Louis Blair
A Public Service Professor for all Americans

Louis Blair is a Do-Gooder who understands the power of a scholarship competition to bring out the best among college students who aspire to serve the public. Blair has managed for many years the Truman Scholarship to award each recipient with $30,000 for graduate scholarships among other important benefits. He leverages his position as Director of the Truman Foundation into an opportunity to teach thousands of applicants and potential applicants each year about the life and work of Harry Truman, the value of public service, methods of analyzing public policy problems. 

The students who actually complete their application usually spend about 100 hours doing so (some colleges actually give three credits for completing the application process and a program they offer). Blair reads the 700+ applications personally and interviews, with a distinguished panel, 200+ finalists every year. He serves as a mentor and advisor from there on. He sets the general policy guidelines that have to do with the applications and procedures for deciding on candidates and choosing expert panels to conduct the reviews. And he publishes all kinds of instructional material will help the students learn even more about the value of public service on paper and through the Truman web site.