The Marshall Scholarships "point the way to the continuation and growth of the understanding which found its necessity in the terrible struggle of the war years," General George C. Marshall told the first class of Marshall Scholars in 1954.
"From the perspective of the Marshalls, it's a thank-you for the Marshall aid," said MIT Professor Linn W. Hobbs, who chairs the Northeast region selection committee. Hobbs confirmed the names of the Harvard winners.
Hobbs said that the Marshall, like the privately-administered Rhodes Scholarship, attracts students with "a high level of academic prowess." He added that this year's pool had qualifications that are "extremely and uniformly high."
According to Hobbs, Marshall scholars often go on to become "leaders in their fields of endeavor." Former scholars include Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.