Contact:

Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821, Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920 or Diane Rawls, (505) 277-7406

April 11, 2001

UNM STUDENT NAMED TRUMAN SCHOLAR

University of New Mexico student and Alamogordo-native John Probasco, a junior majoring in biochemistry, was one of 80 students nationwide named a 2001 Truman Scholar.

The prestigious scholarship carries a $30,000 award including $3,000 for the senior year and $27,000 for two or three years of graduate study. Four UNM students have received the scholarship in the past four years, including two in 1998 and one in 1999.

Probasco, a 1998 graduate and class valedictorian from Alamogordo High School, initially received a Regents’ Scholarship to attend UNM. Probasco plans to continue his education for an M.D./Ph.D. combination degree. He is a past recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship in 2000.

In college Probasco has become interested in the translation of basic science to clinical application and public theory development. He conducted clinical research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., where he has interned for the past three summers conducting research on neurological and stroke disorders. He has also studied a rare form of muscular dystrophy found in northern New Mexico.

Probasco was one of three finalists for the UNM Student Regent position last fall and has served as a ASUNM senator as Chief Justice of the Student Court, in addition to serving on the Elections Commission in 1999. He has also served on the Strategic Planning Task Force and Residence Halls Association committees and has volunteered as a tutor at Jefferson Middle School since 1989.

“John epitomizes the committed, engaged university student,” said Diane Rawls, Truman faculty representative at UNM. “He excels in the classroom, and has been heavily involved in research opportunities since his freshman year. He gives a great deal of time back to his community, both on campus and in the larger Albuquerque area, and is dedicated to using the awards he has received to further his research background in order to solve some of the medical questions facing us in neurology and stroke disorders areas.”

The scholars were selected by 19 independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of “making a difference,” and were selected from among 592 candidates nominated by more than 300 colleges and universities. Each selection panel interviewed finalists from a 3-4 state region and generally elected on scholar from each state, or two at-large scholars from each region. Panels typically included a university president, a federal judge, a distinguished public servant and a past Truman Scholar winner.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd President of the United States. The Foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. The activities of the Foundation are supported by a special trust fund in the U.S. Treasury. There have been 2,099 Truman Scholars elected since the first awards were made in 1977.

The 2001 Truman Scholars will assemble May 20 for a week-long leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and will receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, on May 27, 2001.

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981