HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARS

One of the most prestigious national award that undergraduate students can receive is the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a $30,000 scholarship awarded by the Foundation established by Congress to honor one of the greatest Presidents in our nation's history. Mississippi State University is one of the top fifteen universities in the nation in winning these Truman Scholarships, having won 16. Political science majors account for approximately two-thirds of these awards. Some of our Truman alumni, pictured above, returned to MSU when the Truman Foundation honored us as an Honor Institution. Political scientists in the picture are: (front row, left to right) Brad Sweet, Randall Dong, Shannon Nunnelee, Scott Ross; (back row) Jim Young, Spence Flatgard, and three Scholars from other departments. Our political science department's Truman Scholars and the year that they won these scholarships follow:

Our latest Truman Scholar, Jamie Aron (pictured above) was a Haley Barbour Scholar and also a Presidential Endowed Scholar. A member of the Shackouls Honors College, Jamie was the creator and director of WE Lead (Women Empowered Leadership Conference), an annual conference for high school women which promotes leadership in academia, business, and public service. She studied abroad in Spain and at Oxford University in Great Britain during their Trinity Term in the summer. Jamie was one of three women in the nation chosen to intern at the Andi Leadership Institute in D.C., where she discussed conflict resolution and peace negotiations with women from the Middle East, Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. She also studied at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public Policy and International Affairs one summer. On campus, Jamie was active in the Student Association, serving as Director-elect of Community and Governmental Relations and then as Chief Justice. Jamie was also involved with MSU's annual Mississippi Model Security council, serving as Secretary General. She has served as the undergraduate representative on the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and is a member of the American Association of University Women.

Another Truman Scholar is Aaron Rice, pictured above. Rice, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, suffered the loss of the lower part of his leg when his Humvee hit a land mine. Now active with the use of prosthesis, Rice says the experience "forced me to grow up." He continued: "My military service, my resulting injuries, and the fact that I'm married have given me a more mature outlook." He said that the Truman application process and interview preparation process are rigorous and "you have to be willing to make the commitment." A member of MSU's Shackouls Honors College, Rice has served as Student Association attorney general, and was also among only 30 students selected for the inaugural class of the campus-based Appalachian Leadership Honors Program, which was established last year by MSU President and former 4-star general, Doc Foglesong.

Amanda Stamps was another outstanding Truman Scholar. The daugher of two public school teachers, this Mississippian so impressed the Truman Selection Committee that they awarded her the scholarship after only a 13 minute interview. A straight-A student, Amanda was honored as the 100,000th graduate of MSU. A graduate of the University of Virginia law school, she won the Lile Moot Court Competition. Amanda is an Associate in the Dallas office of Strasburger & Price, L.L.P. law firm.

Jonathan Amacker is another of our Truman Scholars. The executive director of the Truman Foundation told our department's Truman Advisor that Jonathan had really impressed the Selection Committee with his honesty and tremendous potential for growth. Mr. Amacker has served as staff assistant to Congressman Bill Emerson of Missouri, as Special Assistant for Communications and as Deputy Speechwriter for Virginia Governor George Allen, and as Assistant Director of Communications for Virginia Attorney General Mark L. Earley. He is a graduate of the MBA program at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Another Truman Scholar whom I worked with was Brad Sweet. Active in the MSU Student Association, Brad successfully worked to ensure that all students were fairly represented by the SA, including those who are not members of powerful groups. In his junior year, Brad was not only selected as a Truman Scholar but was also elected President of the Student Association. As President, Brad was successful in extending the hours of the library until 2 AM, in order to better serve the needs of students. He has served as a staff assistant on the Senate Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, and studied in graduate school at Georgetown University in the National Security Studies Program.

Our 2nd most recent Truman Scholar is Jennifer Phillips, pictured above. A member of the University Honors Program, the Mississippi Model Security Council, and the Starkville Election Commission, Jennifer participated in a conference of the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague, Netherlands. A leader of MSU's Air Force ROTC program, she has been commissioned into the Air Force as a second lieutenant.

Our other Truman Scholars have also become actively involved in public affairs. All participate in a Leadership Week held at the Truman Library, sponsored by the Truman Foundation, where they meet prominent leaders and are recruited by top schools across the nation. Amanda Stamps was even able to meet with former President Jimmy Carter at that event.

MSU has been designated as an Honor Institution by the Truman Foundation.

To learn more about the Truman Scholarship, and how you can compete for it, click here.

The Truman program at MSU is administered by the Shackouls Honors College. Just visit the webpage of the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships.

For a partial list of our university's Truman Scholars and Finalists, nearly all of whom are political science students, click here.