Harvard creates new public service programme, as Trump slashes federal jobs

Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government announced on July 17 the creation of a new scholarship programme that will fully fund master’s degrees for at least 50 students with significant experience in the public sector, including the military.

The one-year programme, which will enrol students in the autumn of 2026, is intended to foster careers in public service.

The pilot programme, called the American Service Fellowship, comes as the Trump administration is bulldozing the federal workforce, including laying off many career public servants.

The administration has

dismantled the US Agency for International Development

, a humanitarian relief agency, and

plans to gut the Education Department

.

“At this moment of political division and major challenges in America, it’s never been a more important time to invest in the next generation of public servants,” Professor Jeremy Weinstein, the dean of the Kennedy School, said in the announcement.

Described as the largest one-year scholarship programme in the Kennedy School’s history, the fellowships are valued at $100,000 (S$128,640), covering tuition, fees and an additional stipend.

Harvard did not disclose the identities of the donors who funded the scholarships.

When it comes to higher education, many of the

Trump administration’s attacks are focused on Harvard

, which, it says, has tolerated campus anti-Semitism.

The federal government, in a legal duel over university governance, has stripped Harvard of billions of dollars, tried to stop its enrolment of international students and challenged its accreditation.

The Kennedy School, known for its graduate programmes in public administration and public policy, said it would recruit nationally for the master’s programme.

It hopes to receive applicants from all 50 states and anticipates that half the students will come from the military and the other half from other public service careers, including public school teachers.

The Kennedy School said applicants should demonstrate academic and professional excellence, a proven track record of strong leadership and a “deep commitment to public service”.

Applicants should have at least seven years of service in the US armed forces or in federal, state or local government, which includes teaching and law enforcement, or in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or other full-time civilian service programmes.

Earlier in 2025, the Kennedy School offered career assistance to alumni, a programme started primarily for those affected by the federal layoffs. NYTIMES