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The Olmsted Scholar Program, named after
George H. Olmsted Major General George Hamden Olmsted (March 18, 1901 – October 8, 1998) was an American military officer and insurance executive. Early life George H. Olmsted was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the second of four children of Ernest and Alice Lockwo ...
, awards scholarships to highly qualified, active duty junior officers in the United States military in order to pursue language studies and overseas graduate-level education. Created in concert with the Department of Defense, the Scholar Program provides one year of foreign language training followed by two years of study at a foreign graduate school. The Scholar Program was established with an initial grant from George and Carol Olmsted in 1957. In his original Statement of Donor, Olmsted noted, "Fundamental to the initial purpose of creating the scholarship program is the conviction that the greatest leaders must be educated broadly." Since its inception, the Olmsted Scholar Program has provided grants for over 600 officers, many of whom have gone on to the highest levels of leadership and responsibility in the military, government and private sector.


History

The Olmsted Scholar Program was founded in 1959 by the George Olmsted Foundation (later the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation). Utilizing General Olmsted's initial $80,000 grant, the Foundation's Board of Directors and the Department of Defense authorized the establishment of Scholar Program. The first six scholars were selected in October, 1959 and began their training in 1960 (See Class of 1960). From 1960 through 1970, the program consisted of two Scholars from each
service academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
for a total of six annually. Beginning with the Scholar Class of 1971, the program was expanded to nine Scholars annually with the additional three being graduates of ROTC programs. Since its inception, the Scholar Program has encouraged attendance at universities in countries throughout the world. In 1975 the first Scholar was sent behind the
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
when Col Bill McKeever (USAF, Ret.) attended the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac- ...
. GEN John Abizaid (USA, Ret.) became the first Scholar to study in Arabic when he attended the
University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan ...
in 1978. In 1981 LTC Lonnie Keene (USA, Ret.) became the first Scholar in mainland China at
Beijing University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
, and in 1994 COL Tom Donovan became the first Scholar in Russia, attending
Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
. Beginning with the Scholar Class of 2003, additional funds from General Olmsted's estate have allowed the program to expand to approximately 18 participants per year. While the actual number of Scholars in a given year depends on selection of the most highly qualified individuals, the nominal distribution is five Scholars each from the
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
,
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...
, three from the
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
and one from the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
. To date, over 600 Scholars comprising 57 Olmsted Scholar classes have been selected. These Scholars have been assigned to more than 200 universities in 60 distinct non-English speaking countries. 40 Olmsted Scholars have become
flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countr ...
s, to include 12 Army generals, 12 Navy admirals, 2 Marine Corps generals, and 14 Air Force generals.


Recipients


Inaugural class of 1960

The original class of Olmsted Scholars began language training in 1959 and began their overseas graduate studies in 1960: * ADM Carlisle Trost, USN, University of Freiburg, Germany *LTG Frederic Brown, USA, University of Geneva, Switzerland *COL William Albright, USAF, University of Geneva, Switzerland *COL Richard Hobbs, USA University of Lyon, France *John Karas, USAF University of Göttingen, Germany *Forrest Lockwood, USN, University of Grenoble, France


Later Recipients

*
John Abizaid John Philip Abizaid (born April 1, 1951) is a retired United States Army general and former United States Central Command (CENTCOM) commander who served as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2021. Abizaid retired after 34 ...
*
George Lee Butler George Lee Butler (born June 17, 1939), sometimes known as Lee Butler, is an American retired military officer. He was commander in chief, United States Strategic Command, and the last commander of Strategic Air Command. Following his retirement ...
*
William Douglas Crowder Vice Admiral William Douglas Crowder (born 1952) retired from the United States Navy in November 2009 after serving as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5). Crowder was the 45th commander of the Unit ...
*
Robert McFarlane Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane (July 12, 1937 – May 12, 2022) was an United States of America, American United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps officer who served as National Security Advisor (United States), National Security Advisor to Preside ...
*
Miles B. Wachendorf Miles Benton "Ben" Wachendorf (born 1952 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a retired Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Education and Family Wachendorf graduated with distinction from U.S. Naval Academy in 1974 with majors in mathematics and Soviet ...
*
James P. Wisecup James P. "Phil" Wisecup (born 1954 in Piqua, Ohio) is a retired United States Navy vice admiral, who last served as the 38th Naval Inspector General. Prior to that, he served as the president of the Naval War College. Since October 2013, he h ...


Required qualifications for participation

While the specific qualifications differ by service branch, the following general requirements for participation have been designated by the Olmsted Foundation: *Active duty officer in the
United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
*At least 3, but no more than 11, years of active duty service *Have served primarily in an operational capacity *Outstanding professional performance and promotion potential *Demonstrated scholastic achievement *Approval of respective service career planner/detailer/assignment officer *A commitment to the foundation's goals as evidenced in a personal interview


Application and selection process

Specific application and selection procedures differ by service branch, but generally consist of the following: *Candidate submits application to chain of command for approval ''If Approved by Chain of Command'' *Candidate's application forwarded to individual service's Olmsted Scholar board for consideration (convened in the Summer or Fall) ''If Selected by Individual Service'' *Candidate's application forwarded to Olmsted Foundation for consideration, interview scheduled (interviews held in the Fall or Winter) The Olmsted Foundation's final selections are typically announced in late March. Along with overall selection, it is at this point that Scholars are told in which city and country they will study.


References


External links


The Olmsted Scholar Foundation Website

Navy Olmsted Program NAVADMIN

Marine Corps Olmsted Scholar Article

Marine Corps Olmsted Scholar Program Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olmsted Scholar Program United States military associations Scholarships in the United States 1959 establishments in the United States