04/21/2008

Political Science Junior Corinne Keel Named Truman Scholar - Receives $30,000 Toward Public Service Work

University of Kentucky political science junior Corinne Keel has been named a 2008 Truman Scholar and will receive $30,000 to conduct graduate work in areas of public service. Keel, the only Truman recipient this year from Kentucky or a Kentucky college or university, is the 13th UK student to receive the honor from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

"Corinne Keel is a special young woman and student, and we are extremely proud of her," said UK President Lee T. Todd Jr., who informed Keel of her Truman Scholarship in her geology class. "We're excited that the Truman Foundation has honored her achievements in public service with this prestigious award. She will join an extraordinary group of students and future public servants across the nation.”

The Truman Scholarships are national awards given to college juniors who demonstrate outstanding leadership and are devoted to careers in public service. Keel, a native of Louisville, Ky., was among the 65 scholars nationwide selected by the Truman Foundation from 595 nominees for the annual scholarship for graduate study. The scholars represent 55 colleges and universities from across the country.

The last UK student selected as a Truman Scholar was Ryan Quarles, who received the scholarship in 2005.

"I am so proud (and surprised) to have received this honor," said Keel. "I consider it an honor above and beyond the monetary award because this is an award for those who are dedicated to a life in public service. This means so much for me as I pursue my dreams because it validates the fact that I work very hard to be a responsible citizen."

In addition to the scholarship, scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government. Recipients must be U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.

Keel, the daughter of Rudy Keel and Mari Matteis, will join the other 2008 scholars from across the nation for a special awards ceremony recognizing the winners to be held May 18, at the Truman Library, in Independence, Mo.

Keel has been seriously committed to public service since before she came to UK. Upon gradation from DuPont Manual High School in 2004, she decided to act on her passion for issues surrounding poverty by dedicating a year of her life to others serving in AmeriCorps in Washington, D.C.

Her time at UK has been just as dedicated, where Keel continued amassing unique academic and service accomplishments. She received a four-year Provost Scholarship to attend UK and has been named to the Dean's List every semester she has attended the university. Keel is also a Maddie Lee Walker scholar and member of the Honors Program.

Keel was selected as one of UK's Gaines Fellows, where she has used her two-year fellowship to propose and develop a concept for a new Living Learning Community for UK students interested in public service. The community will become reality at the university in fall 2009.

The exceptional student has also kept busy outside of the classroom working with UK's Violence Intervention and Prevention Center and serving as president of the UK Gay Straight Alliance.

“Corinne will certainly be one of the outstanding ‘agents of change’ that the Truman Scholarship Program seeks to encourage," noted Lisa Broome-Price, interim director of the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities. "She doesn’t seek the spotlight, but she is a real leader and team-builder who has already made a difference on and off campus, and she will continue to effect positive change in the world.”

Keel, who plans to get a law degree, wants to be active in the future in seeking public policy solutions. "I see myself beginning in the non-profit sector in criminal justice, then working for the government and who knows … maybe a judgeship someday."

Candidates for the Truman Scholarship were nominated by 283 different colleges and universities. Selection panels, typically comprised of a university president, a federal judge, a distinguished public servant and a past Truman Scholar, interviewed finalists from a three to four state region and generally elected one scholar from each state and one at-large scholar from the region. A complete listing of the 2008 Truman Scholars is available online at www.truman.gov/scholar_listing/scholar_listing.htm.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd president. The foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. Activities of the foundation are supported by a special trust fund in the U.S. Treasury. There have been 2,610 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards were given in 1977.

-- Whitney Hale, UK Public Relations

Photo courtesy of Corinne Keel