Seventeen freshmen at the University of Mississippi have been recognized as Stamps Scholars, a prestigious designation that offers them a scholarship covering full cost of attendance and leadership development opportunities.

Benjamin Nordstrom, a political science major from Oxford, is one of those students.

The Stamps Scholars Program awards scholarships based on academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional character. The program awarded 351 new scholarships this year to students at 34 partner institutions across the U.S. and the United Kingdom. These students join 738 existing scholars.

Ole Miss has the third-largest Stamps program in the nation, with 60 scholars enrolled.

“I am most proud of how our program has evolved, and we along with it, to find talent and promise with cohorts of students from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and experiences to create a community that constantly challenges one another while offering ample support and opportunity,” Provost Noel Wilkin said.

“We see that both internally and externally – through the elevated esteem and recognition from faculty and students, and in the increased interest from high-achieving high school students as they inquire and apply. Our Stamps Scholars raise the bar all across campus – in the classroom, student organizations and beyond.”

In addition to their cost of attendance, scholars at UM also receive a $12,000 stipend for enrichment activities such as study abroad, academic conferences and leadership training.

Georgia native Roe Stamps and his late wife, Penny, launched the Stamps Scholarship in 2006. Though Penny Stamps died in 2018, her legacy continues through the Stamps Scholars community, which has grown into an international network of more than 3,240 scholars and alumni.