Harry S Truman Scholarship Program

How to Apply

Award Procedure:
1. Initial evaluation: Students nominated for consideration as Harry S Truman Scholars will be evaluated on the basis of: a. the extent to which the student has shown an outstanding potential for leadership in public service, b. the extent of participation in community and public service activities, c. the appropriateness of the candidate's intended plan of study to prepare him/her for a career in public service, d. the student's academic performance. 2. Interviews: Finalists selected as a result of the initial evaluation of the credentials of all nominees are interviewed by Regional Review Panels, composed primarily of prominent public officials and previous recipients of Truman Scholarships. Each Review Panel will recommend from among the qualified applicants one person from each State or district for appointment by the Board of Trustees as a Truman Scholar, plus up to two additional persons for Scholarships at large from each region. The Review Panels will concentrate their evaluation on the nominees' demonstrated interest in the public service, their relative potential for leadership in government, their analytical abilities, their commitment to careers in public service, and the quality of their submitted materials. Among the characteristics they will assess in making this judgment are the following: analytic ability, communication skills, integrity, self-confidence, sensitivity to others, ability to explain with clarity a complex situation, a demonstrated interest in public service, and a commitment to future public service. 3. Final Selection: From among the candidates recommended by the Review Panels, the Board of Trustees will name up to 75 winners of Harry S Truman Scholarships.

Preapplication Coordination:
Each July the chief executive officers of all accredited U.S. colleges and universities are invited to appoint a Truman Scholarship Faculty Representative to manage the selection and nomination of up to four students for the forthcoming year's Truman Scholarships. The standard online nomination forms with instructions will be available on the Foundation's website (http://www.truman.gov) in September to the designated faculty representatives of all such institutions whose presidents or chancellors inform the Foundation of their intent to participate. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:
The faculty representative of an institution is the key person in the Truman Scholarship selection process and serves as liaison between her or his institution and the Foundation. The faculty representative is responsible for publicizing the Truman Scholarship on campus, soliciting recommendations on students with significant potential for leadership in public service from members of the faculty, conducting a competition on campus in order to determine the candidates best qualified to be nominated by the institution, helping prepare the nominees for the competition, and insuring that the institution's official nomination or nominations are forwarded to the Truman Scholarship Review Committee by the stated deadline. The following information, on the official nominating materials, must be included with each Scholarship nomination be submitted online and include: 1. The nomination and supporting information for the Harry S Truman Scholarship Program must include a certification that the student is a candidate for a Truman Scholarship; a statement that the student plans to pursue a career in public service; a list of the student's public service activities such as those associated with government agencies, community groups, and political campaigns; a list of leadership positions the student has held during high school and during the first two and one-half years of undergraduate study; a statement of interest in a career in public service that specifies how the student's educational plans will provide preparation for that career; and a statement that the student is willing to participate in a week long seminar sponsored by the Foundation. 2. It must also contain an essay of 500 words written by the student that analyzes a public policy issue chosen by the student; transcripts of the student's college grades; and four letters of recommendation. One letter must be from the Truman Faculty Representative; one of the letters must be written by a faculty member in the student's field of study; one by another person who can discuss the student's leadership potential and abilities, and, the fourth letter from a person who can discuss the student's commitment to public service.

Deadlines:
February 6, 2006, for receipt of nomination materials. All materials must be submitted by the student's faculty representative via the online application system.

Range of Approval / Disapproval Time:
1. February, each year - Scholarship nominees are evaluated and Finalists selected. 2. February- March, each year - Truman Scholarship Finalists are interviewed. 3. April, each year - The Truman Scholars are selected by the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation.

Appeals:
None.

Renewals:
1. It is the intent of the Foundation to renew Scholarship awards made to college juniors for a period not to exceed three academic years of their graduate study program, in accordance with the regulations established by its Board of Trustees, and subject to an annual review for compliance with these requirements. 2. The Foundation may terminate a Scholarship: a. when a student has not maintained, satisfactory proficiency, or b. when the student is no longer enrolled in a program preparing her or him specifically for public service as specified by the Foundation. 3. A Scholar may seek postponement of her or his award because of ill health or other mitigating circumstances, upon application to the Executive Secretary.