Two U.S. Senators have proposed legislation the Roosevelt Scholars Act as a way to attract top performing students to the federal government. It is being called the “civilian ROTC.” Below are the details. The full description of the Roosevelt Scholars Act can be found here.
“The Partnership for Public Service is excited to announce that the Roosevelt Scholars Act of 2009 (S. 2789) has been introduced in the Senate by Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The Roosevelt Scholars Act will attract our nation’s best and brightest to work for the federal government. Roosevelt Scholars pursuing degrees in high-skill, high-need fields will receive tuition, room and board, and a stipend, in exchange for a federal service commitment – the civilian equivalent to the military’s successful ROTC program.
Momentum is building, and here’s why it matters:
273,000: Mission-critical positions in federal agencies that need to be filled by 2012
$20,056: Average debt of 2007-2008 undergraduates who took out loans
$47,503: Average total loan debt after completion of a graduate or professional degree program, effectively pricing many of our talented students out of public service.
Over 140 college and university presidents as well as leaders of associations and good government groups have endorsed the Roosevelt Scholars Act. Since Representatives David Price (D-NC) and Mike Castle (R-DE) introduced the bill in the House (H.R. 3510), the list of cosponsors has continued to grow.”