For release: May 22, 2012
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

Jonathan Bennett

Jonathan Bennett, a May 5th graduate of the University of Memphis, has been  selected as a recipient of the prestigious Marcus L. Urann Fellowship from the National Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Bennett is one of only five recipients of this national award, chosen from almost 200 nominees. 

The $15,000 fellowship is awarded to members of Phi Kappa Phi who are entering their first year of graduate or professional study. Bennett will start his doctoral studies in political science at the University of Rochester this fall. He completed his BA degree at the U of M with four majors – economics, German, international studies, and political science, graduating summa cum laude.

A member of the Helen Hardin Honors Program, Bennett received the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student. He presented his research at numerous venues, including the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.  He served as an intern at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, and he participated in two study abroad programs in Germany.

Bennett was president of the University’s chapter of Amnesty International and held leadership roles in the Student Government Association, the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, the International Student Association, and the Pre-Law Society.

His parents are Mark and Nancy Bennett of Collierville.

“It’s hard to overestimate the breadth of Jonathan’s accomplishments,” said Dr. Will Thompson, assistant dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and faculty president of the U of M chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. “He truly is one of the finest products of our undergraduate programs at the University.”

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. It has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.