Duke Senior Awarded George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Duke University senior William “Wills” Rooney of Darien, Connecticut, is one of 12 Americans awarded a prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship for a year of graduate study in Ireland.

Rooney, 21, plans to attend Maynooth University for a master's degree in philosophy of religion.

"Wills Rooney has distinguished himself at Duke in the classroom, on the track, and in our community," said Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead.  "I'm thrilled that he has won the Mitchell Scholarship and know that he will make the most of this opportunity as he seeks to put his considerable gifts in service to society."

The Mitchell Scholarships are awarded annually to a dozen Americans under the age of 30 who exhibit the highest standards of academic excellence, leadership and community service. The program seeks to link future American leaders with Ireland.

Rooney said he believes studying philosophy and theology in Ireland at Maynooth, in tandem with St. Patrick’s College, a pontifical university, will bring his studies at Duke full circle.

“Pursuing my academic interests in Ireland, amidst its rich religio-political history, will add a unique dimension to my philosophical, social, and economic studies,” Rooney said. “In the years to come, I hope to apply the fruits of those studies to both public discourse and the benefit of society.

“I am excited that my academic and public-career interests are directly within the tradition of the Mitchell Scholarship. I feel so grateful to have received this honor. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.”

Rooney is pursuing a Program II major at Duke that he titled, “Markets, Society, and Personalism.” A Mac Anderson Scholar, he studied in Costa Rica during the summer of 2014, focusing on the structure of Costa Rica’s healthcare system. The same summer Rooney studied statistics at the London School of Economics.

Rooney is also a member of Duke’s varsity cross-country and track-and-field teams. Rooney is a columnist for The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper, and publishes his bi-weekly commentary under the title of “Imago Dei.” He also served on the publication’s editorial board, authoring 17 editorials.

In addition, Rooney serves as student director, treasurer and director of academic programming for the Duke Catholic Center. This semester, Rooney ran an extracurricular seminar that studied Saint John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.”

Rooney is a volunteer firefighter with the Noroton Fire Department in his hometown of Darien. He began training at the age of 16. His other work experience includes the Summer Honors Program at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.

Rooney was also awarded a fellowship to participate in the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society, a program that is held annually in Krakow, Poland. The seminar explores the philosophical and theological elements of personalism and the manner in which a public moral culture sustains healthy political and economic systems.

“Wills was an absolute pleasure to have in class because he regularly made astute contributions, but always in a balanced and unobtrusive way,” wrote Mark Goodacre, professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Religious Studies, in a letter of recommendation. “His questions often made me think about the texts we were studying in new ways.”

In the future, Rooney plans to attend law school.

“Wills is a young man of deep conviction, curiosity, and compassion,” said Alex Hartemink, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows. “I have enjoyed getting to know him through our many conversations together, and I look forward to watching him continue to grow as a result of this wonderful opportunity.”

The awards, which can be used to pursue a year of post-graduate study at any university in Ireland, are named after the former U.S. Senate majority leader who spearheaded the historic Good Friday Agreement of 1998 that produced peace in Northern Ireland.

A list of the Mitchell Scholars can be found here. Visit ousf.duke.edu for more information on the George J. Mitchell Scholarship and other post-graduate award opportunities.