Williams College Senior Teddy Cohan Named Schwarzman Scholar

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., January 11, 2016—Williams College senior Teddy Cohan has been named a Schwarzman Scholar and member of the inaugural cohort of the new scholarship program. The program was started by Stephen A. Schwarzman, co-founder of the Blackstone Group.

TeddyCohan_4C_02The scholarship will fund a one-year master’s degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Cohan was among the more than 3,000 applicants from 135 countries to apply for the first class. He is among the 100 students from around the world who will make up the first cohort of the Schwarzman program.

Cohan is pursuing a political science major at Williams. Hoping to run for elective office in the future, he says he is interested in the Schwarzman Scholars program because “looking ahead to the 21st century, it is imperative that anyone in politics or business have a deeper understanding of China.”

Cohan plans to use his Schwarzman Scholarship to study public policy in China to develop a more informed view of the country.

“I’m most excited about the cohort,” Cohan says. “We come from a wide variety of places, and I’m looking forward to the interaction between my fellow students and the professors and lecturers.” He says he also plans to use the opportunity to travel in China and throughout Asia to learn more about different cultures.

The Schwarzman Scholars will live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a new residential and academic facility built for the program. Scholars can pursue degrees in public policy, economics and business, or international studies.

Cohan expressed gratitude for the team that helped him through the process of applying and interviewing for the program, especially his parents, William Cohan and Deb Futter of New York, N.Y., and his younger brother Quentin, who is a junior at Williams.

“This isn’t just about me,” he says. “My parents, friends, faculty, and the fellowship office…so many people helped me along the way.”

While at Williams, Cohan co-founded Kinetic, an action-oriented think tank focused on large-scale issues such as food insecurity, teacher recruitment, and sustainable energy. He also served as treasurer of College Council. He spent his junior year in London, where he studied British politics, the European Union, international security, and political philosophy.

About Schwarzman Scholars:

Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $350 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The $450 million endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year Master’s Degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and an indispensable base for the country’s scientific and technological research. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China. Admissions opened in the fall of 2015, with the first class of students in residence in 2016. Learn more at www.schwarzmanscholars.org, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchwarzmanScholars and follow on Twitter at @SchwarzmanOrg.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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Published January 11, 2016