The Harry S. Truman Scholarship

IU Deadline: Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
National Deadline: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

Plan to attend an information meeting on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Hutton Honors College, 811 E. Seventh Street, in the Great Room.
Next year, The Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation is expected to award 60-65 merit-based scholarships to students across the nation who will be "juniors" in 2009-10 and who plan to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government or public service. (See Eligibility section below for the Truman Foundation's definition of "juniors.") Each scholarship is worth $30,000 and the Foundation assists Truman Scholars "with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school admissions, and professional development."
To compete for the award, students must be nominated by their undergraduate institutions. The IU Truman Selection/Nomination Committee has set Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, as the campus deadline for students who wish to be considered for the 2010 competition. In the past, Truman scholars have come from such diverse fields as history, political science, international relations, journalism, economics, education, law, public administration, nonprofit management, public health, public policy, biology, environmental management, physical and social sciences, and technology policy.
The Truman Scholarship seeks to promote public service, which the foundation defines "as employment in government at any level, uniformed services, public-interest organizations, nongovernmental research and/or educational organizations, public and private schools, and public-service oriented nonprofit organizations such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons or to protect the environment." Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a graduate degree program funded by the Truman.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for consideration for the Truman Scholarship, a student must have a clear commitment to a career in public service, be in the upper quarter of his or her class, be a U.S. Citizen or National, and be nominated by his/her university. The student must also be a "junior-level student," which for the 2010 competition, we anticipate being defined as a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2010 and August 2011, or third-year student who expects to graduate during the 2009-10 academic year. (Residents of Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible in their fourth year.) See http://www.truman.gov for official eligibility criteria.
Nomination and selection standards:
Because the Truman Scholarship attracts the interest of top candidates around the country, IU only nominates students with outstanding credentials. The foundation chooses scholars on the basis of their excellent academic performance and communication skills, potential for leadership, extensive records of public and community service, and commitment to careers in government or elsewhere in public service. (See the Truman Foundation's definition of "public service" above.) IU's nominating committee and the Truman Foundation selectors are looking for candidates who show promise of making a difference in the world through their public service.
IU Nomination Process:
The IU committee will select up to four nominees for the national 2010 Truman competition. To be considered by the IU committee, students should pick up application materials from Elaine Hehner in the Hutton Honors College, 811 E. Seventh Street, Room 210E, or should download the sample application available on the Truman Web site: http://www.truman.gov/candidates/candidates_show.htm?cat_id=777&doc_id=246903 and submit a completed application in hard copy to Mrs. Hehner by Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. The application must include the 500-word policy proposal on a significant issue related to the candidate's intended area of public service. Candidates must also arrange for one of the three letters of recommendation described in the Truman application materials to be submitted directly by the recommender to Mrs. Hehner by November 2. (For those candidates selected for nomination by IU, the additional letters will be required by a later date.) For additional information on the scholarship and guidance on the scholarship and the IU nomination process, contact IU's Truman faculty representative Judy Failer, jfailer@indiana.edu, or Elaine Hehner at ehehner@indiana.edu.