our Robertson Fellows more than meets the Foundation’s criteria. Their academic achievements are impressive and are enhanced by the broad range of experiences they have had during and after their undergraduate education,” he added.
This year’s class of Robertson Fellows at the Bush School includes the following.
Quinton Jones earned his degree in political science, with a concentration in international politics and minors in history and managerial studies, from Vanderbilt University in 2012. He spent the spring of 2011 studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. At Vanderbilt, he was active in the Phi Delta Theta social fraternity, led Vanderbilt Visions—an educational program working with freshmen—as a VUceptor, and was a teaching assistant for three semesters. He also helped coach a local swim team for three summers and worked in the athletic department. Jones has submitted two research papers for publication, one covering US detention facilities in Iraq and the other the Irish Republican Army’s armed struggle in Northern Ireland.
Kenneth Krupa graduated magna cum laude from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 2011 with a BS degree in foreign service. His major was international economics, and he also had a concentration in international economic theory and policy. His thesis, entitled “Getting What You Paid For? The Effect of Bribe Expectations on Bureaucracy,” examined the nexus of bureaucracy, bribe payments, and bribe expectations. Krupa also worked in Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business for two years as a research assistant, studying the relationship between private enterprise and legislation. He was awarded a Georgetown University Scholarship his senior year.
Emily Mullins, a 2012 magna cum laude graduate of Texas A&M University, earned a BA in international studies—arts and culture, with minors in art and architecture history and Hispanic culture. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa, and was an Undergraduate Research Scholar. An avid equestrian, she competes in dressage and volunteers for the Brazos Association for Classical Horsemanship and for the Gallop Foundation, where she teaches riding to underprivileged youths. In 2011, she studied in Spain, managing an equestrian facility while improving her Spanish. She is currently working on a paper about political street art of separatist movements in Galicia.
Robert Mark Niegelsky graduated with highest distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012 with a BA degree in global studies (Russia and Eastern Europe concentration) and minors in both English and Russian culture. He made the Dean’s List all eight semesters and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 2011. In the summer of 2009, Mark studied in the Balkans and Austria as part of UNC’s Burch Field Research Seminar, examining the role of international organizations in the former Yugoslavia. During his time on campus, Mark spent four years as a staff writer for The Daily Tar Heel, assisted incoming students during summer orientation, and interned for Orange County Emergency Services.
Rebekah Redden, a 2011 summa cum laude graduate of Huntingdon College in Alabama, earned degrees in history and religion. She attended under a full-tuition scholarship and was active for several years on the Judicial Board. A Fellow of the John Jay Institute, Redden spent four months studying and four months as a research analyst at the Australian Christian Lobby in Canberra. She also studied international relations and journalism at Oxford University, was a Lion’s Club Ambassador to Europe, and traveled to Greece and Turkey with Huntingdon’s Department of Religion.
