MSU senior Jolivette named Ertegun Scholar
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s recent Rhodes finalist has earned one of the world’s most prestigious graduate awards.
Christopher Jolivette, a psychology and English double major from McCalla, Alabama, is a 2026 Ertegun Scholar and will continue his studies at the University of Oxford. Selected from a global pool of more than 1,500 applicants, the competitive scholarship’s awards go to approximately 15 students each year.
Jolivette is a Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Endowed Scholar in MSU’s Shackouls Honors College. A drum major in the Famous Maroon Band, he previously was honored with selection in the nationally competitive Fulbright UK Summer Institute scholarship program. Recognized with an MSU 2025 Spirit of State award, Jolivette participates in a variety of leadership and service roles within the university’s Jazz Ensemble, Society for African American Scholars, Undergraduate Research Student Ambassadors, and as a Shackouls Honors College Board of Alumni and Friends student representative and former ACCESS program academic and life skills mentor.
Jolivette will be a member of Oxford’s St. Hilda’s College, where he will pursue a master’s degree in English, focusing on critical theory and postcolonial and postmodern approaches to late 20th-century literature.
“I’m still in disbelief about the opportunity to study at Oxford, let alone on a full scholarship,” he said. “I will have the privilege to study postmodern literature and scholarship at one of the world’s top universities while engaging with a tight cohort of young scholars and artists all striving to return to their home country in hopes of leaving it better than they found it.”
Jolivette is MSU’s first Ertegun Scholar and said he is grateful for the opportunity to represent MSU playing a pivotal role in his academic journey.
“Between psychology, English, music, philosophy and the honors college I have had a distinctly transdisciplinary experience and have been fortunate to be supported by professors across a wide range of domains,” he said. “I have walked through so many doors here, and nearly each time I have, there has been someone waiting on the other side ready to support me in any way they can.”
The Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme at the University of Oxford covers full course fees and provides an annual stipend for living expenses. Named in honor of the late Atlantic Records executive Ahmet Ertegun and his wife, Mica, the program supports exceptional students pursuing graduate study in the humanities. For more information, visit https://www.ertegun.ox.ac.uk/scholarships.
“This is a fantastic and truly impressive win both for Christopher and MSU,” Office of Prestigious and External Scholarships Director David Hoffman said. “Landing this globally competitive scholarship is a result of his passion for research as well as the guidance he received from MSU's outstanding faculty in English and the Humanities in general."
MSU’s OPES provided support for Jolivette throughout the application process. Learn more about how MSU helps connect students with competitive scholarships and fellowships at www.honors.msstate.edu/initiatives/office-prestigious-external-scholarships. The Shackouls Honors College is online at www.honors.msstate.edu.
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