The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who are US citizens or permanent residents and intend to pursue careers in these fields.
The scholarship—one of the most prestigious national undergraduate scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics[1][2]—is awarded annually to about 400 college sophomores and juniors out of approximately 1200 nominees.[3] The scholarship is awarded based on merit, and the actual amount given is based on financial need, up to a maximum of $7,500 per academic year. In addition, since at least 2006 until 2018, about 150 exceptional applicants not awarded the Scholarship have been recognized with official Honorable Mentions.[4]
Colleges and universities are allowed to nominate only four of their undergraduate students per year for consideration.
In awarding scholarships, the Foundation considers the field of study, career objectives, commitment, and potential for a significant professional contribution. This is judged by letters of reference, student essays, and prior research experience. The number of scholarships per region depends on the number and qualifications of the nominees for that region. The regions are defined as each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, considered as a single entity, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Leadership
Board of trustees
The board of trustees is composed of 13 members, 8 of which are appointed by the president of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate. No more than four of the presidentially-appointed members may be affiliated with the same political party. These members are appointed to terms of six years, but they may continue to serve on the board until a successor is confirmed.[5]
Four trustees are members of Congress, two members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives. One each of these are appointed by the majority leader and the minority leader of the Senate, and the majority leader and the minority leader of the House, respectively. These members may not serve on the board for more than a total of six years.[5]
In addition, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or their designee, serve as an ex officio member of the board, though is ineligible to serve as chairman.[5]
Current board members
The current board members as of October 10, 2024:[6]
| Position | Name | Party | Assumed office | Term expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | John H. Yopp | Republican | September 26, 2011 | October 13, 2017 |
| Member | Stewart DeSoto | Democratic | January 1, 2013 | August 11, 2016 |
| Member | Dennis DeConcini | Democratic | December 18, 2021 | April 17, 2026 |
| Member | Peggy Goldwater Clay | Republican | April 6, 1995 | June 5, 2012 |
| Member | Joseph M. Green | Republican | December 18, 2021 | March 3, 2028 |
| Member | Charlie Korsmo | Republican | September 26, 2011 | October 13, 2017 |
| Member | Maria E. Rengifo-Ruess | Democratic | September 26, 2011 | February 4, 2014 |
| Member | Vacant | |||
| Member | Kyrsten Sinema | Independent | March 7, 2019 | — |
| Member | Vacant | — | ||
| Member | Glenn Grothman | Republican | December 14, 2023 | — |
| Member | John B. Larson | Democratic | April 10, 2023 | — |
| Member (ex officio) |
Miguel Cardona | Democratic | March 2, 2021 | — |
Nominations
President Biden has nominated the following to fill seats on the board. They await Senate confirmation.[7]
| Name | Party | Term expires | Replacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara George Johnson | Democratic | February 4, 2026 | Maria E. Rengifo-Ruess |
| Paul Herdman | Democratic | August 11, 2026 | Gwendolyn Boyd |
Foundation President and Executive Secretary
The board appoints an Executive Secretary of the foundation, who serves as the chief executive officer of the foundation and carries out its functions, subject to the supervision and direction of the board.[8]
Dr. John Mateja has served as the third president of the foundation since 2016.[9]
Past presidents
The past presidents and executive secretaries of the foundation:[10]
Goldwater scholars by university statistics
The table below represents the top 20 universities based upon the number of Goldwater Scholars they have produced as of March 22, 2006.[13]
| Ranking by Number of Goldwater Scholars | University Name | Number of Goldwater Scholars |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Princeton University | 64 |
| 2. | Harvard University | 60 |
| 3. | Duke University | 58 |
| 4. | Kansas State University | 57 |
| 5. | University of Chicago | 53 |
| 6. | Pennsylvania State University | 52 |
| 7. | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 51 |
| 7. | California Institute of Technology | 51 |
| 9. | Stanford University | 49 |
| 10. | Johns Hopkins University | 46 |
| 11. | University of Virginia | 45 |
| 11. | Washington University in St. Louis | 45 |
| 11. | Montana State University | 45 |
| 14. | Cornell University | 43 |
| 14. | University of Michigan | 43 |
| 14. | Brown University | 43 |
| 17. | Northwestern University | 41 |
| 17. | University of Tulsa | 41 |
| 17. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 41 |
| 17. | University of Kansas | 41 |
| 17. | Yale University | 41 |
Change in number of scholarships awarded, 2019
In 2019, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation partnered with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP) to dramatically increase the number of scholarships offered from the historical average of 15-20% of nominees at the national level to over 40%. This awarded a Goldwater scholarship to all students who would have received an Honorable Mention in previous years.[14]
Changes implemented in 2020
- Nomination materials will now be reviewed by discipline instead of state of residence.
- Four-year schools that present a transfer student as a nominee can also nominate an additional (5th) student.
- Institutions cannot reduce a student's institutionally-controlled scholarship funding after a student receives the Goldwater award.
- The foundation will no longer reduce a student’s Goldwater award if the student receives additional scholarship funding during the same year.[15]
References
External links
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