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February 1, 2XXX
Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation712 Jackson Place, N
ashin!ton, "# 2$$$%
&'(
"ear Truman Scholarship #ommittee(
) *rite in e+aluation and support o --------- or the Truman
Scholarship. ) ha+e
kno*n ---- or about se+enteen months no*. ) *orked *ith him
closely on a uni+ersity
committee, the #ouncil on "i+ersity and Social Justice /#"SJ0
and he *as a student inmy course, .S. elare Policy last sprin!. )
ind ------ to be a smart, thou!htul and
*onderully en!a!ed student *ith a !reat deal o intellectual
curiosity.
) irst encountered ---------- at a meetin! o the #"SJ, a ne*
uni+ersity *ideor!aniation *ith members appointed by the President
to address issues o di+ersity on
campus. ------*as one o the students *ho had pushed or the
creation o that counciland ) noticed that his leadership *as
appreciated by students and aculty alike. 3lthou!h
he elt 4ust as passionately about the issues the council raised,
he en!a!ed clearly and
articulately *ith all its members, includin! a number o
administrators *ho *ere morehostile to the pro4ect. ------- and )
*ould also meet to discuss strate!y and he *ould
sort throu!h the +arious ar!uments, e5amine them rom a +ariety o
perspecti+es and
keep the stron!est ones.
3s a sophomore in my upper le+el seminar on *elare policy,
-------- *as more
intimidated at irst and more reticent to state his +ie*s. He
came to class *ith a broadtheoretical understandin! o institutional
racism and se5ism but ) ask students to !rapple*ith comple5 policy
details, to !o beyond the rhetoric o either political side and
to
analye ho* policies shape citienship and a sense o belon!in! or
e5clusion. This is
really my most ambitious class because *elare policy is also my
area o researche5pertise. To -------6s enormous credit, he rose to
meet my e5pectations, producin! an
e5cellent inal research paper on innesota6s *elare reorm
initiati+e that *as
comprehensi+e and detailed *ithout losin! si!ht o the lar!er
point. -----ound, ) think,
that he has an aptitude and passion or research and or e5aminin!
the conse8uences opolicy decisions.
9+er time, ) *atched -------- increasin!ly think in terms o
policy desi!n andde+elopment, *hich is a *onderul accompaniment to
his *ork on community
or!aniin!. hether in terms o 3)"S:!lobal health initiati+es or
increasin! the number
o minority aculty on campus, --------seeks to marry acti+ism
*ith action orientedresults. )n act, he returned rom ashin!ton ".#.
this year talkin! about the need or a
student;directed public policy center as a method or transormin!
student concerns and
acti+ism into real policy outcomes at the state le+el. The
proposal is one ) ully support
!i+en that our le!islature con+enes across the street rom our
campus and is ull o sta
