Purdue Joins Clinton Global Initiative Consortium
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Honors College at Purdue University is now part of the Clinton Global Initiative University Network. The university has joined more than 50 other schools pledging $500,000 to support student innovators focusing on global challenges, including education and public health. December 2, 2013
News ReleaseWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Honors College has joined the Clinton Global Initiative University Network, a consortium of colleges and universities that support, mentor and provide seed funding to student leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who are developing solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.
Purdue will provide funding for students who are selected to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). Launched by former President Clinton in 2007, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, youth organizations, experts and celebrities come together to discuss answers to the world's problems. CGI U 2014 will take place March 21-23 at Arizona State University in metropolitan Phoenix and will be hosted by Clinton.
As a member of the CGI University Network, Purdue joins more than 50 schools pledging over $500,000 to support leading student innovators on their respective campuses in the next year. CGI U has brought together 5,500 students from 800 schools and 130 countries to make commitments to action in CGI U's five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health.
“This is a stellar opportunity for our students at Purdue to participate in an initiative bringing together youth leaders with experts from around the world,” said Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Honors College and Purdue's CGI liaison. “I encourage students to design commitments to action either individually or as groups to participate in this social venture challenge.”
The funding will be used to support students selected to attend the conference develop their solutions and travel to the conference, said Adam Lower, Honors College student recruiter.
“The CGI U makes the final selection of who goes to the conference, where they will hear several speakers and attend workshops,” he said. “Students who go explain what their project idea is and how they will do it. The conference is almost like a kickoff for doing their project.”
Lower said projects can be developed for anywhere.
“Several of the students at the conference talk about going back to their home country with their project, but they don't have to be international in nature,” he said. “It can be a project that you do at home or even on campus.”
Lower said all students at Purdue, not just those in the Honors College, can participate. A callout for students interested in the conference will be from 6-7 p.m., Thursday (Dec. 5) at the Lawson Computer Science Building. Source: Purdue University