Saving the World: The Role of Students in the U.S. Foreign Missionary Movement

October 25, 2011

One hundred years ago, many of America's best and brightest students volunteered to become foreign missionaries. What explains their decision to leave their homes for the uncertainties of life in distant lands? And what are the implications of their experiences for U.S. foreign aid and international education programs today? Terry Lautz is a visiting professor in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and former vice president of the Luce Foundation in New York. He was a public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2010.