This year over 600 candidates were nominated by over 200 institutions of higher education for the Truman Scholarship, awarded and funded by The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Of the 58 students selected for this prestigious honor, 11 are African American and represent a wide range of colleges and universities across the nation. According to www.truman.gov, “students were selected based on their records of leadership, public service, and academic achievement.”
Here are some details regarding the Truman Scholarship and process:
- The award is for up to $30,000 for graduate study
- Winners get “priority admission” to several graduate schools
- Candidates must be nominated by their undergraduate institution. An institution can nominate up to 4 students. There is often an internal (university level) “competition” process to get the 4 nominations
- Candidates must be in the top 25%of their college class
- Candidates must express an interest and demonstrate a commitment to the non-profit sector or government service
- Winners will participate in a leadership development workshop at William Jewell College in Missouri
- The 11 African American winners represent the following colleges and universities: University of Louisville, Morehouse College, Davidson College, United States Naval Academy, Northwestern University, Wofford College, Seattle University,Swarthmore College, New York University, Vanderbilt University, and Brown University.
More information on the 2015 Truman Scholars including their profiles, can be found here 2015 Truman Scholars
Photo by: jbhe.com (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education)