Jonathan Adler of Albany, N.Y., a junior in Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, is one of 75 students selected from a national pool of 657 candidates nominated by 332 colleges and universities for a prestigious Truman Scholarship.
Truman scholars receive up to $30,000 -- $3,000 for their senior year of undergraduate education and up to $27,000 over three years for graduate studies. In addition, they have the opportunity to participate in leadership development programs and have special opportunities for internships and employment with the federal government.
Adler is the 15th Cornell student to be chosen for the award since the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the official federal memorial to honor the 33rd president. The Truman Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for juniors with outstanding leadership potential. The award provides funding for graduate school as preparation for a career in government or public service.
Cornell President Hunter Rawlings said, "It was a real pleasure to call Jonathan Adler and personally inform him of the news. His commitment to academic excellence and his dedication to public service represent the finest qualities of students at Cornell. He is certainly very deserving of this award, which is an honor for Cornell as well as Jonathan."
Adler, a Cornell Tradition fellow, has sustained a broad range of public service responsibilities while placing high on the dean's list every semester. In his role as labor coordinator for the Office of Career Services, he has worked tirelessly to get jobs and internships in labor for ILR students. He is a respected coalition builder for the Cornell Organization for Labor Action and a leader in the dynamic Students Against Sweatshops movement.
Adler received the Congressman Clem Miller Scholarship, awarded by the ILR School, to work in Washington, D.C., with a member of the House of Representatives this summer. He also received the Cornell Tradition Class of 1993 Fellowship as well as the Barnett P. Goldstein Scholarship at Cornell. A certified New York State Emergency Medical Technician, Adler volunteers with Cornell Emergency Medical Services. Last summer, under his own initiative and through the sponsorship of Cornell Tradition, he secured an internship with the Trades Union Congress in London.
In addition to his work last summer with the Trades Union Congress, Adler participated in the 1998 Union Summer program sponsored by the AFL-CIO in New Orleans. In New Orleans, Alder worked alongside students and labor activists to help organize a campaign for 8,000 hotel workers with the Service Employees International Union Local 100.
"It was something I did to gain an overview of the labor movement," Adler said. "I helped with information gathering, and I spoke with workers to get a better understanding of the problems that exist. It was a moving experience."
Adler expressed profound gratitude to the faculty, graduate students and professional staff who helped encourage and prepare him for the rigorous Truman interviews. During the month that followed his selection as a finalist for the scholarship, Beth Fiori, fellowship coordinator with the University Career Center, arranged two mock interviews a week.
"First it was just the two of us, then we were joined by Malaika Eaton, a Truman Scholar and now a law student at Cornell," Fiori said. "After Malaika and I grilled Jon a few times, he faced several panel interviews. It was so gratifying to see support from various parts of the university rally on behalf of Jon's endeavors."
Among the panel interviewers were people who recommended Adler for the scholarship and others, including: Risa Lieberwitz, associate professor of collective bargaining, labor law and history; Alan Mathios, associate professor of policy analysis and management and a member of Cornell's Truman Scholarship Endorsement Committee; Karin Ash, ILR Career Services director; and Catherine McCann, assistant director in the Career Center.
Adler credits ILR Director of Labor Education Research Kate Bronfenbrenner, Lieberwitz and ILR Professor Cletus Daniel as inspirational in helping shape his academic career in the direction of labor and public service.
In May, Adler will participate in the Truman Scholars Leadership Week at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. His plans for the future include working in the labor movement and, ultimately, pursuing a joint J.D. and graduate degree in public affairs.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |