Notes to Candidates

IMPORTANT DATES

February 4 - Deadline for Foundation receipt of nominations

February 20 - Deadline for Foundation receipt of Finalist Interview Confirmation

February 21 - Posting of Finalists on the Foundation's website

April 18 - Truman Scholars announced on the Foundation's website

 

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS AND NOTIFICATION OF STATUS
Only on-line submissions will be accepted. The Foundation will not accept printed materials.  Applicants should:

  • Respond precisely to the application questions. Confine responses to the spaces provided.
  • Briefly explain any activities, courses, or honors that readers are not likely to understand.
  • In Items 2 and 3, list your activities in descending order of significance or importance (e.g., start with the one that you believe has been your most substantial contribution).
  • Use Items 7-10 and 14 to reveal your values, interests, and motivation for a career in public service. The Foundation will protect sensitive information. See the website for examples of exemplary responses.
  • Propose a detailed plan for study in Item 11. Name the graduate institutions of greatest interest that are likely to accept you. (Scholars may change their study plans as long as the new plans are consistent with preparation for a career in public service.)
  • Prepare a convincing Policy Proposal. You will have limited space to examine a significant policy issue or problem that is in your intended area of public service as described in Item 9. Present your proposal in the form of a memo to the government official who you feel has the most direct authority to resolve the issue (e.g., President, Cabinet Officer, Governor, Chair of a Legislative Committee). Use no more than 500 words.
  • Your memo needs to define the problem, lay out your proposed solution, and identify major obstacles to the implementation of your solution. Provide statistical data to put the issue in context and to support your recommendations. Cite major sources. The proposal must be confined to the space provided. Any references or footnotes must be presented in the space available, but do not count against the 500 word limit.
  • Alert the Foundation to any unusual circumstances that have limited your activities or affected your grades. Note such restrictions in Item 14 or ask your Faculty Representative to cover them in the Nomination Letter.
  • Make the application and policy proposal neat and easy to read. They should be impeccable in terms of appearance.
  • Work closely with your Truman Faculty Representative. You should gain valuable skills for putting together outstanding applications and for presenting yourself well in interviews. The Faculty Representative can help you develop plans for further study.

The deadline for submission of this application to the Foundation is 11:59pm in your time zone on February 4, 2025.  Your campus will likely have an earlier deadline for submission of materials to your Faculty Representative. You must coordinate with your Faculty Representative to ensure that your materials are received by the Foundation by this deadline.

REQUIRED NOTICES
Privacy Act Advisory Statement. Pursuant to the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579), please be advised: Public Law 93-642 authorizes solicitation of this information that will be used to select Truman Scholars. The information may also be used to publicize your selection as a Truman Scholar. Furnishing the information is voluntary; failure to do so will prevent your consideration for a Truman Scholarship.

Debarment and Suspension Certification. In accordance with Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, as a condition of appointment, each Truman Scholar must certify that he or she is (a) Not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency; (b) Has not within a three-year period preceding this award been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against him or her for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; (c) Is not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in the preceding paragraph; and, (d) Has not had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default within three years preceding the date of the Award Letter.
 

Information collection certification. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The Foundation has estimated the average burden of the collection to be fifty hours per respondent. Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate should be directed to the Foundation.