WILMINGTON, Del. — Mercer senior Rachael Bishop of Jefferson earned an award of $2,000 for placing third in an international essay contest, besting students from many of the nation’s top universities. Bishop, an English and political science major, earned the honor in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s fourth annual International Culture of Enterprise Student Essay Contest. With nearly $20,000 in prize money at stake, undergraduates from around the globe competed by submitting a scholarly essay addressing the question: “Can Character and Community Survive in an Age of Globalization?”
Bishop’s essay is titled “Reconnecting with Smith: Understanding the Virtue and Vice of Capitalism Through The Theory of Moral Sentiments,” to read it, go>.
Organizers received scores of high quality submissions and, after an extensive review process by a blue-ribbon panel of academic experts, the students listed below were determined to be the most deserving, according to ISI.
“We were very pleased with the response generated by this contest,” said Dr. Rich Brake, the contest’s director, “and it was especially gratifying that we received so many international entries, given the global intent of the overall Culture of Enterprise Initiative. This year’s winners are an exceptional group of students, who provide a profoundly insightful analysis of globalization and its effect – both positive and negative – on societies and cultures.”
1st Place Matthew Shaffer, Belmar, N.Y. – Yale University
$10,000 “Economic Prosperity and Cultural Peril: The Promise of Globalization”
2nd Place Matthew Adeiza, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria – University of Jos, Nigeria
$5,000 “Communities, Character, and Globalization: The Family Option”
3rd Place Rachael Bishop – Mercer
$2,000 “Reconnecting With Smith: Understanding the Virtue and Vice of Capitalism Through The Theory of Moral Sentiments”
4th Place Sean Quigley, East Greenwich, R.I. – Brown University
$1,500 “Of Home and Manners: Globalization as a Grounding and Civilizing Force”
5th Place Austin Lipari, Loveland, Ohio – Catholic University
$1,000 “After Virtue: Localism and the Restoration of Character and Community”
Further details on ISI’s Culture of Enterprise Initiative can be found at www.cultureofenterprise.org.
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