Keough School partners with Truman Foundation to provide annual global affairs scholarship

Author: Renée LaReau

US Senator Chris Coons, a 1983 Truman Scholar, visits with Notre Dame undergraduates at the Keough School of Global Affairs.

The Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame is partnering with the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation to offer a full scholarship to a Truman Scholar. 

Beginning in the fall of 2022, the Keough School will provide a full-tuition scholarship to a Truman Scholar pursuing a Master of Global Affairs degree. The premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States, the Truman Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students on their records of leadership, public service and academic achievement. Each Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and internship and fellowship opportunities within the U.S. government.

“The Keough School is proud to support an incoming Master of Global Affairs student through its partnership with the Truman Foundation,” said Becca Méndez, associate director of the Master of Global Affairs program. “With many of our graduates already working in prestigious public service roles, the Truman Scholarship enhances our effectiveness as a springboard for future leaders committed to the public good.”

The new scholarship builds on a strong relationship between the University of Notre Dame and the Truman Foundation. Since its inaugural class in 1977, the Truman Foundation has named 18 Notre Dame undergraduates as Truman Scholars.

“For almost 45 years, the Truman Foundation has served as a beacon for public service, inspiring Americans from across our country, and Notre Dame has a rich tradition of supporting its Truman Scholars,” said Terry Babcock-Lumish, executive secretary of the Truman Foundation. “Today, we are honored to begin our partnership with the Keough School to invest in our nation’s next generation of leaders. We are grateful to the Keough School of Global Affairs and the Notre Dame Graduate School for championing public servants at this historic time.”

Truman Scholars are nominated by their undergraduate institutions for demonstrating outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. 

The living memorial to the 33rd U.S. president and the national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship recognizes college juniors who demonstrate outstanding potential for public service. Since its establishment by Congress in 1975, the Truman Foundation has named 3,384 Truman Scholars, including United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (1987); U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (1983); U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch (1986), Dusty Johnson (1998), Andy Kim (2003), Tom Malinowski (1985)  and Greg Stanton (1990); Ambassador Susan Rice (1984); National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1997); and Fair Fight founder Stacey Abrams (1994).

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