IU senior named Mitchell Scholar

IU senior Paul Musgrave has had a busy year.\nBetween compiling research on Herman B Wells' contributions to the Indiana banking industry, completing honors theses in history and political science and founding an alternative student online newspaper, the Wells Scholar and Evansville native managed to achieve basic proficiency in three languages and prepare for an upcoming semester in Shanghai, China. \nMusgrave quotes Marcel Proust on his personal Web page and served as a CommUnity educator and diversity coordinator for Read Center. \nAnd most recently, he was named one of 12 national George J. Mitchell Scholars. \nThe fellowship, created in 1998 and sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, honors exceptional American scholars who exhibit a dedication to academic pursuits, leadership opportunities and community service. It is named for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who engineered the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s.\nFellowship recipients are expected to complete an M.A. thesis over the course of the 2004-05 academic year. Musgrave, who studied political science, history and economics at IU, plans to delve into the similarities and parallels between the agricultural economies of Ireland and those of Midwestern states like Indiana.\n"Ireland is a very economically dynamic country, and it interests me because it is traditionally a very agricultural and conservative state," he said. "Indiana, of course, is much the same way. There are some parallels there, some opportunities that Ireland may have taken that other Midwestern states really haven't taken advantage of. I want to see how the government managed to spark growth there and see if there are any lessons we can take from that."\nAlthough Musgrave said he has little to no background in Irish history, he is himself of Irish heritage. He has been keeping up with Irish and, more broadly, European events over the past few years, tracking affairs on the Continent and, as he says, "hearing only good things coming out of Ireland."\nHe'll be studying at University College Dublin, located in the center of the Irish capital city. Because of his interests in government affairs and politics, and since Mitchell scholars traditionally complete internships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media corporations, Musgrave hopes to work for a member of the Irish Parliament. \nMusgrave first considered the fellowship in August, when Charlene Brown, associate director of the Wells Scholars Program and a longtime mentor, suggested applying. Initially, he wasn't sure he'd be a strong candidate -- an opinion not widely shared among those University faculty with whom he's worked. \n"I was very surprised when (Dean of the IU School of Journalism) Trevor (Brown) called to say I was nominated for all three (the Marshall, Rhodes and Mitchell fellowships)," Musgrave said. "I was rejected from the Marshall, the only people whose estimate I agreed with of my own abilities."\nHowever, IU professor James Madison, also director of the Liberal Arts and Management Program, said that modesty belies Musgrave's intellectual and service interests. Madison first met Musgrave three years ago, when the then-freshman approached him with an interest in Indiana politics Madison said he rarely glimpses in IU undergraduates.\n"It was very clear talking to Paul about politics that he is exceedingly knowledgeable -- a political junkie, actually -- and that he reads widely and deeply, not just at national and global levels but at the state level as well. It's unusual to see someone on Paul's level with that interest and knowledge."\nMadison said Musgrave was always exceedingly modest and never aggressive or arrogant. \n"He's very modest, even a bit on the shy side," Madison said. "He never told me he was a Wells Scholar, for example. Though he does have very deeply held opinions and ideas, he was never anything but modest about them."\nThe Rhodes and Mitchell committees both offered Musgrave an interview. However, the scheduled times conflicted, and he was forced to choose. After careful consultation with Brown, who was part of the IU selection committee that nominated Musgrave, he decided to pursue the Mitchell.\n"It was a better fit for me," Musgrave said. "It's more engaged with the country and politically active. It's a very exciting opportunity, and I'm most proud of the fact that I've been able to help IU's image, which is very important to me. I'm profoundly grateful to the professors who helped me, people who helped me and pushed me into doing this. If not for them, I would not be in this situation at all. I cannot even begin to stress how those individuals helped me. This was not an individual effort, and like any individual or team sport, where there's one guy competing or one team on the court, there's always a support staff, and that's incredibly important."\nMusgrave flew to Washington the week before Thanksgiving to interview in both group and individual settings with the selection committee. He was notified the Monday following his interview that he had been selected. He'll head to Ireland in late September, following a stint with a think tank or policy institute in the District this summer -- but the professors with whom he's worked say they won't soon forget the impact he had on the IU community. \n"I can count on the fingers on one hand students I thought were as good or outstanding as Paul Musgrave," Madison said. "I've had hundreds of really good, excellent students, and I'm talking about a very select few who are beyond exceptional. Paul is one of those students."\nIU professor Jim Capshew, whom Musgrave worked with on a biography of late IU president and chancellor Herman B Wells, agrees. \n"Paul is probably the most outstanding undergrad I've encountered here," he said. "...He's very dedicated academically, but also very interested in helping people out. He's a superb academic scholar but also a good citizen."\nCapshew said that while Musgrave discovered valuable mentors at IU, one of his most important mentors is Herman Wells.\n"Paul discovered in historical study a way of connecting to the best things at the University," Capshew said. "He's a very idealistic person but has a realistic sense of his talents and his drive."\nMusgrave is also an Indiana Daily Student columnist. --Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.