The Office of Distinguished Scholarships

UNC Application Deadline - Monday, October 26, 2009.

Juniors headed for careers in public service are encouraged to apply for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Truman Scholarsare "future 'change agents' who have the desire, intellect, and leadership potential that in time will likely enable them to improve the way that public entities-be they government agencies or non-profit organizations-serve the public. Scholars selected as juniors are eligible to receive a total of $30,000 for graduate studies. Applicants must have a strong academic and service record and plan to pursue a graduate program geared toward public service. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, with a GPA of 3.60 or higher.

All Candidates should be aware that the Truman Scholarship has a newly instituted service requirement. Scholars selected from 2005 on 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 Truman funds. Scholars who do not meet this service requirement, or who fail to provide timely proof to the Foundation of such employment, will be required to repay funds received along with interest. The Foundation will have an appeals process for special circumstances.

The Truman Foundation gives priority to master's and doctorate programs in: public administration; public policy analysis; public health; international relations; government; economics; social services delivery; education and human resource development; and conservation and environmental protection. Students who plan to pursue medical or law degrees must make a convincing case that they do so for purposes of public service.

Detailed information can be found at: http://www.truman.gov/.

Eligibility

Prospective nominees must be one of the following:

1. Be in the upper quarter of their junior class, except for residents of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa or the Northern Marianas who must be in their senior class.
2. Be committed to a career in public service.
3. Receive UNC's nomination (see application process below)

Application Information

To prepare for the application process: Read on a regular basis a good national newspaper (possibly Wall Street Journal, New York Times) and a thoughtful periodical like The Economist; take a course or seminar dealing with current public issues; continue community service activities; continue to exercise roles of leadership, even if on a small-scale basis. Candidates should know something about Harry Truman and his presidency

• The Truman application will be submitted online for the UNC internal deadline by noon, October 26, 2009.
• The online application will not be used for the UNC nomination process. Instead, please fill out the sample Truman application found here. Please fillout and print off the first page containing your information. The subsequent pages (2-5) can be reformatted and printed from MS Word.
  
• The below listed materials must be submitted, in hard copy, to the Office of Distinguished Scholarships, 225 Graham Memorial Hall, CB3 3510, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3510, by noon, October 26, 2009.

1. First page of the Truman Application. The answers to all of the questions from pages 2-5.
2. The policy proposal.
   
3. Three letters of recommendation: The Office of Distinguished Scholarships suggests applicants provide this letter, or a version of it, to all those whom you ask to write recommendations.
4. All college transcripts (You may request from the Registrar, at no cost, an internal transcript to be sent to our office in 225 Graham Memorial. Please make this request 5 days prior to Truman deadline. No copies required.).

Selection Process

1. Selected applicants will be asked to attend a campus interview in November TBD, 2009. (Students not physically present at UNC, but in the continental United States, must be present for the designated on-campus interview for the scholarship to which they are applying and for which a UNC endorsement is required. We encourage candidates living abroad to click here for teleconferencing instructions.)
2. All nominees' applications must be submitted electronically to the Office of Distinguished Scholarships by February 3, 2010. Finalists will posted on the Truman web site by February 19, 2010. Finalist interviews are held TBA.

For further information about the application process, please contact Trent Johnson at 843-7757, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Professor Linda Dykstra at 962-4053, or Nick Didow, Chair of the Truman Selection Committee, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it