The Boren Scholarship Program is perfect for students who are studying critical languages (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian at TCNJ), have an interest in making a contribution to national security, and want to study abroad to improve their language skills and prepare for their future careers. Students often have misconceptions of what the Boren Program is about – this page attempts to introduce students to both the Boren Scholarship (for undergraduate study) and the Boren Fellowship (for graduate study), explain both the language requirement and the service requirement, and provide encouragement for TCNJ students to apply for this financial assistance.
What is the basic concept behind the Boren Awards?
The Boren Scholarship was designed to provide American undergraduates with the resources and encouragement they need to acquire skills and experiences in areas of the world critical to the future security of our nation, in exchange for a commitment to seek work in the federal government. As students of other cultures and languages, Boren Scholars begin to acquire the international competence needed to communicate effectively across borders, to understand other perspectives, and to analyze increasingly fluid economic and political realities.
Boren focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. It draws on a broad definition of national security applied by the President in his annual National Security Strategy, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including: sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.
Boren scholarships are intended to provide support to U.S. undergraduates who will pursue the study of languages and cultures currently underrepresented in study abroad and critical to U.S. national security. Awards are for one school year, semester (term), or summer programs.
The Boren/NSEP service requirement stipulates that an award recipient work in the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, or the Intelligence Community. If, after making a full and good faith effort (according to conditions and rules established by NSEP), an award recipient demonstrates to NSEP that no appropriate position is available in one of these agencies, he or she may work in any U.S. federal department or agency. There is also an expectation that NSEP Scholars will use the language or regional expertise acquired as a result of the award in their work for the U.S. government.
Who can apply?
Any student in good standing may apply for a Boren award, but students who are studying a critical langauge (more than fifty languages are listed on the Boren website) are given priority. Students will note that western European languages such as Spanish, French, and German are not deemed to be “critical,” but there are limited opportunities for advanced students of French or Spanish to apply for the awards. (These students must be at advanced levels of competency, and there is no chance for students to use these awards in Spain or France. Please read the website information carefully if you intend to apply to this program for the study of French or Spanish.) There are also priority subject areas listed on the Boren website.
How do I apply…and when?
The application process is online. Each September the Center for Global Engagement has a presentation about the scholarship competition, and students work from October to December to complete their essays for the competition. Students need three academic references, and the Center encourages students to begin gathering these references early. TCNJ’s campus deadline is December 21, 2015. A campus committee will contact the students in January 2016 and bring them in for interviews. After rating the students, TCNJ’s campus representative will provide students with an opportunity to fine tune their essays for final submission in February. Students learn of their application status in the first week of May.
For more information…
Contact the Center for Global Engagement at goglobal@tcnj.edu for a list of campus conversation partners about the Boren Awards.