UW-Madison senior wins prestigious Marshall Scholarship
Andrew Bulovsky’s Twitter profile reads like a mini-resume for student involvement. He’s vice president of UW–Madison’s Class of 2014, a hockey player, golfer, Wisconsinite and proud Badger.
He’ll bring all of those qualities with him to the London School of Economics next October, thanks to a prestigious Marshall Scholarship.
Andrew Bulovsky
Bulovsky is one of 34 students, chosen through a rigorous national selection process, to receive up to three years of study at a British university of their choice.
“Andrew is one of the very most impressive students and young adults I have had the opportunity to interact with at the University of Wisconsin,” says John Coleman, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science. “He is the kind of student whose aspirations to leadership appear not only appropriate, but the absolute correct path.”
Bulovsky, of Lodi, Wis., is a senior majoring in political science and communication arts. He has been heavily involved in the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), including a year as its chair. He is also the current vice president for public relations of the Wisconsin Union.
Professionally, Bulovsky’s interests center on the intersection between communication and politics. In the future, he hopes to run for Congress, representing Wisconsin on a national level.
He plans to expand the work of his senior thesis, “Dissent and Discipline: Strategies for Coalition Management,” by earning a MSc in Comparative Politics followed by a MSc in Politics and Communication, both from the London School of Economics.
Bulovsky’s interest in public service began while growing up in Lodi, a town of 2,800 people “with a high school that’s famous for its ‘Drive Your Tractor to School Day,'” he notes.
“This combination is the most rigorous and comprehensive of its kind, and will enable me to become a more effective legislator myself,” says Bulovsky.
Bulovsky’s interest in public service began while growing up in Lodi, a town of 2,800 people “with a high school that’s famous for its ‘Drive Your Tractor to School Day,'” he notes.
“For me, UW–Madison influenced me the most outside of the classroom,” says Bulovsky. “Learning how to interact with people from a variety of backgrounds has been the most influential part of my Wisconsin Experience. The key for finding those opportunities is simply taking a step forward and getting involved in organizations and meeting other people.”
At UW–Madison, Bulovsky joined ASM in hopes of serving his fellow students, but found himself in the middle of shouting matches and allegations of ethics violations and racial prejudice.
“Andrew worked hard to establish transparency in policies, improve communication among stakeholder groups and restore faith in the governing process,” said Provost Paul DeLuca in his nominating letter.
This collaborative work deepened with a summer internship serving in the British House of Commons. Bulovsky researched the National Health Service, locating government inefficiencies and engaging with the public when his results received national press.
Since 1953, the scholarships (named for Secretary of State George Marshall and the European Recovery Program) have served as a symbol of British gratitude for assistance provided by the United States in the years following World War II.
UW-Madison’s last Marshall Scholar was Erin Conrad, in 2009. Other notable Marshall scholars include Stephen Breyer, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Thomas Friedman, winner of multiple Pulitzer Prizes as an author and columnist for The New York Times; and Nannerl Keohane, former president of both Duke University and Wellesley College.
