GENERAL INFORMATION

Public Service Award

The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides an annual stipend of $10,000 for a graduating college senior to pursue public service anywhere in the world. This allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.

Proposals Requested

You are encouraged to develop your own proposal for public service in this country or abroad. The proposal may encompass any activity that furthers the public good. It can be undertaken by yourself alone or by working through established charitable, religious, educational, governmental, or other public service organizations. Your public service proposal should be submitted with your application.

For more information, please review the Samuel Huntington Fund FAQs (pdf).

Selection

Awards will be based on the quality of your proposal, your academic record, and other personal achievements. Semi-finalists will be personally interviewed prior to their selection for the award.

Award

The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend for a one year public service project. $5,000 is awarded at the beginning of the project; and the remaining $5,000 is awarded upon receipt of a six month progress report.

Application Process

Applications (accompanied by a proposal, budget, transcript, and three letters of recommendation), must be post-marked by February 15, 2006. Applicants will be notified by the end of April if they are to be interviewed or if they did not become semi-finalists. The award will be granted soon after the interviews. Application materials can be downloaded from the website following this link: http://www.nationalgridus.com/commitment/d4-1_award.asp

Background

Samuel Huntington was President and Chief Executive Officer of the New England Electric System which later merged with National Grid. He was deeply interested in public service. Following his graduation from college and before attending law school, Mr. Huntington taught in Nigeria. The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award was established by his friends to allow other students to realize similar experiences and to provide public service.

This is an unusually generous scholarship most appropriate for students serious about a career in academia as a teacher and researcher in the arts, humanities or social sciences.  The 100 colleges and universities invited to submit nominations are among the finest in the country; of the 100 nominees each year, 20 are selected.  Holy Cross students have received Beinecke Scholarships at least three times in the last decade.

    An award may be deferred for up to one year immediately after graduation to allow students to engage in volunteer or other activities before graduate school.  Students winning such other awards as Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall or other scholarships are also allowed to defer the start of the Beinecke until those experiences have been completed.  The funds must be expended within five years; they may be used to supplement other sources of support to the extent permitted by the host graduate school.

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