Colin Hagan	Kartikeya Singh

      Colin Hagan of Tyler, Tex., and Kartikeya Singh of Greenville, both of whom will graduate from Furman June 2, have received fellowships worth $36,000 each.  The one-year fellowships will begin in mid-June when the Compton Foundation Mentor Fellows meet in the San Francisco area.

      Hagan’s project, “A South Carolina Guide to Climate Change,” will highlight personal and behavioral actions as well as policies that can help minimize the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.  He will be mentored by Jennifer Rennicks, Federal Policy Coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

      Singh will work under the guidance of Sunita Narain, director of the Center for Science and Environment in India.  “The Leapfrog Factor: Towards a Carbon Neutral India” will create a policy report proposing responsible energy consumption projects, particularly in the Indian auto industry.

      Furman is one of nine schools nationwide invited to compete in the prestigious and innovative Compton Mentor Fellowship program, which supports graduating seniors as they “transform their academic studies into real world applications.”  The fellowship program, which was started in 2002, has traditionally been focused in the areas of environment and sustainability, peace and conflict resolution, or population and reproductive health.  This year, the Foundation added a focus on climate change and energy policy.

      Each Mentor Fellow is responsible for implementing a self-directed project and choosing a mentor who will provide “guidance, encouragement, and impetus for continued learning and service.”  The fellows are expected to demonstrate “imagination, intelligence, integrity and leadership” as well as a “commitment to compassionate and effective participation in the world community.”

      Hagan is double majoring in political science and English at Furman.  A recipient of the Academic Excellence Award, he is president of the Environmental Action Group and a member of the university’s Year of the Environment Committee.   He is also a member of the Southern Energy Network Steering Committee and serves an intern with Upstate Forever.   A 2003 graduate of All Saints Episcopal School in Tyler, he is the son of Fabiola and Kenneth Hagan of Tyler.

      Singh designed his own major in ecology and sustainable development.  He is a 2007 Furman Fellow and received a 2006 Morris K. Udall Scholarship, an award given to college students who have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing careers related to the environment.

He received the university’s 2005 Environmental Studies Award, and is also a member of the Environmental Action Group.  A 2003 graduate of Eastside High School, he is the son of Raina and Karni Bhati of Greenville.  Dr. Karni Bhati is an English professor at Furman.

      For more information, visit the Compton Foundation website at www.comptonmentorfellowship.org or call Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

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