Dear Scholars,

Over the last two months, the Truman Scholar community has become larger and stronger. Sixty 2010 Scholars have joined our community, Scholars from every decade have attended events across the country, and soon, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Truman Scholars Leadership Week with a Reunion Weekend for Scholars from all years of selection.

It is always exciting to watch our community expand. On March 30, Truman Scholarship Foundation President Madeleine K. Albright announced the selection of 60 new Truman Scholars from among nearly 600 candidates. The students come from diverse background and will graduate from some of the country's largest public universities and smallest private colleges, but they all share a commitment to public service. We welcome these talented young people to our community of more than 2,500 Truman Scholars and look forward to watching them advance in their academic and professional lives.

This year, Truman Scholar selection season served as an opportunity to reconnect more Scholars than ever before. In addition to the finalist dinners hosted in many cities around the country, the Truman Scholars Association organized a number of informal meet-and-greet events for Scholars. It was my pleasure to meet with nearly 150 Scholars over the course of my travels for regional interview panels. A number of photographs have been posted on the Truman Scholars Association website. Due to these events, and the launch of this newsletter, Scholars have reached out to let us know what they are up to (see Class Notes) and to contribute pieces to the Truman Scholars Blog (see Harry and Health Care). If you would like to contribute something - an update about yourself or a piece for publication - please reach out to TSA@trumanscholars.org or to me directly. 

The excitement continues to grow with the Truman Scholar Reunion Weekend, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Truman Scholars Leadership Week (TSLW), fast approaching. Scholars from all classes are welcome to attend, and I am proud to announce that at least one other member of the Class of 1977 (besides me) has already registered! For those Scholars who have fond memories of TSLW, either as a Scholar or Senior Scholar, or who've always wanted to see what it's all about, this Reunion will be a great opportunity to experience TSLW, either again or for the first time. We are excited to welcome Jeffrey Toobin (NY '80), noted legal analyst and best-selling author, as our keynote speaker, and to work with the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum to arrange special behind-the-scenes tours for Reunion Scholars. The registration deadline of April 29 is fast approaching, so register right away!

Thank you for all you do to support the Truman Scholars community. I look forward to reconnecting with you soon - hopefully as early as the Reunion in May!

Sincerely,

Frederick Slabach (MS '77)
Executive Secretary
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation

Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, announced that 60 students from 54 US colleges and universities have been selected as 2010 Truman Scholars. They were elected by sixteen independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of 'making a difference.'

The 60 Scholars were selected from among 576 candidates nominated by 245 colleges and universities. Each selection panel interviewed Finalists from a 3 - 4 state region and generally elected one Scholar from each state and one at-large Scholar from the region. Each panel typically included a university president, a federal judge, a distinguished public servant, and a past Truman Scholarship winner.

Each Scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study. Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government. Recipients must be US citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to our thirty-third President. The Foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. The activities of the Foundation are supported by a special trust fund in the US Treasury. There have been 2730 Truman Scholars elected since the first awards were made in 1977.

The 2010 Truman Scholars will assemble May 25 for a leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, on May 30, 2010. For a listing of the 2010 Scholars and more information on the Foundation, see http://www.truman.gov.

Selected statistics on the 2010 Scholars:· 

• 10 attend a small college [undergraduate enrollment less than 2000 students];
• 8   attend one of America’s 50 largest universities;
• 6   attend a service academy;
• 29 attend a public institution.

Dear Scholars,

Last May, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation sponsored the first-ever Truman Scholars National Conference, which was organized by the Truman Scholars Association (TSA). As you well know, the Foundation has been building human capital for social innovation and national service since its inception in 1976 as the federal government’s living memorial to our 33rd president. And TSA has been broadening and deepening the interconnections among Truman Scholars for more than a decade. It seems only natural that the two organizations would work in partnership to further our mutual goals.

The Foundation and TSA continue identifying ways to capitalize on the tremendous energy created by the National Conference and to further strengthen the Truman Scholar community.

This month marks the official launch of two new communication tools we have developed together - the "Truman Scholars Blog" and the "Truman Scholar News" e-mail newsletter. We hope that these will help you to keep informed of what other Truman Scholars are doing and communicate with one another. As these are new initiatives, we are eager to receive feedback from Scholars about what they find most useful and how we may improve efforts to enhance communication.

In addition to online interaction, TSA has begun to organize a series of meet-and-greet events in coordination with my trips to cities around the country for Truman Scholar finalist interviews. Last week, Margaret Hsu (KS '93) hosted more than 30 Scholars in the Washington, DC area at the Tabard Inn for a kick-off event. We hope you will check the schedule of Meet-and-Greets, as well as Finalist Dinners, and join us if you are able. (Click here for more information.)

These events will culminate in May, as we celebrate the induction of a new class of Scholars. All Scholars are invited to attend the Truman Scholars Reunion Weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Truman Scholars Leadership Week in Missouri from May 27 to May 30, 2010. The events will be hosted at William Jewell College in Liberty and at the Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Mo. We are excited to announce that Jeffrey Toobin (NY ’80), noted legal analyst (CNN, The New Yorker) and author of The Nine, will serve as our keynote speaker. (Click here for more information.)

As I interact with Scholars around the country and receive updates via e-mail, I am reminded what an impressive community this is. As I have said many times: Whoever you are and wherever you are on your path in public service, the Truman Foundation is proud of you. And I am proud to be a member of your community.

I hope to see many of you soon at a meet-and-greet event in your community, or in Missouri this May.

Sincerely,

Frederick Slabach (MS '77)

Executive Secretary

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation