Duane Horne, Truman Finalist
Earlier this year OSDFA supported and endorsed, on behalf of Rutgers University - Camden, four junior undergraduates to be considered for the 2025 Truman Scholarship. Last month, we received the happy news that Duane Horne (CCAS ’26) has been selected as one of 201 finalists from a pool of 743 applicants. Duane is a proud combat Marine Corps veteran and Bronze Star recipient who, as a justice-impacted individual who has experienced homelessness himself, is addressing barriers and improving circumstances for the veteran community. As a Rutgers-Camden student, Duane is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health science with a primary focus on public policy and health. He is also a member of the Mountainview Community and the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program. Additionally, in June 2024, he joined the Eviction Lab at Princeton University (through the Aspiring Scholars and Professionals (ASAP) internship program) where he is conducting his own research project exploring the homeless veteran crisis. Long-term, Duane is dedicated to improving public health through education and advocacy and aspires to effect change for the veteran community as a senior leader within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Duane will interview with the Truman Panel on Friday, April 4th. Please join us in congratulating Duane on this achievement, and wishing him the best of luck as he continues in the process!
Gilman Recap
Our March 2025 Gilman Scholarship cycle wrapped up on March 6, and we have record-breaking numbers to share! 32 students opened up a Gilman application (a 966% increase since March 2024) and 17 students hit submit on a Gilman application (a 466% increase since March 2024)! Further, more than half of the students who hit submit on the application this cycle worked directly with OSDFA. We are so proud of our students who hit submit & we can’t wait to see where the Gilman Scholarship will take you!
Fulbright 101 / Application Launch:
To celebrate the launch of the new Fulbright US Student application (for 2026-2027), our team is hosting a full week of programming, including social media stories and events, beginning March 31st. We invite you to join us, specifically, for our “Fulbright 101” on Tuesday, April 1st at 5pm in the Camden Campus Center (326 Penn Street), Executive Meeting Room (lower level). We’ll have a light meal available for those who register here.
For those unable to attend in person, we will be hosting a virtual session on Tuesday, April 8th from 4PM-5PM via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 996 9069 0651
Password: 692323
The Fulbright US Student Program has options to engage in research, teach English abroad, or enroll in graduate study. The award is available to anyone who will have a bachelor’s degree as of the start of their program, meaning rising seniors and above (including non-students, graduate students, and others) may apply. If you’re curious about Fulbright, we’d love to talk to you! Our staff supports applicants through every stage from navigating the application to writing and preparing a competitive application. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the Fulbright website and complete our Fulbright Interest Form to learn more. The national deadline to submit a Fulbright Application is Tuesday, October 7th; however the Campus Deadline is Wednesday August 27th to receive full support from the campus committee, so interested candidates are encouraged to act early.
We hope to see you at our Fulbright Week 2025 events. In the meantime, we invite you to check out our featured Fulbright Week blog post, to follow-us on social media (Instagram & LinkedIn) and visit our website to learn more about the other awards OSDFA supports and schedule a time to chat!
OSDFA Celebrates SPARK
This year, the event formerly known as research week has been reimagined and rebranded to include even more incredible works by our campus community. SPARK, or the Showcase of Projects, Art, Research and Knowledge, has a full schedule of events planned for April 7-11, 2025. OSDFA will be participating throughout the week, and we’d love to see you during these events:
Friday, April 11:
Fellowship Friday 2025 – 11:20-12:20pm, virtual
As we wrap up SPARK, the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising (OSDFA) invites you to explore awards that will showcase your creative & scholarly interests with a variety of transformative opportunities! Whether you presented your work during SPARK or you’ve been inspired by observing your peers, connecting with OSDFA is an excellent way to consider opportunities that will get you closer to your goals. In this presentation, we will review some of our priority awards and how you, as a Rutgers–Camden student (or alumnus!) can apply for these opportunities.
https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/94522514628?pwd=pEta2tLhHqZvbSDUg1qz1isbaLxjbu.1
Meeting ID: 945 2251 4628
Password: 759881
Awards to Consider:
Fulbright US Student Program: Opens March 31**
Davis-Putter Scholarship: Due April 1
Samvid Scholars: Due April 16
Schwarzman Scholars: Opens April, Due September
PD Soros Fellowship for New Americans: Opens April, Due October
Public Policy Leadership Conference: Opens May, Due July
** to learn about the campus support process, please submit this brief interest form