When Sarah Harding (LLB鈥�89) arrived at AV俱乐部 the first time, as a law student, she was joining a community reeling from the devastating 1985 Weldon Law Building fire. Most of the school鈥檚 usual space was unusable, forcing everyone into close quarters for work and study.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it was because of that, or maybe it鈥檚 just deep in the school鈥檚 nature, but I found such a strong and amazing community, full of smart, interesting, and supportive peers and teachers,鈥� says Prof. Harding. 鈥淚t was just a formative time for me.鈥�
Dean of Law Sarah Harding (Nick Pearce photos)
As she was nearing graduation, one of those teachers suggested she apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. The thought had never crossed her mind; she already had a law firm job lined up in Toronto after graduation. But months later, there she was, flying off to the United Kingdom to begin advanced legal studies at one of the world鈥檚 oldest and most renowned universities.
鈥淭he Rhodes definitely set me off on a path in multiple ways,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started thinking at Oxford that I might want to be an academic; I just thought I was going to be a lawyer before that. And I met my husband at Oxford. He was also a Rhodes Scholar, and an American, and that set me on a different path as well.鈥�
She would go on to spend nearly three decades as a law professor and associate dean at Chicago-Kent College of Law before coming out of retirement in 2023 to return to AV俱乐部 as dean of the Schulich School of Law. She says she loves being back among students and getting to connect with colleagues new and familiar, and that while the law school has changed in many ways, some things remain the same 鈥� particularly, the 鈥淲eldon tradition鈥� of service that defines the school鈥檚 character.
鈥淭hat idea of unselfish public service permeates the culture,鈥� says Prof. Harding. 鈥淎nd that idea of leadership in the service of others, it鈥檚 there in the Rhodes as well 鈥� the whole mantra of 鈥榝ighting the good fight.鈥欌��
Further reading:聽New Schulich School of Law dean shares motivations and vision
The road to Rhodes
Most people don鈥檛 know the mantras of scholarships. Heck, most scholarships don鈥檛 even have mantras. But few scholarships are quite like the Rhodes.
Established at the turn of the 20th century through the will of British colonial magnate Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes Trust has allowed nearly 8,000 young people from around the world the life-changing opportunity to study at the University of Oxford for up to three聽years, all expenses paid. The scholarship recognizes not only academic achievement but character, extracurricular involvement, commitment to social good 鈥� that 鈥渇ighting the good fight,鈥� now expressed by the Rhodes Trust as 鈥渟tanding up for the world.鈥� Open to scholars across disciplines, the Rhodes has immense prestige and renown partly from being the world鈥檚 oldest international scholarship program, but largely through the success of its alumni, including individuals like Bill Clinton, Kris Kristofferson, Chrystia Freeland, and Bob Rae, to name a few.
As you鈥檇 expect, large numbers of Rhodes Scholars have come from universities like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, McGill. But right in their midst is AV俱乐部, ranking among the top 10 schools in North America for producing Rhodes Scholars. Dal students have been selected as Rhodes Scholars 94 times and counting 鈥� a rather oversized portion of the more than 1,000 Canadians selected for the honour since 1904. Their ranks have included premiers and politicians, renowned professors and professionals 鈥� a living legacy of contributions to Canada and the world.
Dal Rhodes alumni through the years
Why is Dal so well represented among Rhodes alumni? One reason is that AV俱乐部 has been around for the scholarship鈥檚 entire 120-year history. Another is that the Maritime provinces are allocated two of Canada鈥檚 11 Rhodes聽Scholarships each year, so it makes sense that AV俱乐部, the region鈥檚 largest university, would do well in producing Rhodes candidates.
But when you talk to alumni who鈥檝e succeeded in the Rhodes application and interview process, they also talk about how the education they received at AV俱乐部 aligned with the values at the forefront of the Rhodes criteria.
