Classics student named Gates Cambridge Scholar

UGA senior Emeline McClellan of Good Hope will continue her studies in classics this fall as one of 24 Americans selected as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. The scholarship fully funds postgraduate study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge in England:

McClellan is UGA’s eighth Gates Cambridge Scholar in the program’s 20-year history. The scholarship, which recognizes intellectually outstanding postgraduate students with a capacity for leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others, was established by a gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Since the first class in 2001, Gates Cambridge has awarded 1,932 scholarships to scholars from 111 countries who represent more than 600 universities globally.

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An Honors student, McClellan will graduate in May with bachelor’s degrees in classical languages and classical culture with a certificate in medieval studies. As she pursues a master’s degree in classics at Cambridge, she plans to write a thesis on Augustine’s theories of music, committing herself to a forward-looking examination of ancient musicology. Both of her parents are classical musicians, she said, and because of this, a deep love for sound, language and music has shaped her research interests in the classics.

McClellan has conducted extensive research on authors such as Sappho, Augustine and Gregory of Tours, including editing a 399-page translation of Latin minutes from the AD 411 Council of Carthage, examining the role of confession as a trope in Gregory of Tour’s sixth-century “History of the Franks,” and researching elements of Neoplatonism in St. Augustine’s “De trinitate” with Erika T. Hermanowicz, associate professor in the classics department. She also conducted research on the structural relation between two lyric poems by the Greek poet Sappho under the direction of Charles Platter, head of the classics department.

Congratulations to Ms. McClellan on this outstanding achievement, and the many wonderful experiences in store for her. Congratulations also to the faculty members who helped her develop an aptitude for excellence in scholarship.

Without vibrant, longstanding and well-supported humanities programs, a university cannot attract students such as McClellan. Her success is a testament to our commitment to the classical education model, and specifically in this case the faculty in the departments of classics. UGA's central strength will always tack with the vitality of our history, English, language and classical culture programs – an accurate barometer of the health of our society and civic culture as well.