The Olmsted Scholar Program

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 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 when Col Bill McKeever (USAF, Ret.) attended the University of Belgrade. GEN John Abizaid (USA, Ret.) became the first Scholar to study in Arabic when he attended the University of Jordan in 1978. In 1981 LTC Lonnie Keene (USA, Ret.) became the first Scholar in mainland China at Beijing University, and in 1994 COL Tom Donovan became the first Scholar in Russia, attending Saint Petersburg State University.

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, Army and Air Force and three from the Marine Corps.

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 officers, to include 12 Army generals, 12 Navy admirals, 2 Marine Corps generals, and 14 Air Force generals.

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

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

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 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.

Universities Attended

Olmsted Scholars have attended the following universities, listed by continent and country:

Africa

Egypt

American University in Cairo

Morocco

Al Akhawayn University

Mohammed V University

Senegal

Cheikh Anta Diop University

Tunisia

Mediterranean School of Business

Asia

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan University of Languages

China

Fudan University

Guangxi Normal University

Nanjing University

Peking University

Qingdao University

Renmin University

Shenzhen University

Sun Yat-Sen University

Tongji University

Tsinghua University

University of Beijing

University of Hong Kong

Yunnan Nationalities University

Yunnan University

Yunnan Minzu University

Zhejiang University

India

ITM University

Jadavpur University

Jawaharlal Nehru University

University of Mumbai

Indonesia

Udayana University

Israel

Tel Aviv University

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Japan

Chubu University

Doshisha University

Hitotsubashi University

Keio University

Kyoto University

Osaka University

Ritsumeikan University

University of Shizuoka

Sophia University

University of Tsukuba

Waseda University

Jordan

University of Jordan

Oman

Sultan Qaboos University

Singapore

Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies

National University of Singapore

South Korea

Seoul National University

Yonsei University

Taiwan

National Chengchi University

National Sun Yat-Sen University

National Taiwan University

Thailand

Chiang Mai University

Chulalongkorn University

Turkey

Ankara University

Atilim University

Bilgi University

Bogazici University

Bosphorus University

Cankaya University

Ege University

Istanbul University

Vietnam

Vietnam National University

Europe

Austria

University of Innsbruck

Johannes Kepler University of Linz

University of Salzburg

University of Vienna

Belgium

Free University of Brussels

Catholic University of Louvain

Bosnia and Herzegovina

University of Sarajevo

Bulgaria

Sofia University

Croatia

University of Zagreb

Zagreb School of Economics and Management

Czech Republic

Charles University

Masaryk University

Denmark

University of Aarhus

Estonia

University of Tartu

Finland

University of Helsinki

France

Institut d'études politiques de Lyon

Paris Institute of Political Studies

Paris-Sorbonne University

University of Bordeaux

University of Burgundy

University of Grenoble

University of Lyon

University of Montpellier

University of Nancy

University of Strasbourg

Sciences Po Aix

Germany

Free University of Berlin

Humboldt University

Johannes Gutenberg University

Ruhr University

Technical University of Dresden

Technical University of Munich

University of Augsburg

University of Bonn

University of Cologne

University of Frankfurt

University of Freiburg

University of Goettingen

University of Hamburg

University of Heidelberg

University of Jena

University of Kiel

University of Konstanz

University of Leipzig

University of Munich

University of Regensburg

University of Stuttgart

University of Tuebingen

University of Wurzburg

Greece

Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki

University of Athens

Hungary

Budapest University of Economic Sciences

Corvinus University

Italy

Catholic University of Milan

University of Bologna

University of Florence

University of Milan

University of Padova

University of Parma

University of Siena

Latvia

University of Latvia

Lithuania

Vilnius University

Montenegro

University of Montenegro

Netherlands

University of Amsterdam

University of Groningen

University of Leiden

Norway

University of Bergen

University of Oslo

Poland

Adam Mickiewicz University

Jagiellonian University

University of Gdansk

University of Warsaw

Portugal

University of Coimbra

Technical University of Lisbon

Romania

Bucharest University of Economic Studies

Babeș-Bolyai University

University of Bucharest

West University of Timisoara

Russia

European University of St Petersburg

Moscow State University

Saint Petersburg State University

University of St Petersburg

Serbia

University of Belgrade

Slovakia

Comenius University

Slovenia

University of Ljubljana

Spain

CEU San Pablo University

Complutense University of Madrid

University of Cadiz

University of Deusto

University of Granada

University of Madrid

University of Navarra

University of Salamanca

University of Zaragoza

Pompeu Fabra University

Sweden

Stockholm University

University of Uppsala

Switzerland

University of Geneva

University of Lausanne

University of Neuchatel

University of St Gallen

University of Zurich

Ukraine

National Aviation University

National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Ukrainian Catholic University

United Kingdom

Oxford University

North America

Costa Rica

University of Costa Rica

Mexico

El Colegio de Mexico

Monterrey Institute of Technology

National Autonomous University of Mexico

Universidad Iberoamericana

University of Guanajuato

South America

Argentina

University of Belgrano

University of Buenos Aires

Cordoba University

University of Cuyo

Torcuato di Tella University

University of Tucuman

Brazil

University of Brasília

Federal University of Santa Catarina

Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

University of São Paulo

Chile

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Ecuador

Pontifical Catholic University

Peru

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Uruguay

University of the Republic

Venezuela

Central University of Venezuela

Simón Bolívar University