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Truman Scholarship

Are you a future Truman Scholar? Do you want to "make a difference"? Come to one of the sessions detailed below to learn more about the Truman Scholarship, a major national award that provides up to $30,000 for graduate study to “juniors” who intend to pursue graduate or professional education in preparation for a career in public service. Even if you are a freshman, you may find a session helpful to your long-range thinking. If you are a sophomore, the IU nomination process starts for you next semester so this fall would be a good time to begin thinking about it. Juniors and seniors, you should check the Truman requirements immediately to see if you will be eligible for the 2020 competition.

Approximately 55-65 Truman scholarships are usually awarded in a national competition each year to "juniors." (See eligibility criteria below and on the Truman website as the definition of "junior" is based on the planned date of graduation: http://www.truman.gov/are-you-potential-truman-scholar.) IU students with strong academic backgrounds, experience in public service (broadly defined) are encouraged to apply. Students must be nominated by their undergraduate universities to be eligible for consideration at the national level.

The Truman Foundation seeks to promote public service, which the foundation defines "as employment in government at any level, uniformed services, public-interest organization, nongovernmental research and/or educational organizations, public and private schools, and public-service oriented nonprofit organizations. 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.

The Foundation defines public service 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.

In 2020, one scholarship will be available to a qualified resident nominee in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, considered as a single entity, the Islands: Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (Residency is generally determined by home address for school registration, family's primary residence, and voter registration.) The Foundation may select up to 15 at-large Scholars in 2020.

Interested students can direct questions to Professor Judy Failer, IU's Truman Faculty Representative at jfailer@indiana.edu.

Details

Campus Nomination Deadline: Monday December 9, 2019
National Deadline: February 4, 2020
Campus Representative: Professor Judy Failer
jfailer@indiana.edu

Eligibility:
To be eligible for consideration for the Truman Scholarship, a student must:

• be a U.S. Citizen or National
• be nominated by his or her university
• be a full-time junior-level student at a four-year institution pursuing a bachelor's degree during the 2019-2020 academic year. 'Junior' here means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2020 and August 2021, or a student in his or her third year of collegiate study who expects to graduate during the 2019-2020 academic year.

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, record of and 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 2020 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. Copies of the application form being used for the process at IU can be downloaded from the Truman Web site: http://truman.gov/candidates/2020-competition.

http://www.truman.gov/sample-application-forms. The completed application must include the 500-word policy proposal on a significant issue related to the candidate's intended area of public service. (Applications must be typed, not handwritten.) Students seeking consideration should also include ALL of the three letters of recommendation described in the Truman application materials and arrange to have letters sent directly, by the recommenders, to Ms. Hehner by Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.

Please note that the national Truman process requires three notably different recommendations although a recommender may comment on all the criteria:

• One focused on Leadership Potential and Abilities
• One focused on a Commitment to a Career in Public Service
• One focused on Intellect and Prospects for Continuing Academic Success
Be sure to provide an appropriate cover sheet (available from Ms. Hehner or the Truman website) to each of the three individuals you ask to supply recommendations.

Additional information about the national criteria and process is available at the Truman Foundation website here: http://truman.gov.

Office of National Scholarships & Awards

Truman Scholarship