Johns Hopkins Gazette | February 2, 2009
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The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University February 2, 2009 | Vol. 38 No. 20
 
Johns Hopkins Chosen to Field Next Annenberg Fellow at Eton

By Amy Lunday
Homewood

The prestigious Annenberg Fellowship will allow one young Johns Hopkins scholar to spend the 2009-2010 academic year as a teacher, mentor and coach at Eton College, one of England's best-known private schools for boys. Applicants for the fellowship may be male or female.

Typically a student taking a year off before, during or after graduate school, the Annenberg Fellow acts as an American ambassador to Eton while also taking on "the academic and pastoral care of a small tutorial group of pupils," according to a job description by A.R.M. Little, Eton's headmaster. Room and board and round-trip travel are covered in addition to a stipend of not less than 19,000 pounds (about $27,000). The fellowship was established by Walter H. Annenberg, a U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James's from 1969 to 1974.

This is the first time in the program's 24-year history that Johns Hopkins has been chosen to field an Annenberg Fellow. The current fellow is from Yale, and past participants have hailed from MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford, where John Latting, dean of undergraduate admissions at Homewood, earned his undergraduate degree in 1987. Latting was working in Stanford's Admissions Office when he was named an Annenberg Fellow in 1989.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our students," Latting said. "And since they want to deal with top institutions, this is also a vote of confidence in Johns Hopkins."

Fellows have some teaching duties that are based on their own studies, as well as in American literature, history or current affairs. They are also asked to coach, preferably crew, but other options include rugby, soccer, track or tennis; they are welcome to become involved in other activities like drama. And while they have no specific duties in the residence halls, Annenberg Fellows have the chance to meet with students informally, acting as a mentor and adviser.

"Because you live on the grounds, students come to see you after dinner to talk about their work, about the world and one-on-one to expand their horizons," Latting said.

While Latting describes the experience as one that occasionally made him feel as if he was working from dawn to dusk, he nevertheless paints a romantic picture of his time at Eton. The school is situated across the River Thames from Windsor Castle, and as a rowing coach, Latting was given access to castle grounds.

Besides being impressed by the stature of the school, its social prominence and strong traditions, Latting was struck by the great education Eton provides its students.

"Students at Eton find their niche so that when they go on to a university somewhere, they know what they are good at," he said.

Besides benefiting the Johns Hopkins student who becomes next year's fellow, Latting said that the university will benefit by having an advocate on the ground there among Eton's students, perhaps leading to an increase in applications to Johns Hopkins from Eton graduates.

Candidates for the Annenberg Fellowship should submit a resume and cover letter outlining their interest in the position, why they are applying and how they might fulfill the expectations of the position in terms of teaching, coaching a sport or offering guidance in another extracurricular activity. Materials must be sent to annz@jhu.edu by Monday, Feb. 16. A short list of candidates will be interviewed in April.

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