A Good Deal for the Marine Corps and the Marine

Originally published in August 2003 Marine Corps Gazette

The Olmsted Foundation’s scholarship program offers a unique opportunity to study abroad.

The Marine Corps and the Olmsted Foundation recently expanded the opportunity for Marine officers to study overseas. Where previously the Olmsted Foundation afforded three scholarships to the Department of the Navy, one of which might go to a Marine officer, now the Marine Corps will have three Olmsted Scholars per year. Given this expanded number of boatspaces for Marine scholars, it is instructive to review the program to determine whether it is of value to the Marine and, more importantly, if the expanded number of Marine scholars will prove to be of value to the Marine Corps.

The Foundation and the Scholarship
The Olmsted Foundation exists to fulfill retired U.S. Army GEN George Olmsted’s vision that “the greatest leaders must be educated broadly.” GEN Olmsted was in charge of logistics in the Pacific theater during and after World War II. In this capacity it was necessary for him and his staff to interact with officials from around the world, both Allied and not, an experience that convinced him that American military leaders suffered from a lack of exposure and sensitivity to foreign cultures. As the general himself put it:

Putting his money where his mouth was after separating from the Army, he and his wife established the Olmsted Foundation Scholarships. GEN Olmsted’s vision was to train young officers in a foreign language, then send them and their families to immerse in a foreign culture and study at a foreign university. It was his belief that such immersion would build “knowledge and depth of understanding” in the officer corps which he saw as vital for the U.S. military to execute missions in the future.

Nuts and Bolts of the Scholarship
In practical terms, for Marine officers, accepting an Olmsted Foundation Scholarship means 1 year of language training followed by 2 years of graduate studies in a foreign country. The Marine Corps foots the bill for language studies in the United States. The scholar is sent either to the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, CA or has studies arranged in the Washington, DC area through DLI, Washington. The goal of language studies is for the scholar to achieve an Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) score of “two” (limited working proficiency) in speaking, listening, and reading.

Following language studies, the scholar transfers to his target country to begin 2 years of graduate studies. The Olmsted Foundation Scholarship, at current levels, provides the Marine with $8,500 per year for 2 years. This money pays tuition at a school in the target country as well as educational travel expenses is the region. There is also a $1,500 stipend for additional language training while in the target country. The spouse rates an additional $1,000 for that purpose.

While the goal of the program is for the scholar to obtain a master’s degree in a liberal arts discipline, it is the rare scholar who can complete the requirements for a master’s degree in a foreign language. Realistically, someone trained to an ILR score of two is barely able to read a newspaper in the target language, a level of proficiency that makes graduate studies a real challenge. However, the charter of the Olmsted Foundation only calls for a “broadly educated” officer, not necessarily one who achieves a graduate degree. What is expected by the Foundation is that the scholar becomes immersed in the culture and language of the target country so as to develop a fuller appreciation of that country and region.

Should the scholar not complete his degree while overseas, as an added benefit the Foundation offers an additional grant of $2,500 for the advanced degree program. This grant is made to an Olmsted Scholar who later in his career qualifies for the Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (TA) Program and in pursuit of a graduate degree. The grant will pay for night school and correspondence courses and makes up for those expenses not covered by TA.

Responsibilities of the Scholar
Once in the scholarship program, the scholar is essentially on his own. During language training the scholar is responsible for obtaining acceptance to a graduate school in the target country and for arranging housing. The scholar may be responsible for coordinating with DoD to establish an overseas housing allowance for his locale. He must collect the data himself and forward it to the DoD per diem committee so they may set the rates. The officer is responsible for finding a school for his or her dependent children and arranging for the DoD education activity in the theater to pay. In many cases there is an Embassy or Consulate where the scholar will be attending school who can offer assistance. Most helpfully, there are active or retired scholars in the country or region who are more than willing to help, but sometimes, especially as Marines head places where there has never been a scholar, the scholar’s only resource will be himself.

Who Is Eligible and How To Be Selected
Applicants must negotiate a two-stage process. The first stage is the Marine Corps selection procedure. Those active duty, unrestricted, regular officers with 3 to 11 years commissioned service are eligible to submit a package for consideration. In the spring, the International Affairs Program Office releases a Marine administrative message soliciting applications. Those who apply must display “superior scholastic ability,” a quality that the screening board determines based on college transcripts, defense language aptitude battery scores, and scores from the Graduate Record Exam. The board also looks for “exceptional military performance,” evidenced by superior fitness reports.

The names of those Marines selected by the Marine board are forwarded to the Olmsted Foundation Board, who brings all finalists to their offices in Falls Church, VA for face-to-face interviews. Following the interviews, this board, composed largely of former Olmsted Scholars from all Services, selects the Marines who will receive scholarships.

Both boards closely consider an essay written by the applicant detailing why he or she wants to be an Olmsted Scholar. This is a crucial piece of gear. Potential applicants, when preparing this essay, should carefully study the “Summary of Program,” “Statement of Donor,” and “Olmsted’s Biography” located on the Olmsted Foundation web site at www.olmstedfoundation.org. These documents are rife with statements about the importance of education to leadership and the necessity for an effective officer to have an understanding of foreign cultures. There is nothing in them about career progression or being competitive versus one’s peers.

Career Implications
Even given the fact that both boards frown on applicants who focus on career considerations, nonetheless, no sane officer would make decisions that will entail 3 years away from the Operating Forces and an additional 6-year commitment without at least giving some consideration to his career. This is especially true given that there is a perception among some officers that accepting an Olmsted Foundation Scholarship is a career killer.

First, some empirical analysis. Since 1960 there have been 33 Marine Corps Olmsted Scholars. The vast majority, 25 of 33, had combat arms military occupational specialties (MOSs) or came from the cockpit. Eighteen of thirty-three are Service academy graduates (one attended the Air Force Academy), although this trend has not been as pronounced in the last 26 years. All but three studied in European countries. Of the remaining scholars, one studied in Morocco, one in Taiwan, and the other in China.

The most telling statistic, for those officers who might think that accepting a scholarship is a career killer, is the following: 17 of the 33 Marine scholars were promoted at least to lieutenant colonel. Of the 16 remaining Marines, 11 are currently active duty majors or captains, and 4 were killed as majors on active duty.

The empirical data points to a couple of positive trends. Promotion in the past was assured, although that will not necessarily be the case in the future. New scholars can take heart in these promotion numbers but must consider the importance of career timing. Although officers are eligible to apply after 3 years of commissioned service, monitors recommend that the Olmsted Foundation Scholarship should fit into the officer’s career where a “B” billet otherwise would go. Those familiar with promotion boards have also remarked that the boards do not look favorably on Marines who go from a B billet to some type of special program or vice versa. A Marine who stays away from the Operating Forces and his MOS for 5 years or more will likely have problems in a promotion board.

Potential scholars must also carefully consider their language choice and target country. Marine scholars can no longer count on studying French and heading to Strasbourg. The Marine Corps and the United States increasingly are concerned with regions beyond Europe. There is a real need for officers with experience around the world. President Bush told the Japanese Diet in 2001 that “America . . . is a Pacific nation, drawn by trade and values and history to be a part of Asia’s future.” Gen James L. Jones recently said that: