Downing Scholars
Overview
The General Wayne A. Downing Scholarship program offers select Army Officers, from all commissioning sources, the opportunity to attend a fully funded graduate education at top-tier universities around the world. Upon completion of the graduate program, officers return immediately to the operational force and do not serve in a utilization tour.
Given the complex and often ambiguous challenges facing our Nation today, it is imperative that the Army develop strategic leaders to address these challenges. The Downing Scholars program contributes to this end through the provision of horizon-broadening educational programs and immersion experiences centered on issues of terrorism, insurgency and other threats to our nation’s security.
Named after General Wayne A. Downing, U.S. Army (Retired), this program seeks to extend General Downing’s legacy to a new generation of officers who will be front and center in the fight against violent extremism. This Downing Scholars program is a result of the vision, generosity and commitment to the nation’s security of Mr. Vincent Viola, a West Point graduate and national business leader.
General Wayne Downing
General Downing retired as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command, having served 34 years in the U.S. Army. Following…
Application Instructions
Specific application deadlines may vary from year to year but tend to be due no later than the first week of September. See the MILPER message for specific details.This program is open to Army officers regardless of commissioning source. Officers must have between three active federal commissioned service years, but not more than eleven years prior to the convening date of the Human Resources Command (HRC) recommendation board. Officers interested in becoming a Downing Scholar must apply and compete for nomination through their respective personnel headquarters and the HRC. HRC will screen all nominations and submit candidate files for final selection. Specific details are available on the HRC AKO website. Mr. Joel Strout at HRC is the point-of-contact for this program his email can be accessed via the Army Knowledge Online portal.
Selections will be made no later than 1 October each year to ensure that candidates have the requisite time to apply to graduate programs for the upcoming academic year. Candidates may apply one year in advance of when they wish to begin school or as early as two years in advance of their anticipated matriculation.
Selection Criteria
The selection committee seeks intellectually inquisitive applicants with superior credentials from their undergraduate programs and their commissioned service. Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential. Fluency in foreign languages is not required for selection. The selection committee will consider the following elements in reviewing applicants' files:
Professional Potential -- The board will closely review each applicant's professional accomplishments as well as his or her professional ambitions. The program seeks applicants who have developed a strong foundation and / or essential skills for their future professional goals.
Academic Strength -- The committee values academic performance and seeks candidates who demonstrate superior intellectual ability.
Personal Characteristics -- Downing Scholars must be individuals of strong character who have proven themselves as both leaders and team players. This program seeks applicants who are well rounded, interesting, and who have the desire to continue to serve the nation. Candidates will submit the following information for selection as a Downing Scholar.
Officer evaluation reports
Nomination packages will contain a minimum of two letters of recommendation from the officer's chain-of-command -- at least one of the letters must be from an officer's present chain-of-command.
Two essays, each no longer than 500 words in length, addressing the following issues: Essay Question #1, "Explain why the Downing Scholars Program is a desired next step in your career. How does this program fit with your short and long-term career goals and why is this is the best program for you at this point in your career?" Essay Question #2, "What do you think you will gain from this program and how will you seek to apply the lessons you learn?"
A proposed course of study. Candidates should indicate what graduate school(s) they desire to attend, a particular program of study, and desired immersion experiences. Security studies, political sciences and international relations/affairs are the preferred areas of study with a focus on terrorism/counterterrorism studies. The Scholar may change the choice of study, with concurrence of the Downing Scholars program, provided that the opportunity to study and the probability of successful completion of the academic requirements are not jeopardized. The selection committee will consider first and foremost the candidates desired program of study.
Notification
HRC will notify the candidates of the outcome of the Downing Scholar selection committee. Upon notification, Downing Scholars will be provided with detailed information concerning funding and other programmatic requirements.
Program Description
The Wayne A Downing Scholarship is a fully funded two year graduate program open to all commissioning sources. Unlike all other Army graduate programs, the scholarship does not require a utilization tour. Upon completion of the program, officers will directly return to operational unit.Applicants will become Fellows at the Combating Terrorism Center and have full immersion opportunities to gain exposure to the U.S. interagency community, foreign counterterrorism efforts, and diverse cultures.
Scholars, in conjunction with the selection committee, will select schools and design an appropriate individual programs of study. These programs while focused on the core issues of terrorism and counterterrorism will allow them to freely explore relevant topic areas beyond the traditional realms of political science and security studies. Scholars are encouraged to also focus on issues of religion, economic development, or anthropology.
Milper Message
1. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE ON 30 MARCH 2012.2. THE GENERAL WAYNE A. DOWNING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY THE WEST POINT ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES (WPAOG) AND AIMS TO DEVELOP THE STRATEGIC THINKING OF TOMORROW’S OPERATIONAL LEADERS BY PROVIDING SELECT ARMY OFFICERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM AT TOP TIER GRADUATE SCHOOLS. THIS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS OPEN TO MALES AND FEMALES FROM ALL COMMISSIONING SOURCES IN THE MANEUVER, FIRES AND EFFECTS (MFE) BRANCHES. THE PROGRAM SIMULTANEOUSLY OFFERS IMMERSION EXPERIENCES THAT EXPOSE DOWNING SCHOLARS TO THE U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM INTERAGENCY COMMUNITY, FOREIGN COUNTERTERRORISM FORCES, DIFFERENT CULTURES AND WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING THE THREATS FACING THE UNITED STATES TODAY. SCHOLARS ARE SELECTED BASED ON THEIR EXCEPTIONAL MILITARY RECORD, COMMITMENT TO SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL. THE PROGRAM SEEKS TO EXTEND GENERAL DOWNING'S LEGACY BY RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING LEADERS TO NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT THREAT BUT TO BE PREPARED FOR FUTURE OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS. OFFICERS SELECTED FOR PARTICIPATION WILL BE APPOINTED FELLOWS OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER (USMA CTC) WHILE IN THE PROGRAM.
3. UNIVERSITIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE LIST BELOW. OFFICERS MAY REQUEST A SPECIFIC UNIVERSITY AND FIELD OF STUDY IN THEIR APPLICATION PROVIDED THE PROGRAM IS RELATED TO COMBATING TERRORISM. HOWEVER, SCHOLARS MUST BE FLEXIBLE IN THE DETERMINATION OF UNIVERSITY AND FIELD OF STUDY AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE WPAOG HAS THE FINAL DECISION ON THIS SUBJECT.
A. U.S. BASED SCHOOLS: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS; GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY NATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM; HARVARD UNIVERSITY, KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT; JOHNS HOPKINS, SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES; SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, MAXWELL SCHOOL OF CITIZENSHIP AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS; TUFTS UNIVERSITY, FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW AND DIPLOMACY.
B. FOREIGN BASED SCHOOLS: KINGS COLLEGE, WAR STUDIES DEPARTMENT, LONDON, U.K.; UNIVERSITY OF ST.ANDREWS, ST ANDREWS, U.K.; QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, BELFAST, U.K.; INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTER, LAUDER SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, HERZLIYA, ISRAEL; NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM SINGAPORE.
C. PROPOSED COURSE OF STUDY: CANDIDATES NEED TO INDICATE WHAT GRADUATE PROGRAM THEY DESIRE TO ATTEND, THE PARTICULAR PROGRAM OF STUDY AND DESIRED IMMERSION EXPERIENCES. SECURITY STUDIES, POLITICAL SCIENCES AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/AFFAIRS ARE THE PREFERRED AREAS OF STUDY WITH A FOCUS ON TERRORISM/COUNTERTERRORISM STUDIES.
4. SELECTION PROCESS: THE U.S. ARMY HUMAN RESOURCES COMMAND WAYNE A. DOWNING SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION BOARD WILL CONVENE ON 28 JUNE 2012 TO SELECT AN UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF CANDIDATES TO FORWARD TO THE WEST POINT ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES (WPAOG) FOR SELECTION OF SCHOLARS. APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS FINAL SELECTION IS MADE, SEPTEMBER 2012 TIMEFRAME.
5. SCHOLARSHIP TENURE/LOCATION: SCHOLARS WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE U.S. ARMY STUDENT DETACHMENT, FORT JACKSON, SC WITH DUTY AT THEIR RESPECTIVE UNIVERSITES. SCHOLARS WILL BEGIN THEIR PROGRAM SUMMER/FALL 2013 AND COMPLETE APPROXIMATELY TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS THEREAFTER.
6. OBLIGATIONS INCURRED: SCHOLARS INCUR A THREE FOR ONE ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE OBLIGATION (ADSO), COMPUTED IN DAYS, FOR EVERYDAY IN PROGRAM (THIS ADSO IS SERVED CONSECUTIVELY WITH OTHER CIVILIAN ADSOS). FOLLOWING THEIR SCHOLARSHIP TENURE OFFICERS WITH BE ASSIGNED TO A UTILIZATION ASSIGNMENT.
7. PREREQUISITES: CANDIDATE MUST
A. BE A REGULAR ARMY CAPTAIN OR MAJOR.
B. NOT HAVE A GRADUATE DEGREE PAID FOR BY THE U.S. ARMY.