In 1974, Wheaton College and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association embarked on an ambitious project – The Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. While the beginnings of construction on the expansive College Ave building was the most visible sign of the new plans, the purpose of the Center was fixed not in a building but in the diverse work of the global church. As a 1976 slide presentation promoting the Graham Center outlined, “The three basic goals of the Billy Graham Center are, first, to advance Biblical evangelism and to contribute to world evangelization. Second, to cooperate as widely as possible with all evangelical Christians in advancing world evangelization in every possible way, and third, to reflect and extend the evangelistic ministry of Billy Graham.”

Integral to plans for “advancing world evangelization” at the new Billy Graham Center (BGC) was the desire to support students “who will go from the Center with the Gospel of Jesus Christ into foreign missions, evangelistic organizational leadership, humanitarian efforts, and so many, many more wonderful ministries.” This vision took tangible form through initiatives like the BGC Scholarship program, which aimed to equip international students for global ministry leadership. In the fall of 1975, international students from South Africa, Kenya, and Australia received the first BGC Scholarship funds to begin their studies in the Wheaton College Graduate School.