The Office of High-Impact Practices (OHIP) is pleased to announce UCO student Ainsley Martinez has been selected as a Finalist for the 2023 Truman Scholars. Ms. Martinez is a Journalism major from Edmond, Oklahoma, and plans to pursue a degree in Journalism from Columbia University.

Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Each Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.

Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of our 33rd President by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, President Truman embodied this commitment to the future of public service by asking Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For almost a half-century, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled that mission: inspiring and supporting Americans from diverse backgrounds to public service. Award decisions for the Truman Scholars are made in April. 

“Ms. Martinez has established herself as a change agent on our campus,” said Dr. Michael Springer, Director, Office of High-Impact Practices. “She discovered her passion for journalism and law at an early age, and has found a way to use those passions to serve underrepresented communities in Oklahoma. I am pleased that the Truman Foundation recognizes this remarkable member of our UCO community.”

The Truman Scholars program is administered at UCO through the Office of High-Impact Practices. Visit the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation website to learn more or contact Dr. Michael Springer (mspringer@uco.edu), Director, Office of High-Impact Practices.

The Office of High-Impact Practices (OHIP) is pleased to announce UCO alumna Elizabeth Dahl (BA History-Museum Studies, 2016; MA History, 2018) has been selected as a Semi-Finalist for a Fulbright Research/Study Grant, advancing to the final round of selection for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

I am so pleased for Elizabeth, and wish her the best of luck in the final selection process,” said Dr. Michael Springer, Director, Office of High-Impact Practices. “Fulbright awards are a great opportunity for UCO students, who engage with Global Competencies as a part of the university’s six tenets of Transformative Learning. Our students are encouraged to engage with global perspectives and to develop tools to adapt to a continuously changing global society.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at UCO through the Office of High-Impact Practices. Visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program site to learn more or contact Dr. Michael Springer (mspringer@uco.edu), Director, Office of High-Impact Practices.

The Office of High-Impact Practices values and sincerely appreciates our faculty mentors. In an effort to help you with mentoring at UCO, we have created a guide on our website for faculty mentors to help if you are a new or experienced mentor. Check out the guide and learn more: Faculty Mentor Resources.

The new guide includes sources on recruiting students, best practices, and information to help with UCO info.

Let us know if there is anything you would like to see added.