Two UA Students Selected as Truman Scholar Finalists

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Harry S. Truman Foundation recently announced that two University of Arkansas juniors in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences have been selected as 2006 Truman Scholarship finalists. Whitney Haynes, a Chancellor’s Scholar from Morrilton, Ark., is majoring in journalism, international relations, and European. Dwayne Bensing, an Honors College Fellow from West Fork, Ark., is majoring in communication and political science. Both students are members of the Honors College.

About 75 Truman Scholars are selected each year. Half of the scholars selected usually come from public institutions. Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation, said that Truman Scholars are selected on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of "making a difference."

Each scholarship provides $30,000 to the recipient to be used toward graduate study. Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at premier graduate institutions. They are also exposed to leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

Scholarship recipients must be U.S. 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. All Truman Scholars are required to work in public service after completing a graduate degree funded by the Truman Foundation.

Applicants must describe a satisfying service activity, a specific example of leadership, a problem in society that they would like to address, their plans for graduate school and more.  They must present a public policy proposal that requires extensive research.

Haynes has been involved in a number of service projects including the Conway County Youth Advisory Council, Alternative Spring Break, and Up 'Til Dawn fund-raiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital. She is currently participating in an internship with the British House of Commons, where she is also planning to conduct research for her honors thesis, a comparative analysis of the level of spin in the United Kingdom and the United States broadcast and print media. She plans to attend the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown for graduate school. After graduation, she plans to join the Peace Corps and on returning she plans to apply to the Clinton School of Public Service.

Bensing serves on the All-University Judicial Board and on Peers Educating Ethical Razorbacks. He is a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and is the co-anchor of “Campus Crossfire,” a political debate show. He was the youngest delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and helped raise funds shortly after his return for a program he called “Democracy on Wheels,” designed to provide transportation to the polls for students who needed it. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Bensing plans to participate in Teach for America. He then plans to attend the University of Chicago Law School. 

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd U.S. President. The foundation has awarded 2,330 scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in public service.

The first UA Truman Scholar was Cindy Jessen in 1978. Previous Truman Scholarship winners from the University of Arkansas include Earnest Brown Alsor, 1990; Lou Green, political science, 1993; Jon Fernandez, philosophy, 1995; Warwick Sabin, political science, 1997; Megan Ceronsky, international relations, 1999; Angela Maxwell, international relations, 1999; Stephanie Gosnell, finance, 2002; and Catherine St. Clair, international business, 2005. 

In 2002, the University of Arkansas received the Truman Honor Institution Award for its commitment to assisting students interested in a career in public service.