Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation is the federal memorial to our thirty-third President. The mission of the Truman Scholarship Foundation is: (1) to find and recognize college juniors with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in the public service; and (2) to provide them with financial support for graduate study, leadership training, and fellowship with other students who are committed to making a difference through public service. The Truman funds a variety of degrees in a number of disciplines. Priority is given not to degrees, but to those candidates who can demonstrate a strong likelihood of a career in the public sector and a desire to be a change agent. 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 such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons or to protect the environment. 

The Truman is a very competitive national scholarship. Each year, the Foundation reviews over 600 applications for the 60 to 65 Scholarships awarded annually. These 600 applications do not include the students who compete on their own campus for one of a school's four nominations.

Benefits.
The Foundation provides:

• Up to $30,000 in support for graduate studies toward a public service-related degree. The Foundation has supported Truman Scholars in many fields of study, including agriculture, biology, engineering, environmental management, physical and social sciences, and technology policy, as well as traditional fields such as economics, education, government, history, international relations, law, political science, public administration, nonprofit management, public health, and public policy;
• Truman Scholars Leadership Week. This event, held at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, introduces new Scholars to the services provided by the Foundation and the many pathways to public service.  Scholars participate in seminars and workshops with distinguished Truman alumni and other public service leaders, a policy analysis project, a graduate school and career fair with representatives from the schools and programs most attended by Truman Scholars, and community service events in the Kansas City area.  This event is mandatory for all students selected as Truman Scholars;
• Summer Institute. Immediately after college graduation, Scholars have the opportunity to participate in a ten-week long Summer Institute in Washington, DC.  The Foundation arranges (paid) internships with government agencies and nonprofit organizations, seminars and workshops, meetings with Washington policymakers and Truman alumni, and opportunities for community building among Scholars;
• Truman Fellows Program. After Summer Institute, Scholars may elect to stay on in Washington, DC for a full year in the Truman Fellows Program.  Scholars are placed in public service jobs – most with the federal government – while participating in a graduate level public policy course, mentoring opportunities, and a community service program.
• 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.

Eligibility.
Each nominee for the Truman Scholarship must be:

• nominated by their current institution of higher education or by their two-year institution if they are transfer students from community colleges or junior colleges. Applications are not accepted directly from candidates.
• a full-time junior-level student at a four-year institution pursuing a bachelor's degree during the 2012-2013 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 2013 and August 2014, a student in his or her second or third year of collegiate study who expects to graduate during the 2012-2013 academic year, or a senior-level student who is a resident of Puerto Rico or the Islands,
• in the upper quarter of his or her class, and
• an United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Resident aliens (green card holders) are not eligible.

A good candidate for the Truman Scholarship meets the above eligibility requirements and also:

• has an extensive record of public and community service;
• has outstanding leadership potential and communication skills; and
• is committed to a career in government or elsewhere in public service, as defined by the Foundation.

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 such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons or to protect the environment.

Service Requirement. All candidates should be aware that the Truman Scholarship has a service requirement. 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.  Scholars who are not employed in public service for a total of three years, or who fail to provide proof to the Foundation of such employment, will be required to repay any funds received along with interest.  The Foundation will have an appeals process for those Scholars in special circumstances.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. Interested students should contact Emily Briley in the Office of Student Fellowships and Research and request that they be registered in the Truman online system. Once registration is complete, students will receive an email with log-in instructions.

The College is allowed to nominate up to four Bowdoin students annually for the Truman Scholarship. The Selection Committee will review the materials listed below, and those applicants deemed competitive will be scheduled for an interview. To be considered, applicants must submit the following materials to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above). Based on these materials and the interviews, the Committee will decide which students will receive Bowdoin’s nomination.

• Printout of completed questions 1 – 14 of the online Truman application
• Policy proposal (approximately 500 words)
• Unofficial transcript (printed off of Bearings)
• Current resume
• Signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver"

The five items listed above can be either hand-delivered to Emily Briley in 113 Kanbar Hall or electronically submitted as PDFs to Emily Briley (ebriley@bowdoin.edu).

• Three letters of recommendation. Recommenders can either email letters directly to Emily Briley or give them to the student in a sealed envelope, in which case the student is responsible for delivering the letter to Student Fellowships and Research by the "Initial Bowdoin Deadline."  Note, one letter writer should address the applicant's "intellect and prospects for continuing academic success, a second writer should speak to the applicant's "leadership abilities and potential," and a third letter writer should focus on the applicant's "commitment to public service."

Materials for the Final Application. Bowdoin can nominate up to four students. If you receive Bowdoin’s nomination, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials. By the Final Bowdoin Deadline:

• The nominee must electronically submit a completed application form, which includes:
  • questions 1 - 14
  • policy proposal (approximately 500 words)
  • official transcript
  • three letters of recommendation
• The Office of Student Fellowships and Research will be responsible for:
  • confirming your eligibility in the online system
  • electronically submitting the Institution Nomination Form

More about the Selection Process. Mid-February 2012, the Foundation will post a list of finalists on their website. Approximately 200 finalists will be interviewed in various locations around the country throughout March 2012. Names of the 60 to 65 2013 Truman Scholars will be posted on the Foundation’s website by the end of March 2013.

Kyle Dempsey '11 
In recognition of his extensive record of public and community service, outstanding leadership potential, and commitment to a career in public service, Kyle received a Truman Scholarship. Awarded to only sixty college juniors in the country, this scholarship provides leadership training, funds a D.C. internship, and grants up to $30,000 toward graduate school. After earning an M.D./M.P.H. degree, Kyle plans to combine a clinical practice with policy work aimed at providing equal healthcare access for all people. (Read more)


For a comprehensive list of Bowdoin fellowship winners, click here.