Current University senior Carl Garris has been named a 2017 Marshall Scholar Finalist. Garris will interview for the scholarship in mid-November in Atlanta. The University of South Carolina has had two Marshall Scholars: Elizabeth Nyikos in 2009 and Nicholas Miller in 2001.

Garris is a senior Baccalaureus Artium et Scientiae (BARSC) major, a degree offered by the South Carolina Honors College, focusing on Medieval Studies. Dr. Scott Gwara (English) and Dr. Christine Ames (History), in addition to Dr. Lynn and Dr. Munn-Sanchez (SCHC) serve on his BARSC committee. Garris is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and a recipient of the Lieber and Dean’s Scholarships as well as the Palmetto Fellowship. He is also a 2014 Magellan Scholar. Since the fall of 2013, Garris has served as a research assistant to Dr. Scott Gwara. Garris’ research allowed him to be recognized for his work “Medieval Identify Theft: Using X-Ray Polarization to Decipher an Erased Ownership Inscription in USC’s Thirteenth-Century Breslauer Bible.” During the past academic year, Garris study abroad in Oxford at the Middlebury Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Garris plans to complete the MA taught in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham University, as well as the MA taught in Visual Arts and Culture at Durham University.

Up to 40 new Marshall Scholarships are awarded each year. The awards finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom in any discipline. In 1953, an Act of Parliament established the Marshall Scholarship program. Named in honor of US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the scholarships are an expression of Britain’s gratitude for economic assistance received through the Marshall Plan after World War II.

The University Marshall Scholarship Committee is chaired by Dr. John Nelson (Biological Sciences). Committee members include Dr. Kin Blackburn (Economics), Dr. Tom Brown (History), Dr. Madilyn Fletcher (Earth & Ocean Science), Susan Palmer (Law), and Dr. Doug Thompson (Political Science).

Marshall applicants are further supported by the University’s Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs, established in 1994 to assist students applying for national fellowships.
Learn more about national fellowships and competitions »