Marshall Scholar Hallie Baker (CAS’25, GRS’25), an archaeology student pursuing dual bachelor’s and master’s degrees, will continue her studies in the United Kingdom after graduating from BU.

Accolades

CAS Senior Wins Renowned Marshall Scholarship

Award will allow archaeology student Hallie Baker to study in the United Kingdom for two years

Hallie Baker, a BU archaeology student pursuing dual master’s and bachelor’s degrees, has already traveled widely and won awards for her work exploring some of the most pressing ethical issues in her field, such as repatriation of looted antiquities. Now, she has another honor to add to her growing résumé. 

On Monday, Baker (CAS’25, GRS’25) was named one of this year’s Marshall Scholars. The respected Marshall Scholarship is awarded to no more than 50 high-achieving American students each year (individuals cannot apply for the scholarship; a school must nominate them). Recipients receive full funding to pursue a graduate degree in the United Kingdom in any field of study. The scholarship is named for the late US Secretary of State George C. Marshall and commemorates the European Recovery Programme (Marshall Plan). It was established in the 1950s with the goal of strengthening ties between Britain and the United States in the aftermath of World War II. 

“As future leaders…Marshall Scholars are talented, independent, and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth,” reads the program’s website. “Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes contributes to their ultimate personal success.”

Baker is BU’s first Marshall Scholar since 2011 and only the sixth in the University’s history.

“We are absolutely delighted for Hallie and proud as an institution for this distinction,” says Gloria Waters, University provost and chief academic officer. “Marshall Scholarships are rare honors, and Hallie’s accomplishment speaks to her dedication and to the compelling application and archaeological research she put forward. At BU, we pride ourselves on producing impactful research. Hallie’s work protecting historical artifacts and cultural heritage clearly fits that criterion, and we will be excited to follow her trajectory as a rising scholar.”

“Hallie is a fantastic example of a student who finds their passions at BU and takes advantage of every avenue, resource, and opportunity to pursue those interests to the fullest,” says Jeffrey Berg (Wheelock’08), BU’s director of national and international scholarships. “Ultimately, these fellowship programs are asking: what do you care about, what impact do you want to have, and how can we bring you closer to achieving those goals? Hallie did an excellent job of addressing those fundamental questions while also speaking to the unique criteria of the Marshall Scholarship. We are so proud to have her out in the world representing BU.”

Baker plans to spend two years studying in the UK, first at the University of Cambridge to earn a master of philosophy in heritage studies and then at University College London, where she plans to complete a master’s in Russian studies. 

Since coming to BU, Baker’s studies have centered around issues such as the illicit antiquities trade and the looting of cultural heritage objects in countries that include Ukraine, Russia, and India. She’s also studied the ethics of trafficking and acquiring human remains—like India’s infamous underground bone market, known as the India Bone Trade, that forms the basis for osteology collections around the world—as well as how a country’s cultural heritage can be manipulated for nationalist purposes. As an example, Baker points to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that Ukraine’s cultural heritage is indistinguishable from Russia’s, one of his justifications for annexing Ukrainian territory and returning to “one country.” (Earlier this year, the United States announced restrictions on the import of cultural objects from Ukraine to discourage looting and help preserve Ukraine’s heritage.) 

Baker spent the fall of her junior year studying Hindi in Jaipur, India, after receiving a Boren Award from the US government’s Defense Language and National Security Education Office. She’s currently taking Russian at BU. Combining language with her archaeology studies, she says, allows her to focus on cultural and human rights issues that both of these countries are reckoning with.

“India and Russia are so important right now for [archaeology initiatives],” Baker says. “This scholarship is such a unique opportunity to continue my dual regional focus, connected through heritage studies.” 

Plus, she adds, “the US and the UK have some of the same issues related to the antiquities and human remains trades, because both were amassed as a result of colonialism and racism. This feels like an amazing opportunity for both countries to work together on making their collections more ethical.” 

She is also interested in repatriation, a movement to return objects (often dubiously acquired) to their country of origin. One of her recent projects involved studying the feasibility of using facial recognition software to match ancient Cambodian statues with archival photographs to identify pieces that were illegally looted before ending up in museums or private collections. 

Over the years, Baker says, “my work has evolved to touch on ethics, the law, human rights, and on crime, too. The black market for human remains is a crime. The destruction of cultural heritage for nationalist and political reasons is a war crime, in certain contexts.” 

In the UK, she says, she’ll be thinking a lot about how to ensure that her work has real-world impact. 

“I would love to build a lab that brings together the areas of cultural heritage, human rights, and crime, and look at how those influence politics and nationalism—and especially how cultural heritage can be used to incite tension and violence,” Baker says. 

But no matter what, “I definitely want to be involved in public service,” she says. “The Marshall Scholarship is going to be really, really impactful in enabling that.”