The National Signing Day Luncheon held at USC in April looked like any other gathering of talented young stars planning for their future. And it was, except that the stars were academically talented and community minded and the form they were signing wasn't a binding contract.

"Filling out and signing a 'Declaration of Candidacy Form' does not mean that students must compete for a national fellowship in the fall," said Novella Beskid, Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs. "The National Signing Day Luncheon marks an official start of the application process and students' intention to compete for national fellowships."

The goal of National Signing Day is to identify undergraduates who want to participate in national competitions such as the Fulbright, Gates-Cambridge, Goldwater, Marshall, Truman, and Udall. The April 21 luncheon was USC's first such signing event. Approximately 20 students attended; 15 more students who could not be at the luncheon sent in completed forms. The event yielded a total of about 50 applicants, including students applying for multiple scholarships.

"We want to better support our student applicants, particularly throughout the summer, since the deadline for several competitions is usually the Tuesday after Labor Day," Beskid said. "With classes starting in August, this doesn't give students much time back on campus before their application materials are due. Signing Day helps us identify the students who want to compete and then stay in touch with them all summer long."

At the luncheon, each student was given a pen emblazoned with the National Signing Day logo. They also received the knowledge that faculty and staff would be available to help them throughout the summer months.

"At the end of the luncheon, faculty and staff who attended stood up to show the connective network that is available to help students through the application process," Beskid said. "The Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs is open all summer. We welcome one-on-one communication with students, as well as contact by e-mail and telephone. A student's primary scholarship faculty advisor will be in touch several times throughout the summer."

That faculty involvement is key.

"The luncheon gave me one of several opportunities to meet students who are interested in applying, and this improves the likelihood that I can meet and get to know them," said Shelley Smith, a sociology professor and chair of the Truman Scholarship Committee since 1996. "I've been given their e-mail addresses and have e-mailed them, and they will stay in touch with me during the summer, too. But it is truly a team effort. The other four members of the committee--which is made up of four faculty members and one former Truman Scholar--will work with the students, too."

Signing Day participant Thomas Scott is very familiar with that team effort. Recently named a 2006 Truman Scholar, the Honors College junior recalls the rounds of practice interviews he did with members of the USC faculty. In Atlanta for the actual Truman Scholar interview, he found that seven of the nine questions he was asked had been asked of him during practices at USC. He plans to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship and possibly the Marshall Scholarship this fall.

"National Signing Day recognizes that these applications require a lot of reflection about who you are and what you want from a graduate program," he said. "It gets students thinking very early on so that it is not a rushed process later on."

Beskid agrees.

"We take the application process very seriously," she said. "What always hits the headlines are the smiles of our winners, but there are lots of other stories behind the students who apply for these fellowships. There are numerous students who didn't win a fellowship but, through the application process, discovered what direction they really wanted to take in life."

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