Nationally Competitive Scholarships: Serving Students and the Public Good

Foreword

Foreword In the summer of 2005 at the third biennial conference of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors (NAFA), we honored our roots with the title “Serving Students and the Public Good: Contexts for Fellowship Advising.” Prior to 2000 the Truman Foundation, with its legacy of acknowledging the vital role of public servants in our society through its awards, served the scholarship advising community by organizing conferences that allowed us to learn from each other and foundations about how to serve students as they negotiated the award processes. A by-product of these events was discovering the many award winners who had gone on to roles in serving their communities and their fellow humans in a variety of contexts. In addition to well-known scholarship winners like former President Bill Clinton and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, there are many others working as scientists, lawyers, doctors, activists, educators, and in elected positions. Learning the scope of contributions made by so many who had come through scholarship processes, with and without awards, made a strong impression on me. When I meet intelligent students with ambitious goals and work with them through application processes, I am reminded that our work can help reinforce student commitment to contributing to the public good as they continue their education and eventually embrace careers. With a great debt to the Truman Foundation, NAFA was officially launched in May 2000 as it became clear to many advisors that despite the competition between us, we all valued the community and opportunity to share what unites us—a desire to help students achieve their goals. We now have a biennial national conference, summer workshops in the off year, an active listserv and bulletin board, and these proceedings. We have also organized three higher education symposia in the United Kingdom with the help of foundations and universities there. NAFA’s mission makes it clear that our goal is more than simply encouraging advisors to share: xii McCray_FM.qxd 6/26/07 5:18 PM Page xii The purpose of the NAFA is to provide its membership with access to necessary information concerning national undergraduate and graduate grants, scholarships, and fellowships and the foundations that support them, and to provide a format for the exchange of ideas concerning the scholarship process, the foundations, and the ethical issues surrounding the advising process. The long-term goal is to provide information support for faculty and staff who are assisting students through the complex process of applying for these awards. In these pages, NAFA members and invited guests have addressed the intersection of fellowships and the public good in multiple ways. Dr. Richard Light, author of Making the Most of College, shares his findings from college student surveys of satisfaction with college life, enlightening us about what contributes to a positive college experience. Advisors examine important topics in the development of a fellowships office with focus on working with students and faculty members of various backgrounds, and supporting programs as we serve students. Scholarship providers also reflect on the active civic engagement that so many of their scholars embrace. In addition, our United Kingdom trips are detailed by members who organized them. This collection provides important practical information that is beneficial to advisors helping students apply for major awards. It also includes strategies for building a fellowships office, for motivating students to achieve their goals—not simply awards—and ways to involve faculty effectively in the process.These insights into how we and our institutions can better serve students may ultimately lead to our students promoting the public good to the benefit of us all. Beth Powers, president (2005–2007) National Association of Fellowships Advisors Foreword • xiii McCray_FM.qxd 6/26/07 5:18 PM Page xiii ...