Harry S. Truman would be proud of the Utes.
Three U students were selected as finalists for the 2009 Truman Scholarship, a prestigious award that recognizes the nation’s top undergraduates who show potential in leadership and public service.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation selects one student from each state to receive a $30,000 scholarship to go toward the student’s graduate studies. This is the first year all Utah candidates are U students.
“This is a huge accomplishment for the candidates and for the university,” said Marko Mijic, a staff assistant at the U’s Hinckley Institute of Politics. “It really shows what kind of students the U prepares.”
Cameron Beech, Stanley Lloyd and Patrick Reimherr were selected through a lengthy application process based on their merits in public service and participation.
“I think my biggest desire for the scholarship, in terms of the things it offers, is to get in touch with some of the greatest minds of this generation,” said Reimherr, a senior in political science and economics and president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah. “The ultimate incentive is that you can be so much more effective in whatever realm you go into.”
The scholarship draws the most elite students, but is very selective, even among the top candidates in the country.
“We get incredible students that want to apply,” said Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute. “Many have a 4.0 GPA and have volunteered for everything imaginable, but the winners of the scholarship are those who have a very clear path that can show what they have done and how that has prepared them for the future.”
Jowers, who received the scholarship in 1990, said that the U has produced the past two Truman Scholars from Utah: Bryson Morgan in 2007 and Ingrid Price in 2008.
“There were a number of years where the state of Utah didn’t even get one,” Jowers said. “When I took over as director, it was one of my main focuses to get the U back as a top Truman institution.”
The application process is very rigorous, requiring that each applicant provide a public policy proposal, which is evaluated by both the Hinckley Institute and the Truman Foundation.
“I proposed creating a national plan of action that addresses the problem of sex trafficking,” said Beech, a junior in political science and sociology. “I recommended that President (Barack) Obama use the government agencies involved more effectively, that he provide more resources to state and local governments and that he empower human rights groups that become involved.”
Each candidate has thorough experience and each has plans for public service in the future.
“I think that when people start participating in their community, they’re more invested in the good of the society,” said Lloyd, a junior in political science and speech communication. “I hope I will be in the position in the future to be effective in changing the government to meet the needs of the people.”
Each higher education institution is allowed to submit four finalists to the competition, but the U submitted only three, all of whom were selected by the Truman Foundation. No other Utah schools produced a finalist.
“Most schools participate, but the University of Utah’s selection process is by far the most rigorous,”
Mijic said. “It’s not just about submitting to the Truman Foundation, you have to go through the university first.”
The U stands in high company, placing in the top 10 of universities who produced the most candidates. Only Yale, the University of Texas, the University of Alabama and the United States Naval Academy topped the U, each submitting four finalists.
Cameron Beech
Stanley Lloyd
Patrick Reimherr