Press Release

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Ralph H. Smith II, President of the Ralph Smith Group and Special Counsel at Jones Walker, announced today the composition of the 2012 District VII Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee. The seven member committee will select two Rhodes Scholars from Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee. Mr. James T. Stephens, Chairman of the Board of EBSCO Industries, will serve as chairman of the committee. By tradition, the chairman is a distinguished member of the community, not a Rhodes Scholar. Other members of the committee include: Dr. Drew Lamonica Arms, Louisiana State University Honors College; Mr. C. Sean Day, Director and Chairman of Teekay Corporation; Dr. Cindi L. Dennis, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Dr. Robert P. Kimberly, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, Boston Consulting Group; and Ralph H. Smith II.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, candidates must be endorsed by their college or university. The strongest applicants are then selected by the committee to appear for an interview. This year, the committee has chosen 14 finalists representing 13 colleges and universities. The committee will interview the students on November 16-17, 2012, at the headquarters of the Protective Life Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama. The two recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting on November 17.

Created in 1902 by the Will of Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer, the Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Applicants are chosen based on several criteria including: high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership, and physical vigor. Thirty-two recipients will be selected from sixteen districts across the United States.

About the Ralph Smith Group
The Ralph Smith Group, (www.ralphsmithgroup.com), provides strategic consulting services to business and higher education.

About Jones Walker
Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. with more than 375 attorneys, provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas.