Duke Alumnus William Lieber Wins Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholar Will Lieber
Lieber has co-led programs in prisons throughout North Carolina focused on education.

Duke University alumnus William Lieber is among the 32 recipients selected in 2025 for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, chosen from more than 800 applicants across the U.S. The Rhodes Scholarship was created in 1902 and has long been considered one of the most prestigious prizes in academia. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and a commitment to service. 

“Through his scholarship, professional activities, and engagement in the community, Will Lieber exemplifies the ideals of public service and advocacy for others,” said Duke University President Vincent E. Price. “His boundary-spanning work on health and incarceration demonstrates the power of the interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities Will pursued with great enthusiasm at Duke. I’m confident his will be a life and career of significant impact and benefit to others, and I look forward to all that Will will accomplish at Oxford and beyond.”

Will Lieber is committed to advancing prison reform and improving reentry programs and systems for those previously incarcerated. 

Growing up in Springfield, Ill., a 5th generation Illinoisan in a family who farms, Will Lieber saw first-hand how the carceral system touches every corner of American life. A Nakayama Public Service Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa inductee, Lieber graduated in May 2025 with a B.A. in Program II: Health & Incarceration — a course of study at the intersection of the medical sciences, ethics, education, and criminal and restorative justice.

Lieber has co-led programs in prisons throughout North Carolina focused on education. Through Bass Connections, Lieber collaborated with the Duke Hospital and the Durham Sheriff’s Office to examine insurance among rearrested patients. As a transfer student from Illinois Wesleyan University, Lieber served as the Project Transfer Program Director through Duke’s Office of New Student and Family Programs. Lieber is the co-author of six publications. He presently works for Schneider Construction Company as he pursues a job at the state of Illinois.

Through the Rhodes Scholarship, Will Lieber will pursue the Master of Science in Education and the Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Oxford.

The Rhodes Scholarship provides for two years of graduate study at the University of Oxford. To receive support in applying for a Rhodes Scholarship, prospective applicants should contact the Nationally Competitive Scholarships advisors in the Office of University Scholars and Fellows.

A complete list of this year’s recipients is on the Rhodes Scholarship website.