Schupf Fellowship helps send senior to Oxford

With his second senior thesis nearly complete and a myriad of research and leadership experience on his impressive resume, Conor Tucker’s latest quest for knowledge takes him to Oxford, England.

Tucker recently received the Paul J. Schupf ’58 Fellowship for two years of study at the University of Oxford, where he will read for a master’s in modern British and European history.

“My initial reaction to receiving the fellowship was one of relief,” said Tucker, a history major and philosophy minor. “I would never have been able to afford this opportunity if it wasn’t for the generosity of Paul Schupf and the support of the selection committee.”

The fellowship will cover all of his educational and travel costs, thanks to the support of trustee emeritus Schupf.

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• Read more about Conor Tucker in this Colgate Scene article.

• Trustee emeritus Paul J. Schupf ’58 has a longstanding philanthropic relationship with his alma mater. A charter member of the James B. Colgate Society, he endowed the W.S. Schupf Professor of Far Eastern studies and gave the university its Paul J. Schupf Studio Arts Center. He earned a Maroon Citation and the Wm. Brian Little Alumni Award for Distinguished Service for his volunteer efforts.

In 2000, he endowed the Schupf Fellowship, providing select Colgate students with the rare opportunity to continue their studies for two years at St. Anne’s College, one of Oxford’s 39 core institutions. Funding for the future has been augmented thanks to a special friendship that Schupf developed with current Colgate student Evan Lorey ’10.

Schupf and Lorey formed an investment partnership and their success as investors has led to an additional gift to sustain the Schupf Fellowship for academic year 2010-2011.

“I learned the value of giving back through the continued efforts of Paul,” said Lorey. “When he asked if I thought it appropriate to use some of our
joint-account profits to fund the fellowship for another year, I became
extremely excited to aid in the continued success of this revered
Colgate program.”

Invitations to stand as candidates for the Schupf Fellowship are extended to Colgate graduating seniors or recent graduates within the past two years who participate in the university’s nomination process for the Rhodes, Marshall and/or Mitchell scholarships.

“Following in the tradition of previous fellows,” said Schupf, “Conor is exceptionally bright and knowledgeable about his discipline.”

Tucker’s interest in military diplomatic history was shaped by a personal connection to war. When Tucker was in high school, his father, a Marine commander, was wounded in Iraq, and the e-mail exchanges between the two fascinated Tucker.

As a Lampert Fellow with the Institute for Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Colgate, he went on to study the actions and implications of the 2004 US Marine offensives in Fallujah, Iraq.

Tucker also credits his semester in London with giving him an invaluable scholarly experience — conducting primary research in the British National Archives.

“This fellowship will allow me to build on the knowledge that I’ve gained through my Colgate experience,” Tucker said.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned from Colgate, it’s that if you put your mind to it — and if you put your heart into it — you can make it happen. Just go grab it.”