鈥淩hodes is about being a force for good, and AV俱乐部 set me on the right path to explore and embody that ideal,鈥� says past recipient Carol-Ann Brown (BA鈥�97). 鈥淒al provided excellent teaching, access to a plethora of activities outside of academics, and the space to support others.鈥�
Brown, president of the global sustainability consulting firm Delphi, says her Rhodes experience accelerated her capacities to be a force for change. 鈥淭he wonderful experience I had at AV俱乐部 was foundational to being able to absorb what Oxford had to offer 鈥� and to the belief that I could make a difference in the world.鈥�
Audri Mukhopadhyay (BA鈥�95) likens the Oxford opportunity to being given a ticket to an intellectual theme park. 鈥淵ou have Disney for kids, Las Vegas for gamblers, and Oxford for academics and scholarship,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just this awesome place full of little 鈥榓h-ha鈥� moments everywhere.鈥�
Mukhopadhyay subsequently pursued a career as a diplomat with Global Affairs聽Canada and is currently director for Southeast Asia and Oceania. But he鈥檚 remained engaged with some of the Rhodes connections he made through and after Oxford, like many Rhodes alumni tend to do. 鈥淭here are lots of interesting people in a variety of fields,鈥� he says of the Rhodes community. 鈥淵ou can gain insights into disparate fields, within a culture of curiosity, of exploration.鈥�
Graham Flack's (BA鈥�88, LLB鈥�93) Rhodes experience also led him toward public service. Recently retired after a distinguished 30-year career with the federal government, including serving as deputy minister across multiple portfolios (most recently Secretary of the Treasury Board), he recalls how the college-based approach, immersive setting, and intense focus of his studies at Oxford shaped his experience there and some of how he鈥檚 approached problem-solving in his public-service career. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 always 鈥榚xaminable鈥� material, so you have to draw on a range of sources,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 up to you to identify what they are and synthesize them in a way that鈥檚 coherent.鈥�
Another aspect of the Rhodes experience that still resonates with Flack today is being among a global community of scholars at key moments in history. 鈥淲hen I was there, it was when the Berlin Wall came down,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淚 was doing a course on Eastern European politics with one of the leading experts on the topic and literally his entire worldview was changing over the 10 weeks of the course. So much of the currency of the place was the issues of the day.鈥�
Of course, even as history is happening around you, studying at the University of Oxford is an historic experience in and of itself.
鈥淲e think of AV俱乐部 as an old school, and then you look at England and parts of Europe and you鈥檙e talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years,鈥� says George Cooper (BSC鈥�62, LLB鈥�65, LLD鈥�04). Cooper was a Rhodes Scholar in the mid-1960s and attended University College鈥攐ne of the more than 30 individual colleges that make up the University of Oxford. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e walking through the halls of the school [Percy] Shelley was thrown out of. Stephen Hawking went there, C.S. Lewis, Bill Clinton later on.鈥�
Cooper is a second-generation Rhodes Scholar; his father was also one, and his grandfather grew up in England not far from Oxford. Cooper鈥檚 contributions to AV俱乐部 have been legion 鈥� as an alum,聽a donor, board member, managing trustee of the Killam Trusts, and as president of the University of King鈥檚 College 鈥� and he draws a link between that drive to give back to higher education and his Rhodes experience.
鈥淭he purpose stated in Mr. Rhodes鈥檚 will for this scholarship was to try and bring along people who are interested in making some aspect of public life part of their career,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd the way he framed it was for men鈥攊t was men in those days鈥攚ho esteem as their highest calling the performance of public duty. He didn鈥檛 necessarily mean electoral politics, but also working in the civil service, in a university, whatever else might represent a public good. So that really stuck with me as being something that I ought to do.鈥�
Changing the game for the world's most famous scholarship
Today, the criteria to become a Rhodes Scholar are still founded in same principles that were in place 120 years ago, but the expression and application of them has changed a great deal.
As Cooper indicates, women weren鈥檛 accepted as Rhodes Scholars for much of the scholarship鈥檚 history; that only changed in 1977. Though always open to individuals of different racial backgrounds, the scholarship鈥檚 lack of diversity over the years has been controversial, especially in the era of apartheid South Africa when applicants from that country were restricted to select white-only private secondary schools. And, more broadly, the scholarship has had to struggle to escape the shadow of its founder and namesake, whose views on race and empire not only aligned with but helped fuel the colonial enterprise of his era.
All this is to say that someone like Sierra Sparks (BENG'21) 鈥� an African Nova Scotian Engineering graduate 鈥� might not be who Cecil Rhodes imagined when he first thought up a global scholarship program. But she embodies what the Rhodes has become today, through its current students and more recent alumni鈥攁 more inclusive, more representative group of scholars with a broader perspective on what it means to build capacity for the public good.
Sierra Sparks. (Nick Pearce photo)
鈥淵ou鈥檙e part of this group of about 100 people each year, all from different countries, and it鈥檚 such a cool experience to meet people from places I鈥檝e never been,鈥� says Sparks, who is currently in her third year of her doctoral degree in biomedical engineering. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been so enriching.鈥�
Sparks has gotten to travel across Europe, dive deeper into her research into risk indicators for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and even got to take part in the Rhodes鈥檚 120th anniversary celebrations last year, in which hundreds of former scholars made their way back to Oxford.
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly been much more of a social experience than I was expecting, those connections. It鈥檚 been great meeting so many people. There鈥檚 just always something going on.鈥�
Further reading:聽How new Rhodes Scholar Sierra Sparks brings community to life
Finding their way back
Though a Rhodes Scholarship opens up a world of connection and possibility, a number of scholars 鈥� just like Schulich Law Dean Sarah Harding 鈥� eventually find their way back to the university that launched them toward Oxford in the first place.
