Wheaton student wins Truman Scholarship
March 23, 2001
Wheaton junior Fred Marcks is one of 70 college students in the nation to win the Truman Scholarship in public service, announced The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation today. The 70 scholars were selected from among 592 candidates from 303 U.S. colleges and universities.
The Truman Scholarship is a $30,000 merit-based grant awarded to undergraduate students with outstanding academic records to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government, the non-profit sector or elsewhere in public service.
Truman Scholars are elected on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of "making a difference." While all Truman Scholars have impressive public service experience on their resumes, Marcks' is particularly high profile: he is the first recipient of the college's Christine Todd Whitman '68 Fellowship in Public Service, a fellowship named in honor of the former governor's longtime commitment to public service.
Marcks began his fellowship last summer in the New Jersey governor's office of policy and planning and will continue his work with Whitman this summer at her new offices at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC. Whitman joined President George W. Bush's cabinet as head of the EPA earlier this year.
Like Whitman before him, Marcks is a political science major. A town meeting representative in his hometown of Chelmsford, Mass., he was, at the time of his election, the youngest elected official in the state. "For me, the public service standard was set at a very young age, with both of my parents involved in local politics," he said. Marcks is also president of the student government association at Wheaton. "Public service isn't a job, it's a way of life that allows us to make a difference in the lives of others and I'm honored to be recognized like this. I'm also very proud of Wheaton's other honored scholars; this is the year of Wheaton!" Marcks said.
Marcks is referring to several of his college peers who have also received prestigious academic awards this year: in recent months, Wheaton students have been awarded Rhodes, British Marshall and Fulbright Scholarships. Other New England colleges receiving Truman Scholarships today include Harvard, Yale, Brown, Williams and Dartmouth.
"It is a great pleasure to be rewarded like this after so much hard work," said Marcks. "I couldn't have succeeded without the help of so many people from Wheaton, this was truly a team effort." Marcks worked closely with Wheaton faculty members and administrators to complete his application and prepare for a challenging personal interview.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the country's thirty-third President. The Foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. For more information on the Truman Scholars Program, go to www.truman.gov.
Last updated on 3/26/01.
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