Invitation-only Gathering of Students and University Officials
to Present Action Plans for Positive Change

Dr. Caroline Whitson has been invited by the Clinton Foundation to participate in the second annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) conference to be held at the University of Texas at Austin from February 13-15, 2009. The Clinton Foundation launched the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005 to bring together, by invitation only, heads of state, business executives, nonprofit and foundation directors, philanthropists, academics, and religious leaders to move beyond discussion and take action to address focus areas like education, energy & climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation.

Each year, CGI hosts a meeting for students and university officials to discuss solutions to pressing global issues. More than 1,000 students will come together to make a difference both internationally and locally.

Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.

CGI U held its inaugural meeting in March 2008 at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hundreds of students, university officials, and global activists came together from nearly every state and 15 countries to address issues including climate change, global health, peace and human rights, and poverty alleviation. To give back to New Orleans, attendees participated in a service project with Brad Pitt's Make it Right project in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward, preparing sites for the construction of new homes in the neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

CGI U is more than just an event. It is a growing community of young leaders who don't just discuss the world's challenges -- they take real, concrete steps toward solving them. Throughout the year, and as a prerequisite of attending the CGI U meeting, students and university officials develop their own Commitments to Action: specific plans of action that addresses a pressing challenge on their campuses, in their communities, or in different parts of the world.

Commitments range from installing energy-efficient light bulbs to establishing campus bike share programs, from distributing life-saving water filtration kits to designing medical backpacks from nomadic doctors in Africa. Since the inaugural meeting, nearly 1,000 commitments have been made by students around the world. From presidents to academics, from the boardroom to the classroom, CGI members from all walks of life are creating positive change.

Throughout the year, students are also invited to submit their own commitments and join the CGI U campus representative network. Nearly 200 student representatives from over 25 countries are working together to spread the word about CGI U on their campuses. To learn about becoming a campus representative, click here. 

CGI U is proof that young people have the power to make a significant impact by confronting some of the world's most urgent challenges.