WEST POINT, N.Y. – Rotary International announced on March 12, that West Point was the top United States university with 10 Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars.

More than 500 university students from 35 countries have been selected to study abroad as Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars during the 2010-11 academic year.  The scholarship is designed to bridge cultures and encourage goodwill, the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is one of Rotary’s leading efforts to promote world peace and understanding.

“Our cadets continue to receive great recognition in national and international scholarship competitions.  West Point is proud to be named as the top university in the United States for Rotary Scholars.  This is an acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication of our students and the commitment of our faculty,” said Dean of the Academic Board, Brig. Gen. Patrick Finnegan.

Ambassadorial Scholarships provide undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study at participating universities in the 200 countries and geographical areas where Rotary clubs are active. While abroad, scholars participate in community service projects and speak at local Rotary club meetings and conferences, schools, civic organizations, and other forums where they serve as “goodwill ambassadors” for their home countries.

The Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships program is one of the world’s largest privately sponsored international scholarship programs. Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy, and academic excellence, the program has sponsored more than 40,000 scholars since 1947. Alumni include former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Philip Lader, Goucher College President Sanford Ungar, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert.

About West Point
Ranked the “Top College in the Country” by Forbes and “Top Public Liberal Arts College” by US News & World Report, the U.S. Military Academy is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering.  Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.  For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.