ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University senior Bobby McDonie was selected as a finalist for the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. A total of 85 winners will be chosen and announced April 4.

McDonie of Waverly, Ohio, is an English major in the College of Arts and Sciences honors program. He interviewed March 1 in Ann Arbor, Mich., during the semi-final round; a panel in Washington, D.C., selected the 158 finalists.

Also a Rhodes State Finalist, McDonie hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in queer studies.

The Mellon Fellowship is intended to help prepare students for teaching and research careers in humanistic disciplines. The fellowship provides a tuition waiver and $17,500 stipend for the first year of doctoral study. Since its establishment in 1982, approximately 800 students apply each year for the fellowship.

In 2001, another English major at Ohio University, Margaux Cowden received a Mellon Fellowship. She currently is pursuing graduate work in English at the University of California at Irvine. Both McDonie and Cowden worked extensively with Ohio University's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA) as they prepared for the fellowship competition.

For more information about the award or the student, contact Ann Brown or the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at (740) 593-2752.