Some have become notable Dal faculty members, including Law prof Dr. Arthur Foote聽(LLB鈥�54), classicist James Doull (BA鈥�39), and Physics chair Dr. R. H. March (MSC鈥�60). Others, like President Henry Hicks (BSC鈥�37), have taken on prominent administrative roles. Guy MacLean (BA鈥�51, MA鈥�53), who was dean of both Graduate Studies and Arts & Sciences before becoming vice-president academic & research, is another example鈥攁nd his counsel and guidance shaped Dr. Denis Stairs's (BA'61) decision to pursue his own Rhodes Scholarship.
鈥淗e really encouraged me to apply, though I expected nothing of it,鈥� says Dr. Stairs, who would go on to become a renowned political scientist at AV俱乐部 specializing in Canadian foreign policy and defence 鈥� and served as vice-president academic & research, just like Dr. MacLean before him.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 necessarily expect to stay at AV俱乐部 either,鈥� adds Dr. Stairs, but he says Dr. MacLean鈥檚 continued support was part of making him feel welcome back in Halifax. 鈥淗e was very supportive of younger people who he thought might be of some use, and I simply found myself enjoying it very much, especially working with students.鈥�
For Dr. Paul Manning (BSC鈥�13), the first Rhodes Scholar from the Faculty of Agriculture in Truro, the journey back to campus was a little bit about family and a lot of good fortune 鈥� the opportunity to live in and give back to the community, and school, that helped shape his own path.
鈥淚 really care deeply about the success of this campus and the students here,鈥� says Dr. Manning, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant, Food, and聽Environmental Science who studies insects and their importance to agricultural ecosystems. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an important personal connection for me 鈥� as an alum, you want to see your alma mater succeed. It continues to be a true privilege and pleasure to contribute to research and teaching here.鈥�
Dr. Andrew Lynk (MD鈥�82), department chair and chief of pediatrics at AV俱乐部 and IWK Health, took a longer path back to AV俱乐部. He credits his Rhodes experience with opening his eyes to the world, sending him off to work in famine relief in Ethiopia before returning to Nova Scotia to serve Cape Breton as a pediatrician for over 25 years. Since returning to Dal and to Halifax in 2016, he鈥檚 embodied another Rhodes trend: connecting with newer scholars to offer his best advice and counsel from his own Rhodes experience.
鈥淭he world we live in has a lot of existential challenges right now, lots of threats and opportunities, and more than ever we need strong ethical leadership,鈥� says Dr. Lynk. 鈥淪o when you run into young folks鈥攂e they accomplished pediatric residents or medical students, or people who are applying for or have received a Rhodes Scholarship鈥攖hese are the leaders of tomorrow. If I can use the privilege and opportunity I鈥檝e had and help mentor these accomplished young folks who are going to help shape and change that world, that鈥檚 what I need to do.鈥�
Continuing the legacy
When Diana Adamo (BSC鈥�24) was announced as AV俱乐部鈥檚 94th Rhodes Scholar last year, Dr. Lynk reached out to congratulate her and offer any advice he could. So, too, did Sierra Sparks, along with several other current and past scholars. Their counsel has been welcome, given that聽Adamo 鈥� who has never travelled outside of Canada before 鈥� is about to embark on a journey unlike anything she鈥檚 ever experienced before.
Diana Adamo. (Nick Pearce photo)
鈥淚 just got thrown into everything and didn鈥檛 really have much time to think,鈥� she says, referring to the flurry of activity that comes from not only applying and interviewing for the Rhodes, but the process and paperwork necessary once you鈥檙e successful. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 just realizing how exciting it鈥檚 going to be. I鈥檝e been looking into my future research, I鈥檝e gotten my聽first acceptance letter to one of the Oxford colleges, and now I鈥檓 just trying to enjoy it while also focusing on completing the term.鈥�
Some Rhodes Scholars come from great privilege, but for Adamo 鈥� who grew up in poverty, witnessing domestic abuse 鈥� opportunities like her AV俱乐部 entrance scholarship, and now her Rhodes Scholarship, are truly life-changing. They empower her drive to understand how societies and health-care systems can better support people with the sorts of neurodevelopmental disorders her family has struggled with. They make the fight, the effort to stand up for others, a little more achievable.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the opportunity to learn more and really be pushed to question what I know and how I know it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about a new perspective, and I鈥檓 eager to dive deep into that critical analysis space of my academic career and really grow as a thinker and a researcher.鈥�
Further reading:聽Diana鈥檚 golden ticket: Dal鈥檚 newest Rhodes Scholar is Oxford鈥慴ound on a life鈥慶hanging opportunity
This story appeared in the聽DAL Magazine Spring/Summer 2024聽issue. Flip through the rest of the issue using the links below.