Harry S. Truman Scholars
Process
Eligibility:
One year funding for students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. College juniors who are U.S. citizens with a record of community service and a commitment to a career in public service are eligible. Public service includes government, uniformed services, public interest organizations, non-governmental research or educational organizations, public and private schools and other public service-oriented non-profit organizations.
Who they are looking for:
The Truman program is looking for the academically stellar student who has a passion for public service. Evaluators look for leadership ability, potential for influencing public policies, community service and extracurricular activities, suitability of the applicant's proposed program of study for a career in public service, strong academic performance, and potential to perform well in a premier graduate school program. It awards $30,000 merit-based scholarships to college juniors (those planning to graduate between December 2009 and August 2010) who wish to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. Truman Scholars have pursued many fields of study, such as agriculture, engineering, economics, education, government, history, international relations, law, political science, public administration, and public health. Illinois may nominate up to four students for the Truman Scholarship.
Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a Foundation funded graduate degree program as a condition of receiving funding.
Early Review:
In order to access the online application, students must receive login credentials from the Illinois faculty representative, David Schug. Students are encouraged to submit drafts of their Truman Scholarship applications online well in advance of the campus deadline in order to receive feedback from the Office. When submitted, the application comes directly to our office, and we will later release it back to you to make changes. After submitting the application online, send an email to David Schug at scholarships@illinois.edu with a few potential meeting times to receive feedback. We are willing to work with students through numerous revisions.
REQUIRED Campus Deadline Tuesday, November 18, 2008:
The campus deadline for completed applications (including official transcripts from all colleges and three letters of recommendation) is November 18, 2008. A complete Truman application must be submitted to the Scholarships Office in order to be considered for University of Illinois endorsement (a requirement to move forward in the competition). We will schedule interviews of short-listed candidates to be conducted within a few weeks of the application deadline. Based on your submittal and an interview, the committee will determine your endorsement.
Required information:
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended
- At least 3 Letters of Recommendation (letters should address the range of criteria requested for a Truman Scholarship)
- A complete Truman Scholarship application submitted online. (Be sure to preview your application to ensure all of your text appears in the printed form.)
Those students who have been endorsed will submit their final application packet to the Scholarships Office by Friday, January 30, 2009.
The Final Stages:
Finalists are posted on the Truman site at 5:00 on February 17, 2009. All Finalists must complete the Finalist Confirmation Form (on the lower right hand corner of the "For Candidates" page) by February 19, 2009. Then, finalist interviews are tentatively set for March in Chicago. Please see Regional Review Panels for more information. The Scholarships Office will coordinate mock interviews for those students called to an interview. Students are announced on the Truman website as recipients, alternates, or nonawardees on March 26, 2009.
Truman Website and Application:
For official information on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (which supercedes any information provided here), please go to: www.truman.gov/.
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David Schug and Laura Hastings, Directors The Office of Prestigious Scholarships Fifth Floor, Illini Union Bookstore, MC-317 807 South Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820 Phone: (217) 333-4710 Fax: (217) 217-244-4851 topscholars@illinois.edu |
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