How to Become an Advisor

Our Advisors play a vital role in the success of our competition as a liaison for the Foundation with both candidates and institutions. Without the assistance of our Advisors, the Foundation would be unable to find the diverse, accomplished, and dedicated people we are proud to call Truman Scholars.

If you are a student without an advisor at your institution, you will need to identify someone willing to help with this process as we do not have visibility on every campus of who might be willing to serve as an advisor.  Your advisor can be either faculty or staff. Please check with scholarship or fellowship offices, honors programs or professors who have expressed a willingness to write letters of recommendation for you.  Please review the duties below with this person and have them contact the Foundation for additional information.

If you are interested in acting as the Advisor for your institution, please follow these steps:

1. Check our Advisor Locator to be sure that your institution does not have a Advisor. Each institution can have only one listed Advisor. 
2. Familiarize yourself with the duties of an Advisor: They are responsible for running the campus competition for the Truman Scholarship. These duties include publicizing the competition, recruiting qualified candidates, and assisting candidates with application and interview preparation. Advisors are also the primary contact between the Truman Foundation and their institutions and candidates. These duties include monitoring periodic emails from the Foundation, keeping the Advisor information current, and assisting candidates in their communication with the Foundation. Advisors are solely responsible for ensuring that the Foundation receives a complete application in a timely manner. In some cases, the Advisor may be asked to assist the Foundation with recruiting visits to the institution.
3. For Candidates: Identify a staff or faculty member willing to serve in this capacity. Be certain they understand that they must help any applicant on the campus, not just you. Ask them to review the list of responsibilities listed above.
4. For Advisors: Obtain institutional support for your nomination. Depending on the size and organization of your institution, this may include having an endorsement from the head of an academic department, dean, or university official.
5. Send an email to the Foundation that includes your full name and email address. After your information has been processed, you will receive an automated email with your username and password.