Department of Defense

 A “Mentor” is an experienced individual who assists and guides another person’s development. A Program mentor is usually a senior member within the SSO who is a subject matter expert in the Participant’s field of study. A Participant’s mentor may coordinate internship logistics as well as assist the Participant in his/her educational an [..]

"Scholarship-for-Service" refers to programs that provide scholarship funding in exchange for an agreement to complete a period of post-graduation service. SMART is a scholarship-for-service program that provides generous scholarships, cash awards, and benefits in exchange for completing the internship and post-graduation service [..]

A "Participant" is an individual who has applied for, received, and accepted a SMART award. An individual is a Participant throughout the following phases: (1) academic phase, during which the Participant throughout the following phases: (2) post-graduation service phase, during which the Participant completes the post-graduation [..]

A "Recruitment Participant" is a participant who is not employed in a permanent civilian position by the Sponsoring Facility at the time of award. Participants who are employed by the SF in temporary or internship positions at the time of award are recruitment participants.

A "Retention Participant" is a participant who is employed in a permanent civilian position by the Sponsoring Facility at the time of award.

A "Multi-Year Participant" is a Participant whose award length is more than one (1) academic year.

A "One-Year Participant" is a Participant whose award length is for one (1) academic year.

A "Sponsoring Facility" is a particular laboratory or agency within the Sponsoring Service. Sponsoring Facilities review applicants and identify those whose background and interests are a good match for their anticipated personnel needs and recommend those applicants to Sponsoring Services for nomination for an award. It is expect [..]

The "Post-Graduation Service Commitment" is the Participant's agreement to accept a period of full-time employment with a DoD organization after completion of the degree for which he/she received funding. All Participants are responsible for completing post-graduation service. The post-graduation service commitment is usually [..]