The WVU community welcomed Terry Babcock-Lumish, executive secretary of the Harry S. Truman Foundation, to campus Nov. 1 for a discussion about the competitive national scholarship program and the many ways individuals can give their time and energy to public service.
“WVU has been competing for Truman Scholarships since the first awards were given in 1977,” said Jay Cole, WVU Truman advisor and a 1993 Truman Scholar. “The University’s land-grant mission is all about public service, and we were honored to host Terry Babcock-Lumish to celebrate the special relationship between the Truman Foundation and WVU.”
The roundtable was moderated by Azeem Khan, the University’s 26th Truman Scholar who plans to use the award to support his graduate studies and fulfill his passion for public service.
Like Khan, Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Each receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.
Much of the roundtable discussion centered on the experiences of past award winners. Abigail Smith, a 2021 Truman Scholar, urged everyone in the room to “stay inspired,” despite the challenging circumstances around the world. She also stressed the importance of personal integrity when it comes to working in the public service sector, a lesson that she learned as a graduate student at Georgetown University supported by her Truman award.
“I keep a copy of the oath that I took for my job at the Department of Homeland Security in my desk,” Smith said. “To me, it means more than my job itself, and that more than anything I’m serving a greater purpose and serving to hopefully make the world a little bit better than it was before.”
The event also honored the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s surprise defeat of Republican candidate Thomas Dewey in 1948. The WVU Libraries, which hosted the roundtable in the Milano Reading Room, had on display an original Chicago Daily Tribune newspaper from Nov. 3, 1948, featuring the infamous and incorrect election headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.”
For more information about applying for the Truman Scholarship, students should contact the ASPIRE Office.