ANALYSIS: The payer- funded Truman Scholarship largely selects center- left students. When asked why this might be, liberals responded with various responses.
Just about 6 % of recipients of the Truman Scholarship are traditional or in favor of center-right reasons, according to statistics from The College Fix for ten years.
But why this may get remains a cause of dispute.
His experience with the University of Dallas ‘ Truman Scholarship was described as” a very positive one.”
In the portion of the selection process in which I’m engaged, Professor Charles Sullivan stated via email that he found no discrimination in the kids chosen.
According to Sullivan, the scholarship perhaps appear biased because of liberal student’s interests and preferences.
The Catholic university’s mentor told The Fix,” To have any chance at a Truman, the projects may include a community- or open service dimension.”
” For a traditional school like ours, this presents a problem. Because our more engaged kids prefer political political discourse, and the Truman is not political, Sullivan said. Individuals who do accept themselves as conservatives will enjoy the Truman Fellowship, in my opinion. The Truman can therefore be very supportive of traditional students who engage in group service.
According to him, he reported to The Fix that the University of Dallas has had one awardee and one winner, which is an approximate 25 % achievement level. Sullivan reported that despite having nothing in 2024, he typically has one candidate per year.
Given the rigorousness of the software and the applicant-level of the student applicants, he claimed that the success rate was “quite remarkable.” He even noted that the Truman periodically reviews software and that he frequently reaffirmed the Fellowship’s reasons for rejecting applicants.
Sullivan told The Fix that he had observed that some liberal students had trouble getting help from his advisor work.
Our students typically come from very respectable and pious backgrounds, he said, and they’re also reluctant to request letters of recommendation from famous people. ” Perhaps my most challenging job as an assistant is convincing potential deserving students to ask for endorsements for interesting work, especially if those endorsements allow them to carry on their work.”
Sullivan cited additional factors that contributed to the absence of conventional applicants.
” The application is demanding and, in my experience, not all individuals who start, complete. But much, much, much better to have a thorough process that is the same for everyone”, he wrote in his message.
He also made note of the fact that the biases between traditional faculty and the university’s interests can affect how many traditional nominees are chosen.
” The University management is never, in my opinion, especially interested at existing, in promoting prestigious fellowships and scholarships. He said that it is probably more interested in simply keeping admissions at a level that makes the University financially viable. “]T] o been sure, little depends on the approach of the faculty advisor. There wo n’t be much interest and success if a faculty advisor just assumes the Truman is somehow biased and puts in little effort.
” My own impression is that traditional faculty members can make quite summary presumptions”, he said. ” I did not”.
According to a former official from the Department of Education, the Truman Fellowship exhibits” structural” discrimination.
There are “major, widespread leftwing prejudices to core out” of the Truman Fellowship, according to a former deputy assistant secretary for higher education.
In an email to The Fix, Adam Kissel wrote that” the Truman Foundation publicly seeks” change brokers,” which is a significant bias toward liberal and progressive candidates. He is currently for the Heritage Foundation working on issues relating to higher learning.
” The system privileges those who plan to turn to ‘ lobbying.’ Applicants may want to go into public company, which is biased to the left”, he said.
” Effective applicants even seem more likely to occur from wealthy colleges, which are really remaining- biased”, he said.
” One of the agency’s test reactions is about’ earnings inequality.’ For these several grounds, I am never surprised that the Truman Fellowships are thus unbalanced”.
According to Kissel, the Truman Scholarship’s certifications are also biased in favor of.
” The system privileges candidates who will do MPA/MPP, JD, MEd, MIA, MSW, or MPH levels, which are significantly biased to the left”, he said. ” Seeking an MBA is a dismissal. The Truman software should not be backed by the federal government. Congress should cease favoring those who work in the so-called common service over those who support society.
Individuals seeking MBAs or MDs are not given priority by the Foundation unless they can display a compelling public policy or public health interest, according to a Notes for Advisors website.
Fellowship reacts to concerns about discrimination, little college troubles
One little school claimed that the procedure required a lot of work.
