UW-Madison graduate named 1999 Rhodes Scholar

University graduate Robert M. Yablon is one of 32 Americans awarded a 1999 Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most coveted academic honors available to undergraduates.

Yablon, a Neenah native who earned a bachelor’s of science degree in May 1999 in economics and political science, will be invited to spend two to three years of study at Oxford University in England. The scholarship was founded there in 1902 by British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes, and is the oldest international study program in the world.

Yablon, who currently works for a New York City law firm, competed among 935 applicants from 323 colleges and universities. The candidates are judged on a proven record of intellectual and academic achievement, integrity of character, interest in and respect for others, leadership ability, and the energy to fully utilize their talents.Judges announced winners Saturday at the regional competition at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.

“I was absolutely shocked,” Yablon says. “It seems like such a longshot, you didn’t give a lot of advance thought to actually winning.”

Oxford is a good match for Yablon’s academic interests. He says the university has the premiere program in the world for the interdisciplinary study of political science, economics and philosophy.

History professor William Cronon, who serves on an eight-state district committee for the scholarship, says Yablon was an extraordinary student both inside and outside the classroom. He earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in his double major, and completed a senior thesis under political science professor Booth Fowler focusing on science policy formation in the U.S. Congress.

In 1996, Yablon was one of the original organizers of Chadbourne Residential College (CRC); an influential learning community that integrates academics into residence hall life. He was also a house fellow and the first chair of CRC’s student government.

Cronon, a former Rhodes Scholar himself in 1975, says Yablon’s leadership with CRC is the type of experience that makes a difference with Rhodes judges. Cronon and Barbara Wiley, an assistant dean in the College of Letters and Science, sponsor workshops on campus to raise awareness about the Rhodes program, and a college writing program helps prepare them for the essay.

“Aside from being a brilliant student, Robert has not seen the need to put himself in the center of attention,” Cronon says. “He leads by helping others to lead, and that’s a very admirable quality.”

Yablon credits the CRC, as well as UW–Madison’s honors program and the “pathways to Excellence” project, for giving him the well-rounded experience necessary for a Rhodes scholarship.

“Beyond (academics), they’re really looking for people who are committed to their larger communities,” Yablon says. “The literature has a quote from Cecile Rhodes about him wanting people who were ‘willing to fight the world’s fight.’ ”

Yablon is the third UW–Madison graduate to win in this decade. The last Rhodes recipient was Middleton native Aaron Olver, a 1996 graduate in economics. In 1994, rural Green Bay native James Wall received the honor. Well-known past Rhodes honorees include President Bill Clinton and UW–Madison graduate and U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.