” Nine or so years ago, we nominated a candidate who had not been chosen.” It is a lot of work for an implausible outcome”, Jeffrey Thornhill, the Truman assistant at Patrick Henry College, wrote in an email to The Fix.
In contrast, some conservative universities are not even aware of the$ 30, 000 scholarship. Franciscan University of Steubenville’s director informed The Fix that the institution had not, to his knowledge, participated. He claimed that the school had no idea about the software.
The Fix contacted another conservative colleges to inquire about their experiences with the system. The University of Pittsburgh expressed interest in responding, but it has not yet posted any responses. Grove City College, Benedictine College, Ave Maria University, Wheaton College ( IL), Liberty University, Belmont Abbey College, and the University of Notre Dame did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The Fix emailed the Truman Fellowship’s executive director to inquire about the challenges facing little schools and the gap between the award recipients.
In an email to The Fix, Terry Babcock- Lumish wrote,” We have long been sensitive to modest and resource-constrained institutions ‘ issues in supporting prospects for the Truman Scholarship.” To promote knowledge sharing and to reduce barriers to entry,” We work closely with organizations like the National Association of Fellowships Advisors.”
She assisted Al Gore in writing two novels while recently working in the Clinton White House. The Gates Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative were among her consulting customers.
” We offer a lot of information online that is accessible to everyone. We also join in a mentoring program, which pairs universities with less technical assistance with more top advisors thanks to Babcock- Lumish’s remarks. The” Truman Scholars themselves” are also effective in assisting candidates.
” There is always more work to be done,” says my workers,” but I’m still very willing to help new institutions in the process.” We think this produces tangible outcomes: almost every time, a Truman Scholar is first discovered at a university. In 2024, there were three fresh organizations, and in 2023, there were six”.
Babcock- Lumish said that the collection process is entirely based on an individual’s responsibility to “public- service” and “leadership potential”.
” The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation’s demanding selection process is based only on candidates ‘ demonstrated commitment to public services, leadership ability, and intellectual excellence”, she wrote. “]T] he Truman Foundation has encouraged people committed to intentional, patriotic leadership to participate”.
She did not respond to a follow-up message from The Fix asking if the base would conduct an investigation into the differences.
Two Republican Truman Board of Trustees people did not respond to numerous letters and phone calls to inquire about their plans to look into the differences. Senator Jerry Moran and Congresswoman Kay Granger’s headquarters both ignored numerous requests for comment.
However, other Democratic staff have pressed for solutions.
Republicans are “alarmed” by the” sharp political wobble.”
Virginia Foxx, Robert Aderholt, and Burgess Owens, members of the Truman Fellowship, wrote in a text to the Truman Fellowship,” We are alarmed that an allegedly non-partisan award features like a dramatic political tilt.”
The Truman Foundation was established by Congress and is funded by the citizens in order to award “scholarships to people who demonstrate excellent potential for and who intend to pursue a career in public company,” they wrote in the email. We refute the notion that only democratic individuals show “outstanding potential” in the classroom.
For the years 2021 to 2023, they noted in the text that” n]ot a single win professed interest in triggers like defending the Second Amendment or protecting the rights of the newborn.” ” By comparison, the Foundation selected at least 74 winners affirming interest in a democratic cause”.
What are the steps you’re taking to attract a more ideologically diverse pool of nominees, as well as “assess the efficacy of the Truman program”?
Babcock- Lumish criticized the research methods employed, and disputed the findings made in the letter from the Congressional office.
” During the application and interview process, we have no knowledge of applicants ‘ ideological orientations, unless they explicitly share them”, she wrote.
” If we witnessed discrimination, we would put an immediate stop to it, regardless of whether it was viewpoint based or otherwise”.
The Committee on Education and the Workforce’s representative informed The Fix in an email that Babcock- Lumish’s letter “downplayed legitimate concerns.”
” Dr. Babcock- Lumish’s letter downplayed legitimate concerns about partisan bias in the Truman program and did little to allay the Committee’s fears. The Committee will undoubtedly continue to monitor this issue.
MORE: For the tenth year in a row, Truman Scholarships were overwhelmingly awarded to progressive students.
IMAGE: Truman Scholarship Foundation
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